I failed an exam--I'm a loser.

[GrammCracker]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

I think you pretty definitely do ned to change your study technique. Lots of people struggle with the early tests, because frequently what worked in undergrad does not translate to med school. You have to be willing to scrap what you were doing that didn't work and try something different, and keep doing that until you find a system that does work. Dust yourself off and get back in the game for those other tests.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I felt the same way after my first exam (biochemistry/histology/genetics, which was yesterday) when I did my technique of counting up those questions that I wasn't sure about. That usually allows me to to pretty closely guesstimate my grade, which I discovered was teetering on a failing grade. I still don't have my scores back, but I'm already working on what I need to do to modify my studying technique to do better next time.

Remember, the admission committee knew that you had the smarts, drive, and ability to make it through medical school. They believe in you, and you should too. Just pick yourself back up off the ground, regroup, and you will figure out how to make it through.

 

[Pinner Doc]

GrammCracker-- I'm an MS-4. I failed my first anatomy exam, too (the written part). I remember sobbing like a baby! I thought I wasn't worthy to be in med school. I had to retake the exam at the end of first year when pretty much everyone else was done and enjoying their summers. However, with a few years of experience under my belt, I know now I wasn't alone.... there were plenty of other people who failed various tests throughout first year (which became disclosed to me when we all showed up after the end of first year to make up those exams). Things got better for me, I plugged and chugged away at the material, I did well 2nd year and I rocked 3rd year. I would suggest taking a weekend off to regroup. That's what I did. It helped.

 

[Severus]

GrammCracker-- I'm an MS-4. I failed my first anatomy exam, too (the written part). I remember sobbing like a baby! I thought I wasn't worthy to be in med school. I had to retake the exam at the end of first year when pretty much everyone else was done and enjoying their summers. However, with a few years of experience under my belt, I know now I wasn't alone.... there were plenty of other people who failed various tests throughout first year (which became disclosed to me when we all showed up after the end of first year to make up those exams). Things got better for me, I plugged and chugged away at the material, I did well 2nd year and I rocked 3rd year. I would suggest taking a weekend off to regroup. That's what I did. It helped.

I can't tell you how much that put my mind at ease... especially considering that we're at the same school. **breathe**

Can you tell we have exam block 1 coming up? 😱😛

 

[tulane06]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

It's not uncommon at all for people to fail exams in med school, especially towards the beginning. The fear you feel now will motivate you to work hard on the next two exams and you should pass the course.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

First of all, you have my sympathies. Medical school can be a shock to the system to previous "high achievers."

However, that aside, this is the time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. There's plenty of points built into classes to allow you to slip up every once in a while. But blowing every test in your block is going to hurt, having to catch up in EVERY class is harder to catch up in one.

 

[MSKalltheway]

For one, failing an exam doesn't make you a loser. You might be if you didn't care about your performance, but since you do, I can't say you are. A little hard on yourself eh?

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week.

It's probably true that a good number of your classmates also never failed a test, and a good portion of those people either either fail an exam or come close to it at some point. That's just med school for you...

If youre not doing so hot, your technique will need to change. I dont know one of my classmates who studies the same as they did at the start vs now after being in school for a year. You'll need to adjust your study habits cause this is a whole different game. Maybe you'll need to study more, or maybe you'll actually need to study less, just differently. But dont let this get you down that you cant focus on what is coming up, you still have a great chance to turn it around!

I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

Those who did well speak the loudest and those who didnt will act like nothing is wrong. You feel like not a lot of people failed, but I promise that way more did poorly than you think...its the first exam! Now is the time to take your knocks...better now than later.

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

Forget about it. Seriously. If you forget that your last exam existed, it will take the pressure off a bit. It wont do you any good to think about what's already happened. It will benefit you to work to do well with what you have left.

 

[nlax30]

Just wanted to pass extra encouragement and to echo the other comments made that you are NOT a loser and this happens to more students than you probably think.

It is an adjustment and especially being the 1st test it sometimes takes a test or two to get an idea of how they test and gives an idea or how they test in relation to what notes you have. So it'll take adjustments, learning how to study, what works and doesn't, so don't stress out about it, just let it propel you into the next test.

My biggest adjustment was just realizing that I really do need to spend the time EVERY day of reading and going through notes. And I realized that I need to incorporate multiple study methods..... like I'll do some book reading, look over powerpoint slides, and discuss it with a few friends. Even if you don't like studying/reviewing in a group (I don't) it is extremely helpful to sit with a couple other people and quiz each other and teach each other the concepts, sometimes teaching the material to someone else is the best way to learn it for yourself.

 

[mjl1717]

In laymans terms its ok taking agood shot once and a while.. Just dont get knocked out or lie down on the canvas.. {In other word turn that failure into a specific mode for success!}

 

[smq123]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea.

Actually...you don't know that we have no idea. What, you think that NO ONE else on this board has had to struggle through parts of med school? Everyone has a tough block or a bad exam.

The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change.

Maybe it does. Only you can figure that out. Maybe you should focus more on the general concepts that they seem to be stressing - and not on individual lectures.

I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly.

And I'm willing to bet that lots of people didn't do well on that test - either failed it or came very, very close to failing it. And you're not an idiot. Idiots don't get into med school. But anyone who had trouble adjusting to the new studying/learning environment of med school can fail. It's a bit of a learning curve, and it can take a while to learn how to deal with it.

Look - put it in context. I know, right now, it looks like the biggest deal in the world. But, think of it this way: You'll take at least 25 exams before you are allowed to enter the wards. This test is just the first of those 25. So you didn't do so well on this one - that doesn't mean that you won't do well on the other 24. And you still have lots of opportunities to do well in the anatomy course over all.

But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. ...

What should I do?

What do you mean, "what should I do?" You should get right back on that horse and start studying! Talk to your anatomy professor, or to an upper year student that you trust. Think about why you didn't do well, and what you can do to fix it.

Failing an exam in med school does NOT make you an idiot - but allowing that failure to paralyze you into indecision and fear IS a real problem. Think about it - when you're a resident, and you have a bad encounter with one patient, do you have the luxury of allowing that one bad encounter ruin the rest of your day? You have to shake it off and keep moving. And that's what you have to do right now.

Good luck.

 

[LadyWolverine]

Failing an exam is unfortunate, but not a death blow. Take a day off. Go somewhere and relax. If you have mandatory class, go to class, but take off afterwards. Don't talk to anybody about grades.

Once you've had a day to clear your head and stop panicking, do two things.
1. Set realistic goals for yourself. Write them down. Spell them out, in a very concrete fashion, and set a timeline (for example, "Have lectures 1-14 completed by Sunday. Have Ch. 1-5 finished by Wednesday. Get an 85% on the next exam." And so on). Make this list of goals as long and as realistic as you can.
2. Set up an appointment with your office of student affairs. Get help NOW, rather than later. You are not the only person who has experienced this before. They can help you figure out what you are doing wrong, and give you ideas as to what you can do to get it right.

Make it a point to watch/review each lecture at least once before you take the exam. If you have problems focusing in class, one thing that worked for me this year - I used to bring my laptop to class, and be tempted, halfway through lecture, to start messing around online, IMing people, surfing, checking email, reading news. I don't have the discipline that many of my classmates do - to simply follow along on their powerpoints and take notes. This year, I started printing out the powerpoint slides, and only bringing those (plus some different-colored pens and highlighters) to the lecture hall with me. I leave my computer and everything else in my locker, so that I'm not even tempted. Since I started doing this, I feel much more prepared and a lot less stressed about the volume of material. Give it a shot.

Last thing - STOP worrying about what other people are doing. This is soooo much easier said than done. I'll give you an example. I have classmates who draw out complicated tables on the whiteboards while I am studying in the same room, or start asking each other questions about lectures that I haven't gone over yet, and it FREAKS ME OUT, because it makes me feel like everyone is ten steps ahead of me. This does nothing for me, other than causes my heart rate to increase and makes me have a minor panic attack. I learned very quickly that I do things at my own pace, my own way, and that I need to stop letting "what everyone else is doing" bug me. Maybe you are feeling so down on yourself because you are buying into the hype and listening too much to what other people in your class have to say about their performance and study habits? Start avoiding those people who cause anxiety. Stop being ashamed, and figure out what you need to do. And use your resources (student affairs, friends that you trust not to stress you out).

Good luck.

 

[Flaxmoore]

My school offers intervention sessions the Friday after exams come back. If you got less than a 75%, you have to go. Over a 75%, you have to get permission, but it's worth going for the extra review. Does yours have something similar?

 

[Pinner Doc]

I can't tell you how much that put my mind at ease... especially considering that we're at the same school. **breathe**

Can you tell we have exam block 1 coming up? 😱😛

Not to worry, especially if exam block 1 is that one SBPM exam. You'll do great!

 

[NYMed11230]

i also failed my exam and i was wondering how detrimental it would be for the rest of my career. i'm planning on pursuing a very competitive residency. i did well on the mid block test but bombed the final - i let personal matters affect my exam for my first block, a tough lesson i guess i had to learn. people keep saying it's just one test... but i know better. does anyone know how from personal experience/others' experiences what the consequences of this could be?

 

[mindquick]

try not to fail another exam.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Failing an exam does not make you a loser

 

[Wozzer]

Failing sucks but it doesn't mean you're going to keep failing. I think that the stress/depression is a real obstacle to studying for the rest of your exams - you should talk to your student support Dean and ask what you can do. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take some extra time to recover emotionally from this before you buckle down to study for the rest of your exams.

I know it sounds stupid to call this an "emotional blow" but it really is - it's a shock to fail when you're used to being so successful.

 

[GrammCracker]

Thank you all for your kind words! I feel better knowing that I'm not alone with this problem. I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with someone in student affairs that helps students figure out what study skills are best for them. I'm sure it will be helpful. I actually did very well on my other exams so I don't know what went wrong with anatomy. 😕

 

[ukmedstudent]

Hi there,

I would appriciate anybody's advise on steps to take after failing 1st year exams, it is very hard and I am still very depressed and have no motivation to keep going into repeating 1st year all over again.
Throughout the year I tried my hardest but obviousley was not enough, I am not looking forward to September at all when I know that all my friends are happy to moving on and I have to make new friends.
many thanks for your support

😡

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi there,

I would appriciate anybody's advise on steps to take after failing 1st year exams, it is very hard and I am still very depressed and have no motivation to keep going into repeating 1st year all over again.
Throughout the year I tried my hardest but obviousley was not enough, I am not looking forward to September at all when I know that all my friends are happy to moving on and I have to make new friends.
many thanks for your support

😡

When you bump up a year old thread, it's helpful if you mention that so folks don't try to reply to old posts. That being said, hopefully you have some sense of what didn't work last year and what you are going to do differently this time. If you "tried your hardest", it generally means your system was just wrong and needs a total revamp. Whatever you did last time doesn't work and so do none of it again. If you didn't go to class start going. If you used the assigned books find others. If you didn't study in a group, give it a try. Don't just read passively -- take notes and summarize things. Draw out structures. Make flashcards. Pretty much anything you didn't do before is what you ought to be doing this time around. Without knowing what it is you did last time, though, nobody on here can give you much more advice than this. I would suggest you go discuss your study issues with whatever academic adviser the school makes available, and consider talking to somebody in your counseling office if the depression you describe is affecting you in some way. Making friends is no biggie -- everybody coming into first year knows nobody, and at least you know the school layout and a few upperclassmen which is one less stressor.

 

[njbmd]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

Figure out why you failed and stop doing whatever caused the failure.
Speak to the course coordinator and ask for some study strategies for these types of exams.
Speak to some upperclassmen and find out what worked for them. If tutoring services are available at your school, check them out and get some help.

In short, figure out your problems; change what you can and don't fail anything else. Hating yourself isn't going to solve your problems. Working on what you need to upgrade will.

 

[OncoCaP]

Hi there,

I would appriciate anybody's advise on steps to take after failing 1st year exams, it is very hard and I am still very depressed and have no motivation to keep going into repeating 1st year all over again.
Throughout the year I tried my hardest but obviousley was not enough, I am not looking forward to September at all when I know that all my friends are happy to moving on and I have to make new friends.
many thanks for your support

😡

I'm sure it must be very unpleasant. While there is a piece of your soul that died when you failed, there was no physical injury. In the future, we'll all have patients who take a turn for the worse and require a persistent, unpleasant struggle on the part of the physician to achieve a good outcome. Think of it as preparation for future challenges.

 

[SpinnerOfTruth]

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?

Hey, quit your Bitch*ng. Are you going to drop out? Yes? good. No? then work harder.

Either way, don't go looking for a pity party. Med school is tough. So toughen up.

This is the best advice you are going to get, unless someone gives you a swift kick in the butt.

 

[GrammCracker]

LMAO! Why was this post quoted?

I ended up doing quite well in the class once I figured how to properly study, in case anyone has been wondering about that for the past year. 🙄

To ukmedstudent: I believe the most challenging part of medical school is figuring how a good study technique for each class. Listen to Law2Doc on this one. Whatever you did last year, do differently. I'm also sure you're not the only one who failed the first year. There's always a couple of people.

 

[KnuxNole]

Wow, reading these posts were really encouraging 😀

Failed my first anatomy test...I hate to admit I cried, but I did sob a bit, but am eager to pick up the pieces and move on from there!

 

[WellWornLad]

Haha, overachievers whining over a failed partial exam.

There's a big difference between failing one test of many and failing the first test of med school. In the latter case, one doesn't have the context to know that things can/will get better.

Call me an overachiever, but failing a test that I actually prepared for would freak me out, too.

...it hurts even more if you were cheated into failing the course...I failed 3 courses, 2 of them because I was scammed (now THAT sucks) and had the teacher taught correct math techniques, I would have never repeated a course the first time I repeated.

I don't know how they do it in Mexico, but here in the States I have yet to meet a professor who intentionally mislead students. That seems a tad counterproductive.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Things in Mexican med school seem to be very, very different than in U.S. schools. Go figure. 🙄 It'd probably be good for everyone involved to keep that in mind.

 

[utorontograd]

So sorry you failed. It's so early in your medical education that you can
definitely turn things around.

For the moment, I just don't want you to develop this phobia about gross
anatomy.

It's a cool class and it would be a shame if you did.

Hang in there.


--
Cesar.

Hey guys, I'm a first year and this is my first week of exams. Well, I found out that I already failed my first test (anatomy). I'm so bummed out, you have no idea. I've never failed a test before in my life. I'm not exactly sure as to why I did so poorly. I was extremely anxious and made some stupid errors due to that, which cost me a lot of points. The exam also focused heavily on some lectures that I didn't focus on too deeply relative to the other lectures. I'm not sure if my study technique needs to change. But whatever the case, I wish I didn't find out about my failing grade because now I'm too depressed to study for my other exams this week. I'm so ashamed of myself!! My class is so smart so I bet I was one of the very few who failed the test. God, I feel like an idiot. My stomach hurts so badly. 🙁

In my anatomy class, I still have 2 more exams this semester plus a final exam, and this could be good or bad. I have a chance to fix my grade, or plenty of chances to screw it up even more. 👎

I hate myself 🙁 I want to bury myself in hole but that's not going to work. What should I do?