How to deal with your exam results
Published on 8 February 17
How to deal with your exam results
Getting your results back can bring up many emotions, anxieties and worries. For some getting results they were predicted or even surpassed is a great time but for others the disappointment of not achieving what you expected can be really hard to handle - it can leave you distraught and stressed out about getting the grades you need (can you tell I’m speaking from experience?!)
To help, here are some useful tips to dealing with those times when your marks weren’t quite what you expected:
Don’t beat yourself up
Firstly it’s important to accept that what’s done is done, you can’t change the past. There’s no point dwelling on how much or how little revision you did or that book you never got around to reading.
The sooner you realize your unexpected results are not the end of the world, the better chance you have of making them work for you and making a positive change for the next round.
Consider your options
Once you’ve learnt to absorb your results, however disappointing, it’s time to think about where you go from here.
Speak to your tutors; it’s their job to help you and more often than not they’ll want to do just that. If you were particularly close to a grade boundary perhaps a remark might be an option. And your tutor will be the best person to give you advice of what you didn’t get quite right so you won’t make those mistakes again.
Live and learn
It’s a cliché but in this case it’s hugely appropriate. Avoid disappointment in the future by learning from your mistakes. If you could have revised more, revise more next time. If you could have used extra help, be sure to ask for help as and when you need it.
Make sure to read through all the comments and feedback on your work, if you have them, to try and understand where you missed marks. Then next time you can focus on ticking all the boxes that weren’t done this time around.
Talk to your friends
Having a chat with your course mates is a really good idea if you haven’t done well – you can get tips and advice on what they did right and get some support from someone who’s going through the exact same thing.
If you’re feeling really down about your grades, make sure to talk to someone you trust about it; be that a friend, family member or tutor. Often just talking through something can lessen the load and it makes it easier to make a plan for getting back on track.
Finally
If you are really struggling to cope with the emotions and stress of being disappointed with your results you can speak to someone. The Counselling Service offer one-to-one sessions to discuss how you’re feeling.