Failing is part of learning.

Give yourself a break.

Failing any exam feels terrible. Step back and create some space between you and your failure. Don’t go talk to your professor if you are angry. Don’t do anything right away,  calm down first. Take a walk. Take a bubble bath. Work out. Go on  a bike ride. Put the task of addressing this failure on the calendar. Say to yourself, “I will address this failure and its causes and implications on Tuesday afternoon.” Don’t procrastinate. Don’t ignore the problem. You need to address a failed exam with your professor before the next exam. The sooner the better.

DISCLAIMER:

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This is the exemption. If you slept through your alarm and didn’t show up for an exam, go see the professor ASAP! Now. Stop reading this blog and GO. Look for your prof. Ask the department secretary where the prof might be. Ask your prof’s office neighbor. Walk around the halls. Find your prof and ask how you can get out of this hole you dug for yourself.

Lower Your Standards

Maybe you set yourself up for failure. If you thought that you would make an A on the exam and you made a 62 on the last one then your goal was unrealistic. A more realistic goal would’ve been a 72. Failing to reach an unrealistic goal means you need to rethink your goal.

University of Oklahoma Norman, OK

Take into consideration the following factors. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest, how difficult is this exam? How many chapters will the exam cover? How many power points? How many lecture notes?

Given all the factors for this particular class exam, what would be a more realistic goal for the next exam?

What worked and what didn’t work?

Maybe you went back home the weekend before midterms and instead of studying like you planned, you went hunting with your dad instead. Bingo. That didn’t work.  Just make a list of your study actions leading up to the exam. Be gut honest and ask yourself what did I do that contributed to success? What did I do the contributed to failing?

Now what?

A great deal of learning happens between exams. Ask yourself this. Based on what I learned from my failing this exam, what will I do now to prepare for my next exam?

Get back on the horse.

If you get thrown off a horse, you get back up, dust yourself off and get back on the horse. You’re in school. School is for learning and that’s just what you are doing. You are learning how to be a college student. Start studying now for your next exam. Don’t wait for the review or study guide.

My husband took this picture when we drove through Norman, Oklahoma last month.