Exam failure

Exams are nasty little things, they loom on the horizon for months, increasing your stress levels. Then you take them and the fear of getting the results starts to build. TheSite is here to reassure you.

If you think you're going to fail

Under pressure, everyone has moments when they feel unable to cope, but sticking to a realistic revision plan will keep your confidence afloat. If you're charting your progress in this way, you're less likely to get intimidated by the workload and end up throwing your hands in the air.

Don't give up - packing it all in at this stage is basically the easy way out. Sure, it'll stop you feeling stressed, but think how you'll feel on the other side of the exams. If you think you'll look back with any sense of regret, then it has to be worth giving it your best shot.

Even if you don't get the grades you want, taking exams keeps your options open. You could retake, consider other courses, or look for work. Whatever your results, however, something's better than nothing.

If you think that you've failed...

Even if you did freak out in the exam hall, there's really no need to panic now. First of all, it's perfectly natural to feel some apprehension in the run-up to the results, and often people find their worst fears are unfounded.

But even if you don't make the grades you were hoping for, it's not the end of the world. Failing exams doesn't make you a failure in life. If anything it presents you with a range of options, one of which is retaking.

So once the results are out, talk things through with your form tutor or careers officer, and consider the best way forward.