Amelia Chang – University of Oxford (MSc in Education – Child Development and Education)
Academic Group Leader, Professional Tutors Singapore Tuition Agency

Disappointing Exam Results

We all look forward to school holidays.

However, the end of the semester also brings with it results time.

This can be a stressful time for us, because the expectations we place on ourselves can sometimes leave us disappointed with the results of our exams.

If we didn’t get the grades that we wanted, we might feel a range of emotions that include worry, shame, anger, fear, disappointment, embarrassment, sadness, guilt – and even feelings of being left out.

All of these are normal emotions to feel, and can be necessary for the healing process.

We explore the reasons behind exam setbacks and share actionable advice for conquering your next exam preparation:

Don’t panic and be kind to yourself. You are not the only one who did not receive the grade that they wanted. It may feel like the end of the world now, but you are experiencing a difficult time, it is important to be kind to yourself
Your grades don’t define your success. Life and success do not happen in a straight line. Think of life and your academic journey as a squiggly line that goes up and down, and all over the place. Ultimately, you know that when you use the correct study methods and have a healthy mindset, that your grades will be back to where you want them to be. Without some temporary failure or hard times, it is difficult to grow and learn from your mistakes.
Coping with failure. Failure can be an unpleasant and unwanted experience. This can come in different forms: not achieving the academic grades that we had been preparing hard for, being unsuccessful in a job application, the breakdown of an important relationship, or a general setback. When we feel the pain of failing, we have practice self-compassion. This includes being warm, caring, and understanding towards ourselves instead of judging and criticizing. This allows us to be more resilient when faced with stress and hardship. We can become more willing to try again, after we have not been able to meet our goals. To adopt a growth mindset, we can ask ourselves “What can I learn from this experience”, or “What useful information can I gain from this experience”. This will better prepare us for the next challenge
Learn from it – in a positive way. Try to look at the situation as something that you can learn from, and something that can help you grow, as well as add to your repertoire of life experiences. Have you ever seen a baby get upset when they are trying to learn how to walk? No. They simply giggle, get back up again, and take the next steps while smiling
Do something that you enjoy. One way to take your mind off your exam grades is to take a break so that you can do something that you enjoy. Whether you want to eat a small snack or do something sporty, it will really help to boost your mood
Growth mindset. A fixed mindset is when we believe that our qualities and skills are fixed – and therefore cannot change no matter what we try or do – for example “Why should I even bother to try because I am going to fail anyway?”. A growth mindset is when we believe our qualities and skills can develop and improve with time, effort and experience – for example “I want to try again, because I should be able to get better results this time.” Ask yourself: “What can I learn from this?”, “What can I do differently next time?”, and “Do I need to take proactive steps now, to avoid it from happening again?”
Revisit your goals and create a plan for the future. Experiencing a failure does not mean that you are not good enough. It might be that you just have not quite figured it out yet. Dwelling on past failures for longer than necessary will keep you stuck. Once you have given yourself enough time to feel the emotions associated with the failure, shown yourself kinds and care, and have reflected on what you have learned from the experience – as well as identified the areas for improvement, it is time to review your goals and create a plan for the future. At this point, you have to consider if your goal is realistic and achievable. Keep in mind that goal-setting and planning is more likely to be successful if the goal is important to you, and aligns with your values. Sit down and write down all the potential paths that you can take from here. Write them down so that you can see all of your options in front of you, and plan from there. You will find that you have many options available to you, and it will start to become clear what you need to do next. Start by defining what you want to achieve, then identify any obstacles that might be standing in your way. Are you balancing multiple responsibilities? Do you have a specific skills gap? Are you feeling unmotivated? Once you have a list of obstacles, you can start to develop a plan to overcome them. Write down your plan, and keep it near you so that you can easily refer to it. Use this structure and process to keep you focuses, motivated, and more likely to achieve your objectives
Create a study plan. Once you have set your goals and defined your approach, you should now create an effective study strategy. Time management is very important. Studying for long periods without taking short mental and physical breaks can lead to stress or even burnout. You should study intensely for say 25 minutes, and then take a 5-minute break
Review your study environment. You want to have a physical setting that promotes productivity and overall wellbeing. Carefully choose the space where you want to do most of your studying. You want to reduce distractions and promote concentration. Noise levels should be minimized, and family members should be encouraged to not disturb you during certain times of the day
Mindfulness. Important ways to achieve success in future exams include being able to focus on managing stress, staying focused, and maintaining a positive outlook
Support network. When we feel discouraged or tired, we want to be able to lean on our support network – which can include family, friends, or fellow classmates. Consider reaching out to people who have taken this exam previously, and ask for tips or advice. The main thing is that you should not be afraid to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness
Remain ambitious. Do not let any disappointment in life hold you back from whatever it is that you want to do. Take your courage, strength, and ability to bounce back from disappointment, and use these valuable asses to steer you into the direction of what you want to do in the future. If you still have more exams to take after a particularly difficult exam, do not let one bad exam put you off-track for the rest. By focusing on working harder for the rest of your exams, you will be able to better take your mind off the hard exam. It will also help you in getting back into a positive mindset. Tell yourself that you can do a lot better, and keep positive
Stay positive. Mindset is crucial in turning failure into success. It is important to remember that failing or having setbacks is normal and happens to everyone – whether or not they tell you about them. Do not overthink your recent performance. It is tempting to come out of an exam – or have just received your results – to discuss your answers or grades with your friends, look back through textbooks for answers, and to search for online forums. This might help you feel more worked up. Avoid overthinking, and decide that you have to move on

Failing exams – or getting much lower marks than you expected – can be discouraging. But it can be the motivation that we need to propel us to greater success. Indeed, exam setbacks can be stepping stones for us to succeed if we use them as opportunities to grow and improve.

In this section, we dig deep into the reasons why people fail exams:

Why do people fail exams or get lower marks than expected? The main reasons are lack of preparation, poor time management, and not answering the question correctly
Nervousness. Research shows that test anxiety before an important exam is closely related to poor performance. Try some relaxation techniques. Removing yourself from the situation and trying out some different relaxation skills can be very helpful in easing those feelings of stress and anxiety
Ask yourself the following questions:
Did you dedicate enough time to preparing and studying?
Did you use the most effective study methods?
Do you understand the exam format?
Were there topics that you didn’t understand?
Did stress or lack of sleep affect your exam performance? Everyone feels better after a good night’s sleep. You might want to distract yourself from the stress by listening to some of your favourite music or by reading a book. Being well-rested will help you approach stressful situations more calmly and rationally
Did you manage your time well during the exam?

Once you’ve reflected on the answers, you can identify areas of weakness and start to devise a plan for succeeding next time.

Disappointment can feel very devastating.

When we have expectations, there is a risk that we will feel disappointed.

When we anticipate a positive outcome, the brain generates the hormone dopamine, and we become excited and inspired when we focus on the future and our expected positive outcome. This anticipation itself gives us a dopamine high.

However, when these expectations are not met, we feel let down.

It can even feel like serious betrayal.

We lose the dopamine that was generated by the anticipation that we would do well, and we start to feel sad.

This is because the brain is experiencing the loss of a very important source of inspiration and excitement – which then leaves us feeling the loss of hope.

We need to understand that hurt and disappointment are real – whether it is for you, your family members, or your classmates.

It is important that we learn how to deal with life’s disappointments without giving up on hope.

When we practice gratitude regularly and maintain healthy levels of “happy brain chemicals” like serotonin and dopamine – through exercise and being around supportive friends and family – we are better equipped to deal with our emotional pain.

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