How can I cope with Results Day?

It’s not surprising that many (if not all) young people suffer from results day anxiety. It’s completely normal, but it can feel uncomfortable. 

So here is our guide to help you reduce that results day anxiety, and start to think more clearly about those important next steps.

1. Look after yourself

Try your best to have a good sleep the night before so that you can manage your anxiety better in the morning. Make a plan for the day so that you are not left without anything to do after you collect your results. Decide on whether you prefer collecting results on your own or with a friend or family member who is supportive. 

2. Manage Social Media

It’s usually a good idea to have a break from your phone on the day, so you don’t find yourself either constantly checking to find out how others have fared or if you don’t want to keep answering people’s messages on how you’ve fared. 

3. Talk it out

Talk to someone (like your parents, friends, or teachers) about how you are feeling and to help you with any backup plans. If you speak to them in advance, this will help them know how they can support you on results day itself.

4. Practise worry management

Try stem4’s clinically-developed app Clear Fear to manage and overcome your worries. You can personalise the app and track your progress to notice changes (and improvements!).

Clear Fear is an app developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Dr. Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and uses the evidence-based treatment CBT to focus on learning to reduce the physical responses to threat by learning to breathe, relax and be mindful as well as changing thoughts and behaviours and releasing emotions.

5. Research your options before A-Level results days

Whether your A-Level results end up being better or worse than expected, or even just right for your firm offer, it’s still a good idea to know your options before results day itself. Have a look at the UCAS website to learn about clearing and what your options might look like. This will help alleviate any extra stress on the day in case it doesn’t go as planned. For overall practical support and advice for results day, check out TSR’s nine ways to be totally prepared for A Level and BTEC results days.

1. Find ways of distracting yourself to stop stressing over an exam result

If you don’t get the grade(s) you thought you would, talk it through with your teachers to decide whether the results should be sent back to be checked. In the meantime, try and keep busy.

2. Remember that exam results are not a measure of your worth

Exams are a measure of your school work and ability to sit tests. They are not a statement about who you are. So, do your best to ditch negative thoughts about yourself. Each time you think something negative, try and replace it with a positive statement about yourself. Just because your results may be disappointing, it doesn’t mean that you are too.

Try Dr. Nihara’s Toothbrush Thought to give yourself a chance to think positively about yourself.

3. You will get many more chances to shine

Exam results are just one part of a long journey to get to where you want to be. If you can learn from your mistakes, with hope and determination, you can still get there and achieve what you hope to.

4. Do what’s right for you

Sometimes you end up doing better in a subject that you don’t like that much, and not so well in a subject that you’re interested in and want to continue with. You may then feel a pressure to stick with the subjects you are most successful in. Be sure to talk through your options with teachers and family to make sure you’re making the best choice for yourself.

5. Different paths

It can often feel like there is only one path to get to where you want to, but there are often alternative routes, such as through work or apprenticeships. These can give you experience that will be very desirable in the future. Universities are often seen as brands to attach to your profile, but the reality is that it is not where you get to, but what you do when you are there.

6. Beware of ‘the house of mirrors’ effect

You know yourself, and your individual talents and abilities, better than anyone else. Exam results can be like those mirrors that reflect back a distorted version of you. So check with yourself if your results feel like a true reflection of you. But also be open to new abilities that you may have developed, such as doing well in an area you weren’t sure of before.

For more tips and support, check out our blog on how can I stop worrying about results day and how can I tell people my exam results.