Exam Anxiety In Medical Students: Prevalence, Contributing Factors, And Mitigation Strategies.

Background: Medical students at high risk for exam anxieties experience negative effects that diminish both their study achievements and emotional health. Excessive course work together with unproductive time allocation and incomplete stress management skills lead to increased exam anxiety. Objectives: Researchers studied the occurrence and elements causing exam stress and variations between genders in medical students learning at Nowshera Medical College. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and duration of study. Department of Community Medicine, nowshera Medical College, from December 2024 to May 2024 Methods: A total of 200 MBBS students completed an online questionnaire which contained 22 questions during a cross-sectional study investigation. The researchers utilized Microsoft Excel for both descriptive and inferential statistical computations. The researchers secured both ethical approval and consent from participants before starting research activities. Results: Participants averaged 21.5 years of age with a standard deviation of 2.1 years. Anxiety about exams existed in 77.5% of students (95 females alongside 60 males). Data analysis revealed meaningful differences between genders regarding their performance in time management (p < 0.05) as well as their fears of failure (p < 0.05) and their susceptibility to exam timing sensitivity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Medical female students and male students demonstrate clear differences in their experience of exam anxiety. Students develop exam anxiety because of the combination of academic pressure and bad study routines alongside inadequate guidance support. Students need effective stress-management techniques to enhance their overall wellbeing. Keywords: Exam anxiety, medical students, stress, gender differences