I Failed A Test, What Should I Do? 9 Crucial Steps

If you’ve failed a test, and have no idea what to do next? Read this article till the end and you will love this guide.

I remember when I took my first entrance exam I failed and scored very badly. Thankfully, at that time I was surrounded by people who motivated me and taught me many lessons that I would have never learned ever after getting the first rank.

With those lessons, I understood exactly what should I do after failing a test. Luckily, today I also haven’t forgotten anything.

So in today’s article, I’m here to tell you 9 crucial steps that you should take to not feel regretful and get better grades next time.

(We have also created an Infographic for this post that you’ll get while reading the post. Make sure you download it, it’s FREE.)

Read also: How to be successful in college?

Let’s dive into it…

What to Do Next If You’ve Failed A Test or Exam:

1. Stay Calm and Don’t Panic:

This is the first and most important thing to do when you fail a test- Stay Calm & Don’t Panic. I have seen many students who get tensed because of their results and failure and it leads to test anxiety later.

Even, some kids don’t want to study after failing a test.

Don’t get obsessed with your test or exam results. Remember, your bad result is not going to decide your future. A wise man once said, “Exams are not made to fail you, it is just a way to check your knowledge and skills”.

So, don’t much think about what you get in your result card. Focus on the things that you know, and on learning that will help you to achieve your goals.

If your parents scold you, take it easy and make them believe that next time you are going to be the rock.

2. Analyze your mistakes:

When you fail a test, take a moment to analyze why you fail. Did you not study enough? Or did the test format make it hard to understand?

If you got distracted and didn’t pay much attention, take a moment to remind yourself of the information you studied and try to solve it again. If you’ve been following bad study habits, be sure to avoid them.

It is also very important to analyze your mistakes when you fail because, in the next text, you don’t have to repeat those mistakes.

Once you get to know where you made a mistake, and which question you found hard to solve then you can improve your results in the next test otherwise you might get the same result again.

Isn’t it an important thing to do after failing a test?

3. Discuss your result with the professor:

Once you analyze your mistakes you must have a clear idea about where to work on. And, if you’re not sure about your mistakes and how to work on your weaknesses then you need to discuss your result with your professor.

After the class visit your professor’s office and show your result to him/her. Tell them the truth about where you find the material hard, and what stops you from giving your best. Take their suggestions about how you can improve these things.

If you’re willing to improve your results and get better at your studies then your professor will never say ‘No’ to you. However, you can also discuss your results with your parents. It will help you to keep you on track.

4. Give yourself enough time:

After failing a test how it feels I know very well. And, if you’re depressed also, somewhere you need to give enough time to yourself. Don’t start your study right after getting the result.

Sometimes, it is important to take a long break for 5-10 days from your studies. As a result, you will be able to get out of your depression zone, not worry about the results, and realize just how beautiful life is.

During this break; explore yourself, learn useful skills, try new things, visit cool places that give you peace, and have fun.

These things will kill the monotonous in your life that you have been carrying since you started your exam/test preparation. Additionally, after a refreshment with a break, you will have a better focus on your studies.

5. Start your preparation for the next test:

This test has gotten worse but you have to score excellently on your next test. So, after enjoying a break now you must focus on your studies again.

Focus on the material that you find difficult to deal with and make mistakes always. If your fundamentals in any subject is weak then work on them and give enough time to them.

Here is a 3-steps to start your preparation for the next test:

1. Write down all the chapters and subjects (in a list form) that are important for your exams.
2. Make a circle on the topics that you’ve not prepared yet and make a cross (X) on the topic that you’ve studied.
3. Start studying the topics first that you find most difficult, and once you finish don’t forget to make a cross on its name.

These 3 steps help you to make a goal that you have to achieve for getting good grades over failing the test. Writing the topic’s name on a list and making a cross after finishing it also motivates you to complete the rest of the syllabus on time.

Read Also: 37+ Study Motivation Quotes to Study Hard!

6. Beat all your study challenges:

Students have to go through many study challenges when they study. If you’ve failed a test it could also mean that you’re surrounded by many study challenges like Laziness, Fatigue, Distractions, Phone, Social media, and more.

Just because of these study challenges students often fail their tests or exams. Now, the question is how to beat these study challenges.

There is one solution for it- Commit to yourself, stick with your decision, and have proper time management (I’m going to talk about this in the next tip).

However, I’ve also created an E-book where I listed 22 such Study challenges and how you can overcome them if you’re interested then you can download it for free from the main page.

7. Have proper time management:

Managing your time is one of the essential skills that everyone should master. And, if you’re a student then it should be compulsory for to you have enough time to study with other work.

Having a fixed and proper time to study daily will never let you fail any test or exam. If you can stick with a routine then I’d suggest you make a routine but I know it won’t be easy for you.

Therefore I have an alternative for you that you can also follow:

Instead of making a routine and following the same as every day, plan your single day. Before going to bed or right after getting up write a note about how you will spend your whole day. Include also what times you’ll have available for self-studies. And finally, stick with this note.

This alternative will really help you to manage your time for studying with other work.

8. Study smart this time

You studied hard for the test but what did you get- You’ve failed the test!

I know the importance of studying hard but you don’t need just sit and study for 10+ hours at a time. There are many study techniques that you should also take into use if you want to study smart.

Here are some smart study techniques that you must try:

• Pomodoro Technique:
• SQ3R Study Technique
• Feynman Technique
• Leitner System
• The Learning Pyramid

Using these study techniques makes you a smart learner and saves you lots of time while getting the most out of what you read and study.

9. Solve the previous year’s exam papers

Does it also happen to you- You know and understand a question very well at home but when it appears on your exam paper, you find it hard to solve.

Exam papers always contain the best questions, even sometimes an easy question may look harder to you in the exam paper. This happens mostly when you have a fear of exams. And, exams fear is one of the big reasons why you fail a test.

To beat your exam fear you must practice the previous year’s question papers. These previous years’ questions will make a habit in you to solve exam papers easily.

If you can’t finish your actual exam/test paper on time, I’d also suggest you use a timer while practicing previous years’ question papers. This tip will surely improve your grades next time.

Now It’s your turn:

As I said in the beginning, sometimes failing can teach you many things that you can’t learn even after getting the first rank.

Now, you must have an idea about what to do next if you’ve failed a test. If you’re ready for your next test, make a promise to yourself that in this test, you’re going to give your best.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Is there any question, or do you want to share something? If you’re depressed or going through any pain, you can share it with me.

Let me know in the comments. I must try to respond to you back.