Abstract

This study aimed to explore how suicide ideation, academic procrastination, and achievement motivation are related in students who are preparing for India’s most competitive entrance exams—the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). These exams are known for their high pressure, and students often spend years preparing for them. As a result, many of them experience stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges. The main goal of this research was to understand whether students who procrastinate more or have lower motivation also experience more suicidal thoughts. For this, 200 students from different coaching centres were selected, and they answered three different questionnaires: one to measure suicide ideation, one for academic procrastination, and one for achievement motivation. All of these were self-report tools, meaning the students filled them out based on their own understanding of themselves. The results showed that there were no strong or significant relationships between the variables. In other words, students who procrastinated or had lower motivation didn’t necessarily have more suicidal thoughts, and vice versa. This was a little surprising because previous studies have often found some connection between these psychological traits. However, in our study, the connections were weak and not statistically significant. There could be many reasons for this. For example, students might have been influenced by their external environment, such as support from family, teachers, or friends. They might also have personal strengths or coping skills that helped them manage their emotions despite academic pressure. Even though the findings didn’t support the original hypothesis, they still provide valuable insights. They show that mental health in competitive exam settings is a complex issue and cannot be explained by a few factors alone. There is a need to look at students more holistically, considering not just their procrastination or motivation levels, but also their background, support systems, personality, and stress levels. Future studies can explore these areas in more depth. This research highlights how important it is to support students not just academically, but emotionally and psychologically as well.