One of the hardest things to do is learn how to recover from failing a test in medical school. Failing a test in medical school can feel like the end of the world. It’s not. But it can deliver a blow to your self esteem. I have failed a couples of tests, and the anxiety you experience after is unmatched. However, failing one test, especially if it’s not a board exam, will not stop you from being a physician. What will, is letting that exam prevent you from passing other exams or feeling confident in your studies.
Failure breeds success, but only when you let it fuel you instead of drain you. In this blog post, I am going to discuss how to recover from failing a test in medical school, and how to regain your confidence for improved performance on the next attempt!
Step 1: Feel Your Feelings
When you fail an exam, the feelings associated with that can vary. Some are truly nonchalant. Others may be panicked, sad, stressed, angry, disappointed, the list goes on. Whatever your feelings are, it’s important to give yourself time to feel those. It can be tempting to put on a brave face and pretend like everything is okay. But if you are feeling any negative sentiments, they will explode at some point. It’s better to let them out in a controlled manner. Take some time to figure out what you’re feeling without trying to suppress them.
In feeling your feelings, it’s important to keep things in perspective. If this is your first exam that you have failed, then you are not a failure, and medical school is not over. If you have failed multiple exams, then you are not a failure, and medical school is not over. Life gets in the way, outcomes are not always what we want them to be, but your worth and value are not contingent upon how you do in medical school. Keep the negative self-talk to a minimum and stick to the facts:
“I failed a test and feel disappointed in my performance.”
“I should have studied harder, because now I have failed this test and I am sad.”
These are examples of appropriate feelings that are factual and not destructive. Anything pertaining to your worth or who you are as a person should be quieted immediately.
Step 2: Identify Your Shortcomings
When trying to recover from failing a test in medical school, it’s important to identify your shortcomings. You cannot improve unless you understand what went wrong. If you just missed only a few questions, then your shortcomings may be minor. If you failed by a large margin, then there may be many things on which you need to work.
There are different areas of test-taking that could be a problem. If content is the problem, then identify which areas need more attention. Most medical school exams come with a breakdown of topics and your performance on each. If not, see if the administrating faculty will talk with you about content areas that were a problem. During the exam, if possible, take a mental note of questions that are harder and reflect on those after the exam.
If content isn’t your problem, then test-taking strategies may be. Do you run out of time and have to rush at the end to finish? Is it hard for you to stay focused the entire exam? Do you panic in the middle and second-guess yourself, changing answers from right to wrong?
Failing the test could have been a situational issue. I failed a test after a relationship ended, which absolutely interfered with my ability to do well. Sick family members, high workload, financial stressors, etc., could all be influencing factors.
These are all factors that can impact your performance, and proper reflection will help you fill those gaps for future exams.
Step 3: Devise a Plan
After identifying your shortcomings, the next step in how to recover from failing a test in medical school is to devise a plan. Does your school have a make-upor remediation process? Do you have to perform better on another exam in order to not fail the entire course? Whatever the process is, decide what you need to do moving forward. Some things to consider including are:
- Write out your problem areas
- Develop a study schedule
- Identify appropriate resources
- Schedule a tutoring appointment
- Meet with the course director and your faculty advisor
- Talk with classmates who performed well on the exam
This list is not exhaustive, but include a few things you can do to begin the process of overcoming a minor setback.
Step 4: Ask for Help
Medical school is a community sport. No matter how many of your classmates try to go at it alone, those who succeed use the resources at their schools. Academic learning specialists, faculty, advisors, and mentors are all available resources. If you don’t want to use any of those individuals, ask upperclassmen or colleagues for help.
There can be a lot of shame in failing an exam, especially in really competitive schools. This can make talking about it very taboo. Once you find a tribe you can trust, whether that be other students or a faculty member, open up to them about what is going on. They can offer you advice and empathy while protecting your business.
Step 5: Do the Work to Improve
The only way to truly recover from failing a medical school exam is to do the work required to improve.
Regardless of why you failed, you have to find a way to overcome and fill the gaps. For failures associated with content, medical school is very repetitive. Therefore, even if you manage to slip by on one exam, you’ll have to learn that material eventually. Take the time to understand what gives you the most trouble. It’s painful, but will help you recuperate some points and prepare for future examinations.
If the problem is test-taking strategies, work on the root cause and how to overcome them. Tests don’t go away, and addressing your problem areas earlier can prevent them from persisting.
Unfortunately, you may not have control over life situations that interfere with test performance. Compartmentalize thinking about those situations during times separate from studying. Turn your phone on do not disturb to block out people who are distracting. Life doesn’t stop, but you can pause it.
Step 6: Boost Your Confidence through Practice Exams
The biggest barrier to learning how to recover from failing a test in medical school is a lack of confidence. Regardless of why you failed, experiencing it leaves you with the anxiety that it could happen again. Each time you take an exam, the threat of failing again looms over you. This can cause you to second guess yourself and have overwhelming anxiety, thus increasing your odds for failing again.
If you have taken the first 5 steps, that you have already increased your odds of passing the next exam, whether it’s a retake or a new exam. However, mental and emotional disturbances can still pose a threat if you do not address them. One way to address them is to take practice exams and boost your confidence. You can do all the right things to prepare, but putting yourself in test-like environments and taking test questions is the best way to reinforce topics. Watching your performance improve and your score increase can help reassure you that you are prepared for the exam. Most medical school content is standardized, so answering as many questions as you can from multiple question banks is a great way to overcome self-doubt.
Step 7: Let Your Failure Go
There’s no true way to let the anxiety related to failure go other than by passing the next exam. I understand that. But before going into that next exam, you have to let your past failure(s) go. They do not define you and they, most likely, will not impact your ability to become a physician unless you continue to struggle.
Positive self-talk, journaling, praying, and meditation are some ways for you to battle those existing fears. Just keep reminding yourself of all the positive and good things you’ve done. This will help quiet those intrusive, negative thoughts. Failure is just a momentary setback, if you address it head on and don’t let it define you. If you struggle to do this by yourself, seek help from friends, family, mental health professionals, religious leaders, anyone that will help you believe in yourself.
Key Takeaways
Failure is inevitable in life. You may not want failure to take place on a medical school exam, but it is a possibility. One or two failures does not define you, but as they grow, your course in medical school may be interrupted or complicated. The goal is to interfere before they get to that point. Take the steps to address your barriers to success and overcome negative mental infiltrates to successfully recover from failing a test in medical school. If you have failed a test and have any questions, stories, or additional tips, please comment them on the bottom of this post!