How Can I Tell People My Exam Results?

One of the challenges of results day is thinking about how you are going to share your exam results with parents, family, friends, the list goes on. Oftentimes, getting great results will feel easier, but if you have friends with disappointing results, it can feel a bit complicated. On the other hand, if you are disappointed with your results, it may be difficult seeing friends getting good results.

But, with a little planning, you can make results day more manageable for yourself.

1. Be mindful of how you speak to yourself

Find a comfortable and balanced way of thinking about your results to try and avoid hating yourself if you are disappointed—this will also help you share your news. Exams involve so many different factors, including some luck (like if the right questions came up for you!). So, it’s good to understand what worked and what didn’t, without letting extreme feelings take over. If anxiety does get the better of you, resources like stem4’s free Clear Fear app can help you perform better next time.

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.

2. Remember that people love you as you are

It’s all too easy to think that your parents and friends want you to be some perfect version of yourself, and one that gets amazing results. But they’ve known you for a long time, and know how hard exams are. Even if you get disappointing results, remember that they will still love the person you are.

3. Share your hopes and fears with someone else

It takes courage to tell someone before results day what you’re hoping for and what you are worried about. But if you can open up to someone, they will be there, able to support you, when you do get your results—they’ll be able to share both excitement and disappointment with you on the day.

4. Decide in advance how you will share your results

It is easy to broadcast news on social media, but you can’t know what impact it might have on your friends. So think about what might be the best way of sharing—whether that’s in person, via a messaging app, or in a family chat—so you can get and give support.

5. Whatever happens, celebrate

No matter what your results, you have taken major exams after two years of disrupted education due to COVID-19. That is an amazing achievement and, whatever your results, you deserve a celebration for doing your best through these difficult times. Go and enjoy the rest of the summer holidays!