How to Deal with Bad Grades

the guy in a tiger sweatre is sad because he failed his test

Modified on May 5, 2023

Sometimes we don’t perform as well as we hoped. There are a lot of reasons and factors that might cause bad grades, from a headache to anxiety or lack of time for studying.

Bad grades happen, and that’s just what any student should accept. But rather than feeling depressed, take the following steps and make sure to get over it with some useful first-hand experience. Here we have compiled a few things that you should do after getting a bad grade.

Stop Beating Yourself Up

Not everyone is a genius (though, they make mistakes too), and that’s okay. So, why do you keep focusing on it and keep blaming yourself? There is so much in this world that means more than your grades.

Of course, there is a lot of pressure when it comes to important exams that are needed to get to a particular college or get the right career. But, generally, one grade can’t affect your future in a very drastic way. Remember that there are always other options, besides there is still something you can do to fix the situation. And if you have to tell your parents that you git a bad grade, check our tips on how to do it.

Analyze the Situation

Try to calm down and analyze what had happened. If you have a grade that you are disappointed in, there might be two different situations:

You got a really bad grade
You got the grade that is below your expectations

Can you see the difference between these two? There are a lot of students who are too strict and demanding towards themselves as they are trying to achieve some sort of perfection. However, this often leads to self-deprecation and exhaustion. You definitely don’t need that.

If you got the grade that doesn’t match your expectations (which may be too high, by the way) or your effort, you should give yourself some rest and think of the reasons why this happened. Maybe you put too much on yourself, and all you need is to relax. Or maybe you should change your approach to studying. More doesn’t mean better, read about the best studying tactics in our article.

Talk to Your Professor

You might actually be given a chance to improve your grade if you talk to your teacher or professor. Not every professor will agree to provide you with such as it will mean that the rest of your class should be given the same opportunity.

Some professors really hate when students try to approach them with such questions, but you never know until you try. Ask for some extra work to perform (but check the syllabus at first as there might be some information and additional tasks) in order to recover after failing a test. Some teachers might even let you edit or redo your poorly written piece if they think that you can do much better. If you faced some circumstances that affected your performance, you should definitely let your professor know. But don’t make up stories, they can spot lies better than you think. By the way, if you are going to write an email to your professor and ask for extra credit, read our article on how to do it first. It is a short and easy guide that also contains some useful letter samples that you can use in order to communicate with your professors via emails properly.

Try Your Best

Getting a bad grade is never a reason to give up on your studies. You can always make this grade less significant by putting more effort into your studies. Here are a few things that you could do:

Revise Your Study Routine

Do you find your current studying routine effective? Maybe you often find yourself unprepared for the next class though you were studying all night long. Don’t worry; it’s not your fault. You just don’t know what works for you yet.

Sometimes you just need to change one little thing to get a completely different result. For example, you might be studying while listening to music or watching a movie. You might not even notice it, but your brain might be too distracted and not retain information as well. Some students admit that they were not paying much attention to the way they study until they discovered a method that works for them – this is how they improved their productivity and grades.

Here are a few methods to try:

Experiment with background music or turn it off completely – maybe complete silence is what you really need.
Create a schedule for your study sessions to make your brain used to a particular time frame when you need to stay focused.
Try different note-taking methods – some students might find diagrams and charts easier to remember than just plain text.
Don’t have a heavy meal before studying; choose light snacks instead (but don’t study when you are hungry).
Study every day and treat it like your job. But remember to take breaks and treat yourself.
Discover what type of learner you are and use it to make studying more productive.
Work on the atmosphere. Some people just concentrate better when they have a specific zone for their studies or specific rituals. For example, putting clothes on instead of staying in their pajamas help certain people concentrate on their tasks.

Try these easy tips to find what works for you.

Stay Positive

Remember that your grades don’t define you or your future. Failing one test is not equal to being a failure. Moreover, there are a lot of people who became successful despite having bad grades, such as Albert Einstein or Steve Jobs. Keep a positive mindset, and you will definitely be able to score higher the next time.

So, focus on your studies and keep a positive approach. Make sure you have enough sleep and consume healthy food. And if you need some help with your studies, you always know who to turn to.