Unfortunately not.

We get it. Exams are hard and being a student is even harder, and sometimes we make mistakes. Bombing an exam is tough and it can be challenging to know what to do next. IGNITE is here to help with steps you can take if you bombed your exam.

1. Acceptance

So, you didn’t get what you wanted on your exam… it’s okay, bad days happen! You’re not unintelligent – you just need some redirection.

It can be hard to accept the reality when you didn’t do well on an exam and it’s okay to be upset; it just means you truly care about your education. Just don’t mope for too long as it’s not the end of the world.

2. Figure out why it happened

Go back to the drawing board and figure out what you did wrong.

Did you study the right materials? Have you been paying attention/attending lectures? Did you get enough sleep? Ask yourself these questions to evaluate your situation.

3. Talk to your classmates

Talk to friends in the same class or those with the same teacher. Maybe it’s not just you and there are others who found the exam difficult or not clear enough. It’s also nice to know that you’re not the only one that bombed the test. If you find out a bunch of people bombed the exam, you can all come together and bring your concerns to the instructor.

4. Talk to your instructor

Go to your instructor to talk about the exam. They can explain the parts where you went wrong, and how you can prepare for future exams. Although unlikely, you can ask for extra credit or a retest; there’s no harm in asking.

5. If necessary, contact your program coordinator, associate dean and/or program support officer to work out a plan

There are many people here to support your education to ensure that you can succeed.

For Humber students, you can use the Humber staff directory to contact staff directly or you can book an appointment with an academic advisor.

And if you are a Guelph-Humber student you can do the same. Contact staff through the Guelph-Humber staff directory or book a meeting with the academic advisor for your program. If bombing this exam will affect your grades to the point where you might not pass the class, these people can help you file a student appeal or work out an alternative path to graduation

Take a deep breath it’s going to be okay. Just remember that your worth should not be based on one bad exam mark. We hope you can take these steps and learn from your exam mistakes to succeed in the future!

Exam season is approaching… See how to steer clear of common exam mistakes.

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