A guide to dealing with disappointing exam results  

It isn’t very reassuring when we don’t achieve the expected exam results. It can make us feel left out, guilty or worried about the future. However, it is normal to feel these emotions initially, because they will gradually disappear.

How to get over bad exam results

Most people have been disappointed with their exam results at one time or another. The important thing is to learn how to overcome the setback and plan what to do next. Some may not know where to start, so this guide can help overcome the stress of getting disappointing grades.

• Remember that exam results are only one of the ways to success

It is not the end of the world if one does not get the required grades to enter their desired university. Many successful people in the past and today were rejected by their schools because they performed poorly, and several successful businesspeople entered university and dropped out after a year or two, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, Sir Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and more.

Students do not need straight A grades; as long as they work diligently towards their goals, they can make it. Likewise, they can always retake A Levels.

• Plan a course of action

Exam results may change plans, but that doesn’t mean options will disappear. It’s time to sit down and plan the next course of action. One of the things to do is to check if it’s still possible to get a place on a desired course. If this is not possible, one can resit those A Levels, choose another course related to the original one, take a gap year, choose another university, take a vocational course or apprenticeship, or choose an internship program.

For those who are determined to enter a particular university, it’s worth checking which courses allow resits. However, for a place one a specific course, resitting A Levels may not allow entry to the course – for example, to enrol in medicine. In this case, since this is impossible, an applicant could choose nursing, pharmacy, psychology, dentistry or a healthcare science course. It might take longer, but it could be possible take up medicine later.

• Stay away from black-and-white thinking

Disappointing exam results may make a person think they are useless, not bright enough, or that nothing is going right. It’s essential to remember that people make mistakes, but that does not mean it’s hopeless – this is a temporary setback. It’s time to believe in one’s talents and skills, and not give up.

• Self-care

It’s necessary to take care of oneself to minimise stress and worry. Focusing on caring for oneself better can help with learning to cope and thinking about the future. Good practices include eating well, sleeping early, finding someone trustworthy to talk about feelings, and spending time on things one enjoys. It’s not worth staying in self-pity mode. Instead, one should keep in regular contact with friends.

It might help to write down the pros and cons of the course planned before. This can help acknowledge the bad experience, and writing the good and bad things about the course will help find balance again.

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