What To Tell Yourself When You Get Low Marks

Disclaimer: Originally published in May 2018. It is being republished since it still remains an interesting topic till today. 

As the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the results earlier this week, there were thousands of students overwhelmed with joy. The marks scored are soaring every year, with new records being set.

According to the Hindustan Times, 12,737 students scored 95 percent or more, while 72,599 candidates have scored 90 percent and above marks. The sheer numbers are astounding.

And while students broke new records, there were many who didn’t do as well as they would have liked.

If you are one of those, read on.

So, you didn’t score as well as you could have?

I have only one thing to tell you – that’s okay. It isn’t the end of the world for you, nor will it hamper your career.

I won’t sugarcoat this article with words that’ll make you feel invincible, but surely, I’ll speak the truth.

Do marks matter? Yes.

That’s the bitter truth. Any amount of social media posts saying they don’t matter is far from reality. Marks do matter, but only to an extent.

This question isn’t complete in itself and so I’ll re-frame the question.

Are marks all that matter? NO.

Marks matter to an extent of deciding where you’ll end up spending your next three or four years. If you were a Delhi University aspirant, low marks may have hit your hopes of securing a seat there. Other than that, it is up to YOU to carve a career out for yourself and these marks CANNOT come in your way.

Here’s what you should do if you ended up scoring low marks, or I should say, not-so-good marks:

Give Yourself A Break

Come to terms with your score and learn to accept it. What has happened has happened and there is nothing that you can do to change it. What you can certainly do is to look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

Remember that the results don’t determine who you are, nor does it speak about your potential. Give yourself a break and avoid being too hard on yourself.

Try and distance yourself from the results for a while. Do things that you enjoy doing. Take a walk, maybe go for a run. Listen to your favorite band. Watch a movie. Distract yourself from the results for a while.

Panicking because of the situation would do more harm than good, so it is better to avoid it.

Explore New Options

While you take a break from all the drama that surrounds you, what you can do is to get in front of your screens and research.

Low scores may hinder you from getting into the best of colleges that admit students on the basis of class 12^th marks, but there are thousands of colleges out there that admit students on the basis of entrance examinations.

Look for such colleges and register yourself before it’s too late. I know it sucks to even think of appearing for another examination, but there are hard ways you’ve got to take sometimes.

Start studying for these entrance examinations and who knows, maybe you’ll end up in a better college than you had imagined.

Also Read: CBSE Soaring Results: Isn’t It High Time To Take A Call?

Talk To The Right People

Emotions at this moment are at an all-time high. It is perfectly normal to get a feeling of anxiety, sadness or even depression at such times. Everyone goes through such emotions.

And while it is normal to experience these, it is important to let them out. If you’ll keep them to yourself, it can become really difficult and you might end up harming yourself. Thus, it is important to let go of the negative energy you have in you.

Go out there and talk to people that make you feel good about yourself. Try and indulge in positive talks. Talk to people that make you happy.

It can be your parents, your siblings, your friends or your teachers. Anyone who makes you feel good.

Avoid The Wrong People

While you should talk to people that make you feel good, it is also important to avoid some people.

Those annoying neighboring uncles and aunties can be really hard to bear at such times. I understand. Even your milkman will suddenly take interest in your marks. So it is better to restrict yourself and take selective advice from people.

A friend who scored well can also make you low in confidence and you wouldn’t want to harm your self-confidence at this time, as it must be already quite low.

Thus, filter the quantity of time you spend and even the quality of people you spend your time with. All of this would help you regain your confidence.

Read About Successful People Who Didn’t Score Well

We have all heard stories of how the most successful men failed in their examinations or dropped out of college and then built a path to success for themselves. While they were certainly inspiring, we never really seemed to care and were busy working hard, for we knew fetching marks was important.

Well, now is the time to make use of these stories. Keeping yourself motivated and inspired all the time is important.

Read about such successful people and how they came back from academic setbacks in their lives. Watch their videos and listen to their speeches. They truly can be inspiring.

Marks are not everything and there is a bigger picture that you have to focus on. When you are going through a tough phase, nobody would ask you for your marksheet. So focus on making yourself a better person. Give all that you have in everything that you do and strive for excellence. Success will follow. 

Image Credits: Google Images

Sources: The Hindu, Times of India, Firstpost + more

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