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How to Cope with Academic Failure

Last Updated: November 30, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS . Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 85,799 times.

Achieving academic goals is vitally important for achieving professional goals later on in life. Nonetheless, overcoming what is perceived as "failure" in academic settings can seem like a daunting task. However, if you learn from past mistakes and develop a plan of action for the future, you can bounce back from almost any academic setback.

Practicing Self-Compassion

Step 1 Give yourself permission to move on.

  • Instead of thinking of it as a failure, think of it as a problem. Problems are there to be solved; a problem can be fixed. Most importantly, everyone has problems, even the most successful people.
  • Consider whether you need to adjust your expectations. Ask yourself what your priorities are and how academics fit into them. If you find academics aren't your strength, consider adjusting your goals to fit your strengths.

Step 3 Cultivate a successful identity.

  • If you think you might have adopted a failure identity, then the first step is to practice self-compassion. Stop thinking of yourself as a failure, and think about yourself as a person with a fixable problem. The existence of the problem itself is neutral with respect to success and failure. The problem is an opportunity, because how a person responds to a problem is what creates success or failure.
  • Remember that you can be intelligent in more than one area. Many people have intelligence in some areas and deficiencies in others. Think about the areas of intelligence where you could be successful.

Identifying the Trouble Spots

Step 1 Consider the impact of chaotic personal relationships and stress.

  • This kind of analysis can be difficult. Because people in close personal relationships mean a great deal, it is difficult to admit that those relationships may cause problems in other areas. But just because you have relationship problems doesn't mean that the relation is a bad person. The point is to separate relationship problems from academic problems so that they can both be solved.

Step 2 Analyze extracurricular commitments.

  • There are only 24 hours in a day. A person sleeps for eight hours and a full-time student goes to school for another eight. How you spend the remainder can determine the outcome of an academic problem.
  • Be sure to plan some time in each day for self-care to help keep yourself mentally and emotionally balanced.

Step 3 Make a list of upcoming assignments for the next week.

  • Everyone won't remember everything off the top of their head. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are disorganized. But if you can't remember due dates, guidelines, and assignments, and you can't find the notes or handouts that describe them, you probably have organizational issues. Especially if you understand the subject matter, but have trouble keeping up with assignments, dates, and procedures, disorganization is probably at the root of your trouble.

Step 4 Imagine how you feel when you are about to take a test.

  • Everybody gets nervous from time to time. The question is whether you are getting so nervous that it makes you unable to do things that you otherwise could. If test-taking causes you such extreme anxiety that it impacts your performance and grades, talk to your teacher to see if other accommodations can be made for you.

Step 5 Test your knowledge.

  • Try some problems in a textbook, ask your teacher for a sample test, or go online to find some problems that you aren't already familiar with.
  • Although it seems counter-intuitive, this is the easiest academic problem to fix, because it doesn't require a major change in behavior to fix. Almost anyone can understand almost anything if they are given the proper explanation and sufficient practice.

Bouncing Back

Step 1 Look at the history of your grades and determine the overall trend.

  • If they slowly declined, this probably indicates an ongoing but worsening external problem or a lack of proficiency in a foundational skill set. Foundational skills often start out as small portions of your grades but increase in importance as time goes on.
  • If your grades suddenly plummeted, then that can be indicative of the sudden presence of a very troublesome external factor. If your family was evicted or homeless, a parent went to prison, or you moved to a new school or a new class, these would all qualify. Alternatively, the subject matter in that class may have abruptly changed, and you might struggle with the new material.

Step 2 Develop a plan of action.

  • Enlist someone to help you stay accountable to your plan of action. Talk to a friend, family member, teacher, or counselor about helping you stay on track.

Step 3 Create a peaceful space.

  • Study at a library, a coffee shop, or even at a friend’s house. Even if you have to face those same problems when you get home, find a space where you can learn in peace. [7] X Research source

Step 4 Establish a routine.

  • Set phone and email alerts so you don’t forget about them, and set them at the times you need to start working on them.

Step 5 Stay calm.

  • There is a wealth of additional help available online. Youtube.com and http://www.khanacademy.org all offer free services to help students on nearly any type of subject matter.

Step 7 Celebrate and build on improvements.

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Offer Encouragement to Someone Who Has Failed an Exam or Test

  • ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_mindset_shifts_that_can_help_students_succeed
  • ↑ https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/coping-with-life/problems-at-school/
  • ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/test-anxiety.html
  • ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/testing-tips.html
  • ↑ https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/09/02/science/the-high-school-challenge.html
  • ↑ https://usq.pressbooks.pub/academicsuccess/chapter/study-space/
  • ↑ http://psychcentral.com/lib/top-10-most-effective-study-habits/
  • ↑ https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/12-methods-to-significantly-improve-your-studying/

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  1. Best Ways to Boost Your Grade after Failing an Exam

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  2. How to Boost Your Grade After Failing an Exam

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  4. How to Cope with Failing an Exam: 20+ Helpful Tips

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COMMENTS

  1. Tricks And Hacks For A Failed Assignment, Essay Or Exam

    Achieving academic goals is vitally important for achieving professional goals later on in life. Nonetheless, overcoming what is …