20 Jun 2021

You’ve spent endless hours and many all-nighters preparing for the exam and finished answering the final question, with the thought that you absolutely killed it. When you thought you gave it your all, you’ve been hit with an average result that was insulting, to say the least. 

It’s not to say that you didn’t try your hardest - it could be that you studied the wrong topic, you didn’t retain enough information or you cracked under pressure without realising it. You know what? It’s okay.

 

You naturally make use of your energy and focus on the subjects you enjoy and when you get a bad mark, it does kill you a bit inside. To get marked down definitely sucks, we’ve all been there, whether we loved the subject (you feel like you’ve betrayed yourself) or dreaded it (these ones, ya don’t care so much about). So, here’s our advice on what to do when you’re down in the dumps about a bad grade.

Give yourself some time to process

There is no use dwelling on how you could’ve done better right after you’ve been given a crappy result. Your high expectation versus what mark you actually got may be way off - so don’t be too hard on yourself. It takes time to heal! Vent your frustration to a friend (they’re probably in the same position you’re in), get upset, focus on a different subject or better yet, just take some time out to yourself.

Separate yourself from that space

Remove yourself from that situation - we’re done wallowing and being in a heightened emotional state. Do something that takes ya mind off it - exercise, go for a skate, listen to music, do some yoga, anything that distracts you!

Calculate and evaluate the bigger picture + find your weaknesses

Now you’re ready to face failure head on. Work out just how little or big this exam has hurt your overall, yearly mark and rank. Exams and assignments generally weigh up differently, so If it didn’t impact your result that much, ah well, not much of a loss but if it did weigh up higher than you thought, you’ll know to come back better than ever next time.

Identifying what went wrong and where you’re lacking is key!

Remain calm

It’s time to take a deep breath for the rest of the year ahead. Don’t look back. Construct a plan of attack on how you’re going to smash your next couple of exams and assignments. You know just how much effort you need to put in after evaluating, so it’s only up from here!

Come back stronger

You’re raring to go. You’ve come into your next exam with the confidence to succeed. You’re keen to prove your teacher wrong. You know this exam like the back of your hand. You freakin’ got this!

Try not to get disheartened when you flip the page over and the first question is not what you expected it to be and do not underestimate the complexity of it all, remember that exams are supposed to challenge you!