Why do we fail exams?
Failure is a crushing defeat that we all experience at some point in our lives. As students, exam failure often causes us to question our intelligence and capabilities, whilst we shamefully contemplate what others will think of us. But through this whirlwind of emotions, one singular question resonates within our mind. “Why?”. In some cases it may be obvious and very fair; “I just didn’t put the work in”. But in other cases, the inability to find a sound answer can be torture. We often resort to blaming our intelligence and inability. However, that is far, far away from the actual truth. In this video, I introduce my framework of the most common reasons that cause people to fail, splitting them up into controllable and uncontrollable factors affecting us either in the preparation phase or performance on the exam day. Answering the “why”, will be the first step to recovery and success.
Framework
So, after a lot of thought, I have developed a 2 x 2 matrix to understand the 4 categories of reasons causing us to fail.
At the first level, we have controllable and uncontrollable factors. The controllable ones are the factors we can change ourselves. The uncontrollable ones are the factors out of our direct control but we can modify our responses to them.
At the second level, we have the preparation phase and the performance on-the-day. The preparation phase refers to the period of time before the exam from learning things for the first time to taking the exams. Then "on-the-day" refers to the day of the actual exam.
All together, this gives us 4 categories of reasons.
Category 1: Controllable factors within the preparation phase
There are 3 controllable factors within the preparation phase that cause people to fail exams.
Low-yield study methods
Inadequate revision intensity
Inaccurate perceptions
Low-yield study methods
So the first reason within this category is using low-yield study methods such as note-taking and re-reading, instead of using evidence-based strategies such as active recall, spaced repetition and exam-focussed testing. Now, I've spoken about this reason in detail in 2 other videos which you can find in the cards here or in the description box below. But basically, we need to realise the main reason we fail is because we study and revise poorly and don't utilise evidence-based strategies. This is something directly within our control so accepting this so so important in learning to make changes to avoid future failure.
Inadequate Revision Intensity
The second reason within this category is inadequate revision intensity. Activating memories in the run up to exams, mean that they are easier and more successfully retrieved on the day of the exam. Despite intuitively knowing this, we still don't spend enough time revising in the run up to the exam, meaning the information we need to pass isn't fresh enough in our minds. Using evidence-based study tips will make our learning efficient, but it still requires us to focus and put the work in, especially in the month or so in the run up to exams to make sure we have covered everything relatively recently, allowing us to recall the relevant facts more easily and accurately in the exam. Again, realising and actually accepting this, will really help us avoid failure in the future.
Inaccurate Perception
The last reason within this category is either over or under-confidence. Under-confidence and low exam-focussed self esteem means that we essentially prepare for failure and go into the exam feeling defeated, causing us to under-perform and even fail the exams. Equally, over-confidence causes us to over-estimate what we know resulting in us not revising certain topics, because we think we know it, but low and behold, it comes up in the exam and we flop it. The easiest way to achieve a neutral and realistic perception is to automate your revision to follow a spaced-repetition format. This process means that you automatically cover things at spaced intervals, helping with retention, rather than allowing your ego dictate what you study. As a result you can be confident that you're bound to know the information regardless of how you feel about it. Another way is to do past exam questions and mark them to get a realistic marker of where you're at. Both spaced-repetition and testing, are solutions to the first reason we discussed so by addressing that, you'll end up addressing the problem of perception also, so double-whammy.
Category 2: Controllable factors affecting performance on the day of exams
There are 2 big controllable factors that affect performance on the day of exams and cause people to fail. These are stress and poor exam technique.
Stress
Exams are inherently stressful experiences. But by letting ourselves be consumed by it, we risk underperforming on the day of exams, causing us to fail, despite preparing so well.
Too much stress, causes us to work less efficiently (stress curve) to a point we are unable to answer even the questions to which we know the answers to. Now, preparing really well is the best way to manage exam stress on the day. But other things that help to keep your cool on the day is to put things into perspective and reduce the pressure you put on yourself. So yeah, ultimately a little bit of optimal stress, can result in optimal performance, but too much can mean we underperform and fail despite adequate preparation. Being wary of this will hopefully help you in the future.
Poor Exam Techniques
The second reason within this category is poor exam technique (1) lingering on unsure questions (2) not reviewing answers. The former especially can result in increased stress and poor time management. People failing exams because of this is far too common. It's something that's happened to all of us at some point. I remember, in my medicine finals, the invigilator yelling "last 30 minutes", and I looked down and realised that I still had another 70 questions to answer, trust me, it was not fun. I first started to panic and a sense of hopelessness started to come over. Then I remembered my anti-stress techniques of gaining perspective, put my head down and sped through the questions and even finished with 5 mins left.
So my experience highlights 2 things:
The poor exam technique of lingering on unsure questions can worsen stress which as a result can cause us to work sub-optimally and reduce our ability to recall relevant information and
Lingering on unsure questions may mean we don't have enough time to answer all the questions even if we do know the answer.
So to avoid this, go through questions quickly, don't linger on things if the answer isn't obvious, just put a mark next to the "unsure" questions and move on. This'll help make sure you get the "easy" marks and answer all the questions that you confidently know the answers to. Then when you've got to the end of the exam paper, having answered all the questions you are confident about, you can go back to the unsure questions with more calm. This extra calm should provide more clarity when re-attempting the unsure questions, increasing the chances of you selecting the correct answer.
Another poor exam technique is not reviewing answers. People make "silly mistakes" all the time, you know the answer is B but you accidentally put C and move on, if you don't double check then you'll lose out on the mark, which is very sad because you actually knew the right answer. So to avoid this, try allocating some time to check through answers even the ones you are confident on. Again having time to do this is dependent on good time management within the exam like we discussed before. So yeah, poor exam technique can cause stress and poor time management, which together can cause us to fail exams. An awareness of this and what are "good exam techniques" should hopefully help us avoid this pitfall.
Now that you're aware of these controllable reasons that cause us to fail exams, try avoiding these and instead use the good-practices that we've discussed.
Category 3: Un-controllable factors within the preparation phase
I am no expert in this field as I have been blessed thus for not to experience these devastating uncontrollable reasons. However, these are important factors to speak about at the very least to raise awareness of how it can impact us academically.
So these uncontrollable reasons that detrimentally affect our preparation phase to reduce our focus and ability to study effectively include:
Illness or death of loved ones (family member, friend, pet)
Breakdown in relationships (romantic, family or friendship)
Financial hardship causing stress and limiting access to optimal study material and/or environment
Please seek help early if these reasons apply to you now or have applied to you in the past. As the first port of call, contact your pastoral tutor or equivalent to explain the situation. They should be able to provide support and guide you with the next steps.
Category 4: Un-controllable factors affecting performance on the day of exams
These reasons may seem trivial in comparison, but can still impact your frame of mind on the day of the exam and by extension your performance. These factors include:
Getting to venue (issues with transport)
Poorly run exams (materials, instructions).
Understanding all these uncontrollable factors may not help you change them directly, but hopefully the appreciation gives you the ability to modify your responses such that the negative impact can be minimised.
Conclusion
Try and avoid these 5 controllable reasons which can cause us to fail, instead start implementing the good practices. If you have been affected by any of the uncontrollable factors, then please seek help early from your pastoral tutor or equivalent to try and work out an action plan. I hope that through this, you have been able to understand the “why’s” of failure, and that this understanding gives you the keys to recovery and success. I wish you all the best.
