How to pick yourself up after a bad exam

From upset to angry, it’s normal to feel extremely emotional after a bad exam. You’re not alone in that. So the first order of business is for you to let this emotion out. Only then will you be able to start thinking about the situation rationally. Scream into your pillow, sob to your heart’s content, or even go for a run if that’s what helps you release your emotions. Do whatever works for you but give yourself a time limit to be sad. Once you reach that limit, make a conscious effort to start building the plan.

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We know you’ll feel like going over your answers again and again and then adding up your potential marks. You’ll do it over and over, with the same result - instead of helping you feel better, it’ll only upset you more. Every time you start panicking, take a few deep breaths, clear your mind and remind yourself of the bigger picture. Don’t put yourself down - this can do damage to your self-image in the long run. We know it’s easier said than done but try to take a more positive approach instead.

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Instead of finding faults in yourself, find the fault in your preparation plan. Break it down and figure out what was lacking? Was it that you found yourself being distracted by your phone or social media a lot? Or was it a friend who constantly derailed your progress? From your note-taking technique to your private tutor - many things can contribute to your exam performance. Talk to your friends and see if they did something you didn’t - like going over 10-year papers or studying with the help of visual aids. The problem could be something you had never even thought of. Identifying it will help you reduce the risk of this happening again.

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Always think ahead. The exam is over. In case you’re right about your performance, what can you do about it? Is it possible to give a retest? Or would excelling in every other exam make up the difference? Talk to your teachers and your parents about what options you have, just so you’re prepared when the results come out.

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Doing horribly in one subject doesn’t mean that there is no hope left. You have more exams to take and even more reason to perform well now. If you don’t think that’ll help and repeating the year/semester/subject is not an option, rethink your college preferences (or career options, depending on which stage of life you’re in). If you have a backup plan, make sure you’re putting equal if not more efforts towards that as well. Instead of thinking that you’re incapable of succeeding, let this be only a bump in the road that motivated you to work harder, as well as smarter, instead.

It’s good to have a plan in place - you won’t be blindsided if the result is bad then. But don’t be in a rush to make decisions and changes based on a feeling, albeit strong, that you didn’t perform well. Nothing is set in stone until the mark sheet is posted. So keep your plan ready but don’t start implementing anything that can’t be undone, until the results come out. You never know, they may surprise you and all of this planning would have been for nothing.