Exams are some of the most stressful experiences we go through—but does stress affect everyone the same way?
Are high achievers naturally calm under pressure, or do they feel the weight of expectations more intensely? Do struggling students experience stress differently, and how does it impact their performance? Using real-time heart rate data, this visualization reveals the hidden story of stress during exams, showing how stress evolves for good, average, and poor performers throughout the duration of an exam. Go ahead—dive in! See what you can uncover!
Stress isn't one-size-fits-all—it can vary depending on the academic capabilities of students. High achievers tend to feel the most stress at the start of an exam, likely due to high expectations. Struggling students, on the other hand, experience a mid-exam stress spike, which may negatively impact their performance. By the end, though, stress levels even out across all groups. These insights challenge common assumptions about stress, showing that WHEN stress happens is just as important as HOW MUCH stress is felt. Stress patterns like these highlight the need for tailored support strategies. Educators can help high achievers manage early-exam anxiety through relaxation techniques, while struggling students may benefit from mid-exam check-ins or structured breaks to reduce stress spikes.
Our visualization effectively uncovers these stress patterns by allowing users to interact with real-time heart rate data, as well as compare different performance groups across key exam stages. The dynamic chart highlights stress fluctuations at the beginning, middle, and end of the exam, making it easy to see when stress levels peak for high achievers versus struggling students. The color-coded performance indicators, along with the interactive stress score box, further reinforce these insights by visually linking stress intensity with academic performance. By presenting stress as a dynamic experience rather than a static number, our project makes these takeaways clear, engaging, and easy to understand.