DSE exams begin tmr as student stress rises amid social media pressure
發佈日期: 2026-04-07 20:05
TVB News
The first written paper of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exams is set to begin tomorrow.
A secondary school principal has flagged a surge in students seeking pre-exam psychological counselling in recent years.
With the DSE exam fast approaching, many candidates stayed in Hong Kong during the Easter break to focus on their revision.
A school principal notes that school social workers have been reaching out to exam-takers at the start of each academic year.
This as the proportion of students receiving counselling before exams saw a notable surge -- from 4.8 percent five years ago to over 20 percent now.
Much of their anxiety, he says, stems from the growing culture of comparison on social media.
Principal Kwok Yui-ham of the Lions Clubs International Tseung Chui King College says some students want to appear effortless when achieving high grades.
In this environment of comparison, he says some students may feel inadequate because they couldn't see the time and efforts behind the scenes.
Hok Yau Club surveyed more than a thousand DSE candidates this year between January and February.
It found exam-takers' stress levels higher than the past three years, with reasons cited including self-expectations and concerns about future pathways.
More than 46,000 day-school candidates have applied for this year's DSE -- an increase of about 8 percent year-on-year.
Hok Yau Club's consultant says some candidates are worried that larger cohorts could mean more fierce competition to get into their university or course of choice.
He adds that while the rise of AI has helped students revise more efficiently,it has also created uncertainty about future career prospects.
In this final sprint of exam preparation, he reminds students to focus first on revision, but also maintain a healthy routine to optimise their exam performance.
