{"id":6176,"date":"2018-08-16T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6176"},"modified":"2023-02-22T16:11:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T16:11:51","slug":"exam-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/students\/exam-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"How to cope with exam failure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re numb. You\u2019re crying. You\u2019ve got a lump in your throat. Finding out you\u2019ve failed an exam is often a truly dreadful feeling, especially if it has come as a shock. No matter how old you are, exam failure can be deeply upsetting, especially if you have a lot riding on your grades, such as a secondary school place or a spot at your dream university, or perhaps a shiny new driver\u2019s license!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><b>Your first reaction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By failing an exam, I mean really failing it. Not getting an A instead of an A*. You might be angry, you might want to seek out friends, or you might want to be completely alone. Everyone reacts differently. What you must do first, however, is try to calm down, and give yourself space to absorb what has happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could take a walk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe you want to sweat it out, by hitting the gym or going on a long run with your favourite songs to accompany you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Happy or sad, music often helps. You might want something sombre to cry along to, or something upbeat \u2013 after all, it\u2019s impossible to feel sad when listening to disco.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indulge in some escapism, and lose yourself in a book, or a film. Return to old favourites like Harry Potter or Finding Nemo, and enjoy that warm hug of nostalgia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cooking is always a promising response, especially baking. Release&nbsp;your anger by kneading&nbsp;dough, and then enjoy some homemade chocolate chip cookies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice mindfulness or meditation to quieten your mind. You can find many more simple self-care practices <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tinybuddha.com\/blog\/45-simple-self-care-practices-for-a-healthy-mind-body-and-soul\/\">here<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and there is advice on how to make peace with failure <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/forbes\/welcome\/?toURL=https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/susantardanico\/2012\/09\/27\/five-ways-to-make-peace-with-failure\/&amp;refURL=&amp;referrer=#22964f143640\">here<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best responses, however, is to talk to a family member or close friend. Share how you\u2019re feeling. They can comfort you, and remind you that there\u2019s more to life \u2013 and why they love you \u2013 than exam results.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-group alignfull has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size\" style=\"margin: 50px 0px; color:#000000;background-color:#f7f2ed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center\" id=\"schedule-a-visit\" style=\"font-size:25px;line-height:1.15\">\n        <strong>Need help with your studies?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-1 wp-block-buttons\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 has-custom-font-size has-medium-font-size\">\n        <a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/get-started\" style=\"border-radius:4px;color:#ffffff;background-color:#03ccba\">Find a tutor<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Put it all in&nbsp;perspective<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, this is far easier said than done. Identifying positives in your life and about yourself whilst you\u2019re sad can feel like climbing a mountain in the middle of winter. Remember what you like about yourself \u2013 things which aren\u2019t linked to your exam grades. It might even help to write it down. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you a loyal friend? A good listener? Can you play an instrument, or write poetry, or think creatively about the world? Do you make amazing playlists, or the best cups of tea? Are you witty or kind or brave or determined? Can you run a mile in four minutes, or unfailingly see the best in people? There are millions of things to love about yourself \u2013 and most aren\u2019t ranked by exam grades. None of these aspects of yourself have changed or vanished. You haven\u2019t lost your friends, or family, or personality. Remember what makes you \u2018you\u2019 \u2013 and cherish it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, if the exam you failed was in a subject you knew you disliked and you have no intention of studying at a higher level, now might be a good time to call it quits. Of course, you can\u2019t study Astrophysics at university if you failed your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/Maths\/GCSE\/\">Maths GCSE<\/a>. On the other hand, if you failed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/Geography\/\">Geography<\/a> but you\u2019re off to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/Drama\/\">drama<\/a> school, it\u2019s probably not the end of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Don\u2019t compare yourself to others<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re Bella Hadid or Brenda Hale, there will always be someone smarter, prettier, funnier, or richer than you. You don\u2019t live life as a superlative. And that\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t berate yourself for having received a lower exam mark than your peers. Each negative comparison will only make you miserable, whilst positive comparisons will only serve to inflate your ego. It doesn\u2019t matter how anyone else has done \u2013 you are your own benchmark.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Take positive next steps<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luckily, like most things in life, a work ethic and revision techniques can be learnt. There are plenty of online guides advising students and professionals alike on how to work better and harder, such as <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Develop-a-Good-Work-Ethic\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this one.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As a general rule of thumb, make sure to prioritise your work. This doesn\u2019t mean giving up on your social life \u2013 far from it. If you learn how to manage your time well, and resist procrastinating, you\u2019ll find you actually have time to complete your work to a high standard, and see your friends. In the Internet age, it can be tricky to minimise distractions, but luckily there\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/251365\/how-to-set-a-screen-time-limit-on-your-iphone-or-ipad-with-guided-access\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an app for that.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can the problem be solved easily? Was your failure due to running out of time, or misreading the question, or was it due to not understanding the main concepts? If you need help with key elements of the syllabus, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/view-tutors\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">our tutors are here to help.&nbsp;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always keep in mind that you can do better in future. Failure isn\u2019t a permanent state of being. We know you\u2019ll do better next time \u2013 and so should you!<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Written by Lauren<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re numb. You\u2019re crying. You\u2019ve got a lump in your throat. Finding out you\u2019ve failed an exam is often a truly dreadful feeling, especially if it has come as a shock. No matter how old you are, exam failure can&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[789],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to cope with exam failure: putting it into perspective - MyTutor Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You\u2019re numb. 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