BPCS 186 Solved Question Paper for the June 2026 Term-End Examination is for IGNOU learners who want to see how the Managing Stress paper should actually be answered. Two answers are open on this page in full, and the complete file with all 8 questions solved is shared on WhatsApp 9899436384.
BPCS 186 Key Facts
- Course code: BPCS 186
- Subject: Managing Stress
- Programme: Bachelor of Arts (General) BAG, also taken in BSCG and BCOMG
- Course type and credits: Skill Enhancement Course, 4 credits
- Semester: 4th semester (second year)
- Blocks and units: 2 blocks, 8 units
- Exam session: June 2026 Term-End Examination
- Maximum marks: 50 (term-end exam carries 70% weightage, assignments 30%)
- Duration: 2 hours
- Questions in the paper: 8 (attempt any 5, at least 2 from each section)
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q1 and Q5)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8, including the 6 not shown on this page
What the BPCS 186 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives you
BPCS 186 Managing Stress is a 4-credit Skill Enhancement Course from IGNOU's School of Social Sciences, taken mainly in the Bachelor of Arts (General) programme and taught in two blocks that move from what stress is to how it can be managed.
The June 2026 paper set 8 questions in two sections, and learners had to attempt any five in 2 hours for 50 marks. Section I stayed with the psychology of stress itself, while Section II tested coping, Yoga, time management, emotional intelligence and problem solving.
Our file solves every one of those 8 questions in the length IGNOU examiners expect: about 300 words for a full question and about 150 words for each short note. If you want to see how steady this paper has been, put it next to any earlier BAG Question Paper for the same course.
This page is built for the June 2026 paper only. It is still useful for December 2026 preparation, because six of the eight June 2026 topics had already been asked at least three times between June 2022 and December 2025.
Two BPCS 186 Managing Stress answers solved in full
Question 1 from Section I and Question 5 from Section II are solved below in full, so you can judge the depth and style before asking for the other six.
Q1. Explain the concept and nature of stress. (10)
Q1. Explain the concept and nature of stress. (10)
Answer
Introduction
Stress is a word we use every day, but in psychology it has a precise meaning. Hans Selye, the endocrinologist who popularised the term in the 1930s, described stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed on it.
Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman (1984) added the role of the mind. For them, stress arises when a person appraises a situation as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and as a threat to well-being.
Concept of stress
Psychologists explain the concept through three approaches. The stimulus approach treats stress as the event itself, such as an exam, a job loss or daily traffic; these events are called stressors. The response approach treats stress as the reaction, such as a racing heart, worry or irritability.
The transactional approach, now the most widely accepted, sees stress as the interaction between the stressor and the person's appraisal of it. The same event can be stressful for one person and harmless for another.
Nature of stress
- Subjective: stress depends on appraisal. A viva may feel like a threat to one student and an exciting challenge to another.
- Both positive and negative: Selye separated eustress, the healthy stress of a promotion or a wedding, from distress, the harmful stress of illness or conflict.
- Psychophysiological: stress acts on the body (release of adrenaline and cortisol, raised blood pressure), the mind (anxiety, poor concentration) and behaviour (disturbed sleep, change in appetite).
- Has an optimal level: the Yerkes-Dodson law (1908) shows that performance improves with arousal up to a point and then falls, giving an inverted-U curve.
- Acute or chronic, and cumulative: stress may be short-lived or long-lasting, and small daily hassles can add up to serious strain.
- Moderated by the individual: personality, coping skills and social support decide how much damage a stressor actually does.
Conclusion
Stress is neither purely an outside event nor purely an inner feeling. It is a dynamic process in which demands, appraisal and resources meet, and understanding this nature is the first step towards managing it.
Q5. Define coping and discuss emotion focused and problem focused coping. (3+7)
Q5. Define coping and discuss emotion focused and problem focused coping. (3+7)
Answer
Definition of coping
Coping refers to the ways people deal with stress. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) defined it as constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person.
Three features follow: coping is a process that changes as the situation unfolds, it includes both thoughts and actions, and it counts as coping whether or not the effort succeeds. In the transactional model, the choice of coping follows secondary appraisal, where the person asks what can be done about the threat.
Problem-focused coping
Problem-focused coping tries to change or remove the source of stress. Typical strategies are defining the problem clearly, gathering information, listing alternatives, weighing their costs and benefits, and then acting on a plan. Managing time better or asking a teacher for help are everyday examples.
Example: an IGNOU learner who has fallen behind in three courses a month before the term-end exam makes a day-wise study timetable and joins counselling sessions. The stressor itself, the backlog, becomes smaller. This style works best when the situation can be controlled.
Emotion-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping tries to reduce the distress caused by a stressor rather than the stressor itself. Helpful forms include seeking emotional support, positive reappraisal, acceptance, relaxation and prayer. Less helpful forms such as denial, avoidance, wishful thinking and substance use give short relief but often add to stress later.
Example: a person grieving a parent's death cannot change the event, so talking to friends and gradually accepting the loss are the realistic ways to cope. This style suits situations that cannot be controlled.
Using both together
The two styles are not opposites. Folkman and Lazarus found that people use both in most stressful encounters. A student who fails a paper may first calm down by talking to a friend (emotion-focused) and then plan the re-appear (problem-focused). Healthy coping depends on choosing the right mix for how controllable the stressor is.
Questions answered only in the full file
These six questions from the June 2026 paper are printed below exactly as set. Their answers are in the complete file only.
- Q2. Explain fight and flight response and general adaptation syndrome. (10)
- Q3. Write short notes on the following in about 150 words each : (a) Measurement of stress (b) Type ‘A’ personality (5+5)
- Q4. Describe the effect of stress on relationships. (10)
- Q6. Explain Yoga as a technique of stress management. (10)
- Q7. Describe various techniques of time management. (10)
- Q8. Write short notes on the following in about 150 words each : (a) Emotional intelligence (b) Steps in problem solving (5+5)
Managing Stress syllabus for BPCS 186, block by block
BPCS 186 has 2 blocks and 8 units: Block I, Introduction to Stress, covers Units 1 to 4, and Block II, Stress Management, covers Units 5 to 8.
Every June 2026 question maps cleanly onto one of these units, which is why the table also shows where each question came from. Learners reading the official blocks alongside our BPCS 186 Study Material can tick off units as they revise.
| Block | Unit | Key topics | June 2026 question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block I: Introduction to Stress | Unit 1: Stress: An Introduction | Concept and nature of stress; types and symptoms; sources and measurement | Q1, Q3(a) |
| Block I: Introduction to Stress | Unit 2: Models of Stress | Fight-or-flight response; General Adaptation Syndrome; cognitive appraisal and psychodynamic models | Q2 |
| Block I: Introduction to Stress | Unit 3: Factors Contributing to Stress Proneness | Type A personality; perfectionism and hostility; learned helplessness | Q3(b) |
| Block I: Introduction to Stress | Unit 4: Effects of Stress | Effects on health; on performance and productivity; on relationships | Q4 |
| Block II: Stress Management | Unit 5: Coping with Stress | Nature and goals of coping; coping styles; emotion-focused and problem-focused coping | Q5 |
| Block II: Stress Management | Unit 6: Stress Management Techniques I | Relaxation and meditation; mindfulness and biofeedback; Yoga and asanas | Q6 |
| Block II: Stress Management | Unit 7: Stress Management Techniques II | Cognitive restructuring with the ABCDE technique of REBT; time management matrix; techniques of time management | Q7 |
| Block II: Stress Management | Unit 8: Stress Management Techniques III | Interpersonal skills such as communication and emotional intelligence; problem solving and its steps | Q8(a), Q8(b) |
BPCS 186 Question Paper pattern and section-wise marks
The June 2026 paper had 8 questions of 10 marks each in two sections, and learners had to attempt five, with at least two from each section.
The IGNOU BPCS 186 Question Paper has kept this skeleton in every session since June 2022. Only the section labels shift: 2022 and 2023 papers used Section I and II, the 2024 and 2025 papers used Section A and B, and June 2026 went back to Section I and II.
| Part | Questions | Format | Marks | Units tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section I | Q1 to Q4 | Three essay questions and one pair of short notes (Q3) | 10 each, Q3 split 5+5 | Units 1 to 4 |
| Section II | Q5 to Q8 | Q5 split into a definition and a discussion, two essays, one pair of short notes (Q8) | 10 each, Q5 split 3+7, Q8 split 5+5 | Units 5 to 8 |
| Whole paper | Attempt 5 of 8 | At least two from each section, about 300 words per answer | 5 x 10 = 50 | 2 hours, roughly 24 minutes per answer |
Older sessions follow the same split, so practising with the IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper set trains you for the timing as well as the content.
Most repeated BPCS 186 Managing Stress topics since June 2022
Coping was asked in all nine official BPCS 186 papers from June 2022 to June 2026, and time management came up in six of them.
We counted topics from these nine IGNOU papers: June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 and June 2026. A topic is counted once per paper, even if it appears in two questions.
| Topic | Sessions where it appeared | Count (of 9) | In June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coping: definition, nature, goals or styles | Every session from June 2022 to June 2026 | 9 | Yes, Q5 |
| Time management and the time management matrix | June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, June 2026 | 6 | Yes, Q7 |
| Concept, definition or nature of stress | June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2024, June 2026 | 5 | Yes, Q1 |
| Measurement of stress | December 2022, June 2023, June 2024, December 2025, June 2026 | 5 | Yes, Q3(a) |
| Fight-or-flight response and General Adaptation Syndrome | June 2022, December 2022, June 2024, June 2025, June 2026 | 5 | Yes, Q2 |
| Moderators of stress | June 2022, December 2022, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 | No |
| Meditation | June 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2025 | 5 | No |
| Type A personality | June 2022, December 2022, June 2024, June 2026 | 4 | Yes, Q3(b) |
| Effect of stress on relationships | June 2023, December 2024, December 2025, June 2026 | 4 | Yes, Q4 |
| Emotion-focused and problem-focused coping | December 2022, December 2024, December 2025, June 2026 | 4 | Yes, Q5 |
| Problem solving and its steps | June 2022, June 2024, June 2025, June 2026 | 4 | Yes, Q8(b) |
| Relaxation techniques | June 2022, December 2022, June 2024, June 2025 | 4 | No |
| Cognitive restructuring and the ABCDE technique | June 2022, December 2022, December 2024, December 2025 | 4 | No |
| Effect of stress on performance and productivity | June 2022, December 2022, June 2024, June 2025 | 4 | No |
| Effect of stress on health | June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024 | 4 | No |
| Yoga and asanas | June 2023, December 2024, June 2026 | 3 | Yes, Q6 |
| Emotional intelligence | December 2024, December 2025, June 2026 | 3 | Yes, Q8(a) |
| Learned helplessness or learned pessimism | June 2023, December 2023, December 2025 | 3 | No |
Yoga and emotional intelligence were the only June 2026 topics that had appeared just twice before. For a shortlist built on this data, see our IGNOU Important Questions page.
How our BPCS 186 answers are written and checked
Every BPCS 186 answer in the file follows the mark split printed on the June 2026 paper and is checked against the official Managing Stress course blocks.
Prateek Talwar writes the answers and Sheetal Kirola reviews them. Q5, for example, is split 3+7 on the paper, so the definition gets about a third of the space and the two coping styles get the rest. Short notes in Q3 and Q8 are kept to about 150 words each, as the paper instructs.
Psychology examiners look for named thinkers and standard terms, so answers use the references found in the course, such as Selye, Lazarus and Folkman, and the Yerkes-Dodson law. Terms are cross-checked with the official BPCS 186 Block 1 on eGyanKosh.
Each answer has an introduction, headed points and a short conclusion, which is how SOSS courses expect 300-word answers to be laid out. Where a model or a matrix helps, the file adds a simple labelled diagram that you can reproduce in the exam hall.
BPCS 186 solved file index, question by question
The BPCS 186 June 2026 file contains 8 solved questions, which come to 10 answer items because Q3 and Q8 each have two short notes.
| Question | Topic | Section | Course unit | Marks | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Concept and nature of stress | I | Unit 1 | 10 | On this page |
| Q2 | Fight and flight response and general adaptation syndrome | I | Unit 2 | 10 | Full file only |
| Q3(a) | Measurement of stress | I | Unit 1 | 5 | Full file only |
| Q3(b) | Type ‘A’ personality | I | Unit 3 | 5 | Full file only |
| Q4 | Effect of stress on relationships | I | Unit 4 | 10 | Full file only |
| Q5 | Coping, emotion focused and problem focused | II | Unit 5 | 3+7 | On this page |
| Q6 | Yoga as a technique of stress management | II | Unit 6 | 10 | Full file only |
| Q7 | Techniques of time management | II | Unit 7 | 10 | Full file only |
| Q8(a) | Emotional intelligence | II | Unit 8 | 5 | Full file only |
| Q8(b) | Steps in problem solving | II | Unit 8 | 5 | Full file only |
That makes 2 questions on this page and 6 in the full file only. Since you attempt any five in the exam, the file lets you choose your five with a ready answer for each.
Programmes that study BPCS 186 Managing Stress
BPCS 186 is a 4-credit Skill Enhancement Course taken in the 4th semester (second year) of IGNOU's general degrees, mainly BAG and also BSCG and BCOMG.
IGNOU files this paper under its combined BAG, BCOMG and BSCG folder, so the same paper serves all three. Because it is a skill course, many learners who take it have never studied psychology before, which is why our answers explain every term from scratch.
- BAG: learners of the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) programme, whose name is printed on the June 2026 paper itself.
- BSCG: Bachelor of Science (General) learners who pick BPCS 186 as their skill course.
- BCOMG: Bachelor of Commerce (General) learners who pick it for the same skill slot.
The printed programme label has changed over time. Papers up to June 2024 said B.A. (General), December 2024 said Bachelor's Degree Programme, the 2025 papers said Bachelor's Programme, and June 2026 returned to Bachelor of Arts (General).
Get the complete BPCS 186 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Send "BPCS 186 June 2026" on WhatsApp to 9899436384 and our team will share the complete file with all 8 questions solved.
- Save 9899436384 and open WhatsApp.
- Send the message "BPCS 186 June 2026" with your programme (BAG, BSCG or BCOMG).
- Our team confirms the details and shares the IGNOU BPCS 186 Solved Question Paper as a PDF.
The file has all 8 questions: the 2 you read here and the 6 listed above as text only. That covers Q2 on fight and flight response, the Q3 and Q8 short notes, Q4 on relationships, Q6 on Yoga and Q7 on time management.
BPCS 186 Managing Stress FAQs
Does your BPCS 186 June 2026 file solve every question?
Yes. The file solves all 8 questions of the BPCS 186 June 2026 paper, which come to 10 answer items because Q3 and Q8 each have two short notes. Two of those questions, Q1 and Q5, are open on this page in full. The other six are answered only in the complete file, so you can pick any five in the exam and still have a ready answer.
Which BPCS 186 questions are answered on this page?
Q1 and Q5 are answered on this page. Q1 explains the concept and nature of stress from Section I, using Selye, Lazarus and Folkman, and the Yerkes-Dodson law. Q5 defines coping and compares emotion-focused and problem-focused coping from Section II. Both follow the paper's word length and mark split, so they show exactly how the rest of the BPCS 186 file is written.
How do I get the full BPCS 186 solved paper on WhatsApp?
Send "BPCS 186 June 2026" with your programme name to WhatsApp 9899436384. Our team confirms your details and shares the complete PDF. It contains answers to all 8 questions of the June 2026 Managing Stress paper: the 2 shown on this page plus the 6 listed only as question text, including both pairs of short notes in Q3 and Q8.
How many questions must I attempt in the BPCS 186 exam?
You must attempt five of the eight questions in the BPCS 186 exam, choosing at least two from each section. Every question carries 10 marks, so the paper totals 50 marks in 2 hours. That leaves about 24 minutes per answer. Since you choose five, preparing six or seven topics well gives you room if one question looks unfamiliar on the day.
What is the word limit for BPCS 186 Managing Stress answers?
The BPCS 186 Managing Stress paper asks for about 300 words per full question. Short-note questions, such as Q3 and Q8 in June 2026, ask for about 150 words for each note. Our solved file keeps to these limits, so you can practise writing answers of the right length rather than long essays that eat into your two hours.
Which BPCS 186 topics repeat most often?
Coping is the most repeated BPCS 186 topic, asked in all nine papers from June 2022 to June 2026. Time management appeared in six papers. Concept of stress, measurement, fight-or-flight with GAS, moderators of stress and meditation each appeared in five. These counts come from official IGNOU papers only, and the full table is on this page under repeated topics.
Will the BPCS 186 June 2026 solved file help for December 2026?
Yes, it should help. BPCS 186 papers reuse a small set of topics, and six of the eight June 2026 topics had already been asked at least three times since June 2022. Practising these solved answers covers coping, time management, Type A personality and problem solving, which keep returning. IGNOU can still change questions, so revise the full course blocks as well.
How many credits and blocks does BPCS 186 Managing Stress have?
BPCS 186 Managing Stress is a 4-credit Skill Enhancement Course with 2 blocks and 8 units. Block I, Introduction to Stress, covers the concept, models, proneness and effects of stress. Block II, Stress Management, covers coping and three units of management techniques. The term-end exam carries 70% weightage and the assignments carry the remaining 30%.