How to cope with exam failure – and five ways to deal with exam results stress
Exam results day is imminent for many children around the UK – and their parents. Learn how to cope with exam failure – and five ways to deal with exam results stress.
Exam results time is always stressful for everyone involved. Even if your child studied as hard, and prepared as thoroughly as they could, they’ll still get nervous when their results are published. As, probably, will you!
But what if the worst happens, and your child or teenager didn’t get the result they were expecting or hoping for? Failing an exam can really knock them for six – especially an important exam that will influence their choices of next life stage.
As a result they can experience feelings of frustration, dejection and devastation, not to mention embarrassment.
Failing your exams isn’t the end of the world
But, while it may feel quite the opposite to your child (or you) when they initially get results they didn’t want, failing exams isn’t the end of the world.
Many successful people had serious setbacks when they were starting out, and may have had more setbacks throughout their careers. The following people all failed their exams, or dropped out before taking them:
- Jon Snow
- Clare Balding
- Richard Branson
- Lord Alan Sugar
- Drew Barrymore
- Jeremy Clarkson
- Deborah Meaden
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Simon Cowell
- Prince Harry
- Russell Brand
- Sarah Millican
In fact, some experts believe failure is essential for success, as failing always offers invaluable opportunities for learning.
So, the first step in helping your child to get back on their feet is to ensure they aren’t being to be too hard on themselves. But, knowing how to support your child’s needs and emotions if they fail an exam isn’t easy.
Three things to do if your child doesn’t get the results they want
So, to help you, CABA, the wellbeing charity have put together three tips to help your child cope with disappointing exam results. And some ways you can support your child by keeping their stress at bay.
So here’s what to do if exam results day doesn’t go as hoped.
1) Make a new plan
So your child or teenager has had an exam result that didn’t go their way. What’s next? It’s important to remind them that they have options. But it’s even more important for them to weigh those options up before deciding which course of action would be best for them.
Try making a list of all the pros and cons of each available option together if they’re struggling to come to a decision.
2) Learn from the experience
If your child decides to resit an exam but don’t have an idea about why they failed it, it’s a good idea to find out. Help them to identify their weaknesses – if there is an area or areas they’re lacking in, they can tailor their study to help ensure they’re much better prepared overall for the next attempt.
Besides any weaknesses or gaps in knowledge, they may have made other mistakes previously too. They may have stayed up too late revising the night before the exam, or they may have let their nerves get the better of them.
Either way, these things could have affected their performance. They may not have had an effective study plan or might not have stuck to it. Or perhaps they simply didn’t have enough confidence in their abilities.
So try and identify what they could do differently next time. Give them space and try to ensure they get a good night’s sleep the night before the resit. Also remind them that you don’t have to be the best or the brightest to pass exams – they just have to work, study hard, and practice.
3) Be more resilient
Their future attempts at passing exams – or navigating any other challenging situations – may be more successful if they learn to bounce back more effectively.
Being more resilient will help stop them going into panic mode and allow them to cope better whenever they feel under pressure. But unless they’re a naturally resilient person, developing resilience takes practice. Check out CABA’s guide on resilience here.
Five ways you can keep stress at bay during exam results
As well as academic expectation and disappointment, there are many aspects of modern life that can lead a child or teenager to feel stressed, anxious and worried. Here are CABA’s five top tips to help reduce these pressures.
1) Make time for them
All parents are busy these days, but it’s important to spend more time than usual with your child if they’re worried about something.
Make yourself available for fun activities or just being in the same room as them. Ask them about their day and show an interest in things that are important to them. But try to avoid forcing them to talk about their worries – they’ll open up when they feel comfortable talking about it.
2) Encourage healthy sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep and rest can help children become more resilient to stress. Children need different amounts of sleep at different ages – find out how many hours your children need by visiting NHS Choices.
3) Feed them healthy food
Good nutrition is also essential if you want to boost your child’s coping skills. Try to make sure they’re eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
If your child is resistant to eating fruit and veg, there are lots of ways to get them into their diet (these tips by NHS Choices may help).
4) Make stress normal
It may be useful to remind your child that some level of stress is perfectly normal in life, and that everyone is affected by it and has to find ways of coping.
Explaining that it’s okay to feel what they’re feeling could give them the confidence they need to manage their stress levels. If it helps, try talking about times when you’ve been stressed, and explain how you tackled it.
5) Keep them active
Physical activity can help children and adults alike manage stress, so make sure your child is getting plenty of exercise. Other things you could try with them include relaxation techniques and even things like breathing exercises.
Also try leading by example – if you use these methods to manage your own stress levels, your children are more likely to follow in your footsteps.
Photo by Ezra Comeau-Jeffrey
