Everyone has been there. You get your test back and there it is: a grade much lower than you expected. Dealing with bad grades can be a grieving process, but moving forward is necessary in order to do better. If you can deal with a bad grade positively, you can learn from your mistakes and strive to become both a better student and person.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Receiving one bad grade isn’t the end of the world. Don’t feel as if one bad grade affects your overall worth as a student. In fact, if you’re concerned, that shows you’re dedicated to your studies and have high expectations for yourself!

Give yourself time to process. People often tell you to simply dismiss bad grades and do better next time. However, that’s not always the best way to gain perspective of your grade. Instead, give yourself extra time to think about what happened. Take some time to process your reaction too; suppressing your emotions will only make you feel worse.

Figure out what went wrong. It’s incredibly helpful to review the graded document and see where you went wrong. Finding a pattern in your mistakes is a great way to isolate and overcome problem areas on your own. If you still don’t understand what went wrong, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher! They’re there to help you learn and really appreciate it when students make an effort to improve. Along with asking your teacher, you can also seek advice from classmates who understand the material.

Work on your gaps. After identifying potential weaknesses, spend time working on strategies to address your problems. For example, if you got a bad grade because you didn’t finish in time, work on practice problems in a timed and simulated environment. Although it may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, you will definitely benefit from it in the future.

Move on. Even though you didn’t get the grade that you wanted to receive, you can do all the necessary steps to improve. Think about your bad grade as a learning experience, instead of a blotch on your report card. On your next graded exam, don’t be too impulsive and make sure to apply everything you practiced before. With hard work and dedication, you’ll be sure to improve!

Bad grades are a shock for everyone, and they often bring disappointment and frustration with them. However, the hard work we invest in overcoming these obstacles is evident in our performance in the future. Don’t be discouraged from one bad grade and make sure to keep going with your head high!