Resilience and Motivation During Exams – Bouncing Back
Bouncing Back: Dealing with Disappointments and Moving Forward
You have given it your all, you have studied for hours preparing for your exams, you may have also spent weeks doing specific work experience placements to get onto your chosen programme. Despite all your hard work, sometimes things don’t work out the way we want. Whether you didn’t quite make the grade or didn’t get the offer you wanted, to completely normal to feel upset, frustrated and unsure what to do next – I’ve been there and I know how devastating it can feel when things don’t go to plan. But what matters, is how you react and respond to challenges.
If you ever find yourself in this position, here are some strategies to help you bounce back, shift your mindset, and focus on growth:
Reflection
This is definitely one of the most important things to do. During your reflection, ask yourself:
If this is your mock exam, “What do I think went wrong? Was there something that I could have done to change the outcome, i.e.: more practice questions?
If this was your final exam grade, “Is there a reason this happened? Will this maybe open up another future possibility that I never originally thought of? Is there an alternative pathway to still get to where I would like to?”
Use this opportunity to explore other possibilities or alternative pathways. I used my reflection to think about whether I really wanted to still pursue veterinary medicine, but thankfully decided on dental surgery – a career that suited me much better!
Make a Plan
Whether this is looking at back-up universities or courses, or alternative paths, i.e.: resits, doing another degree first, it is always good to plan for each case scenario.
Or if this was a mock exam, make a plan around what you will do better next time, look over your answers and where you went wrong, you should hopefully see which topics you need to focus more of your revision time on. Or whether it is about changing where you study, or which practice questions you complete. Small changes can make a big difference, it could be the difference between a grade B and a grade A.
Be Kind to Yourself
One bad mock or exam doesn’t define you, it is what you do next and how you respond. Think of it as a stepping stone, not a stop sign. Just remind yourself that mistakes can be used as further learning opportunities. Even as a dental student today, I don’t get everything perfect the first time (especially when using impression material and material goes flying everywhere!).
Reconnect With Your “Why?” and “What?”
Revisit your long-term goals as mentioned in the previous section, and remind yourself why you’re doing all this in the first place and what you want to achieve. Keep that vision in sight—it can reignite your motivation after a setback and get you back on track!
I hope I have reignited lots of resilience and motivation into everyone around this challenging time, but remember: progress isn’t always linear—what matters is that you keep going and respond positively to setbacks, however big or small they may be!
You can read more in my series of Resilience and Motivation Blogs here:
- The Power of “Why?” and “What?” – Connecting exam success to your future aspirations
- Looking After Yourself – Eating and Sleeping Well During Exam Periods!
- Managing Time in Exams – Strategies for pacing yourself to avoid rushing or running out of time
- Personal experience of resilience and motivation
If you have any further questions, or would like to chat to me further about staying focused during your exams, please feel free to email me and I will be more than happy to assist and share experiences!
Jessica 😊
