Results Day Blues
Obviously it feels great to perform well in an exam, but nothing takes away from your moment of glory other than finding out that your close friends failed. Badly.
We have a guy in our class. For the purposes of this article, let's call him Selim. Selim is an all-round good guy, likeable, well-mannered, shares your content on his timeline if you message him in case you entered an online competition and need likes; basically your average Ben. That is until you sit an exam with him.
It's understandable if you don't want to show me your answer sheet, Selim, but there's no reason to hide it like it's some sort of confidential, classified top government secret. I won't cheat off of you if you won't allow it.
Sorry to have digressed, but my point is when the grades come out, Selim scores straight As, while the rest of the us have barely passed if we're lucky. Selim will then take this opportunity to gloat in our faces.
"Really, you got THAT wrong; it was so easy," the smug, piece-of-poop will say.
And on the off-chance the teacher awarded you more marks than they should have, leave it to Selim to sniff it out like a trained police dog, take your papers to the teacher and have your marks deducted.
Everyone wants to do well in their exams but when the results are out and you've done well, it may be so that your friend has done poorly. It's best therefore, to not go on bragging about yourself. Be there for your friends and classmates. Do not be a Selim.
There are many ways you can go about consoling your friend after a poor results, when you have both taken the same exam. The most crucial thing is to be supportive and helpful. Your friend could possibly feel jealous that you have done better and that is normal. Envy is a natural human response and is okay unless it is at a pathological level. Inspire your friend to convert the feelings into motivation for the next exam.
If there is the chance for a re-take, or there are future exams, you could try and help your friend study. If he asks you for help, definitely do your best. If he hasn't, then offer to tutor him, but do not persist, as this may attack his ego. You could give him extra notes that he may have missed. Discuss the materials with him before an exam and make sure he hasn't skipped over anything important.
If there aren't any chances for sitting the exam again, then reassure him that the results are not the only important thing and they do not define his abilities. It can be hard to console a close friend who has failed an important course or dropped a year, but you shouldn't be too overbearing. He will already have a lot on his mind and could also be getting a rough time at home. Try to be mindful and considerate. Don't throw celebration parties and invite him to come.
A good friend will be happy for you if you have done well in an exam, even if he hasn't done so himself. If you've done well and a friend hasn't, just be normal. You could make the situation awkward by acting like something is wrong since you're friend has failed. Do not talk about it unless you have to. The feelings of success and failure are both temporary and will fade soon.
Nibras is a doctor-to-be and a lover of murgi roast. He spends his free time stalking you on Instagram, so DM @niibbzzz
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