Editorials

What Not to Say to Students Before Exams

9 May 2017

By Lauren E. White

Exam season has arrived and many parents around the country will be thinking of the best way to comfort their terrified kids the morning before an exam.

Now, all of us students will be bracing ourselves for the clichés that make us feel a pang of fear/anger/please-stop-now before we make our way to the exam hall.

So, without further ado, here are some things you shouldn’t say to students before an exam:

  1. “Just try your best, that’s all you can do”

Grr. If it was that easy, I wouldn’t have been revising for months on end. And what if my best isn’t good enough? Then what?

It’s well-meaning, of course, but it has the tinge of ‘when you fail, it doesn’t matter’ to it.

  1. “It’s not the end of the world”

Okay so the morning before the exam you’re going to tell me it’s not the end of the world? Smart move… not.

You could’ve told me that last week or the other day rather than letting me get this stressed and belittling it.

  1. “Can you re-sit if you don’t pass?”

Great way to fill me with confidence, that one is!

Already preparing for our options post-failure is not a good thing to do and is actually so harsh it makes me cringe thinking about it.

Just be supportive by saying “good luck” and “you will be fine” and remind us of the work we’ve put in. That’ll do, thanks very much.

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