The Psychological Impact of High-Stakes Testing: Investigating the Effects of NEET/JEE Pressure on Students; Mental Health and Well-Being

Aakriti Sharma

doi:10.69980/ajpr.v28i5.331

Authors

Aakriti Sharma

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i5.331

Keywords:

High-Stakes Testing, Academic Stress (AS) National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), JEE (Joint Entrance Exam), Self-Esteem (SE), Mental Health, Psychological Well-being

Abstract

Stress in the classroom is becoming more common among students appearing for high-stakes exams such as NEET and JEE, which directly affects students' mental health and self-esteem. This study explores the relationship between AS and psychological well-being and focuses on the effect of stress on both mental health outcomes and SE among students. For this study, a survey conducted among 385 students from Jammu City, J&K, has been taken as the fundamental data collection tool in standardized scales based on a quantitative research design. This study used statistical tools such as SPSS and Excel, as well as regression and correlation as a technique for analysis of data. It is found that academic stress affects mental health directly because stress depicts 31.1% of the variance. Furthermore, there is also a moderate positive correlation between AS and SE In other words, greater stress overlaps with higher self-esteem. It was also seen that the males and younger age group, that is, the 18–19-year-olds, face more stress with poorer mental health outcomes. However, these results are restricted to an urban sample, and the cross-sectional design limits their generalizability; therefore, more future research is needed to involve different populations and long-term effects. There is a need for focused interventions to deal with academic stress to improve their mental well-being.

Author Biography

Aakriti Sharma

PhD Scholar NIMS University, Jaipur

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