Ahead of this year’s school board examinations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday advised students not to fear exams. This fear, he said, is largely created by external pressure from parents and society.

The Prime Minister spoke on a wide range of other topic concerning students and teachers at the first ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ event to be held virtually. Interacting with the students, he also gave life lessons, citing examples from his own life.

When two students asked him about ways to deal with the fear surrounding exams, Modi said: “You are not scared of the exams, the fear is born from the atmosphere built around you which makes it seem like these exams are the end all and be all of your life.”

He asked parents to not create pressure on the children. “If external pressure is not created, students will not feel pressure of exams and their confidence will also grow.”

Addressing questions on how to deal with subjects which students dislike or find difficult, Modi said the conventional wisdom of attempting easier things first and leaving the difficult part for later was not correct. “Don’t run away from difficult subjects. Spend your energy and time equally among all subjects. Tackle the difficult bits first since your mind will be fresh at that time. When I was Chief Minister, I would take up more complex work in the morning and leave the easier parts for later,” he said.

Citing the example of singer Lata Mangeshkar, he said the truly successful people were those who mastered one core subject. He also said free time was a 'treasure' and that students should make the most of it by helping their parents in chores or doing activities that make them happy.