Exam results day: how to cope with stress and uncertainty

There’s no denying that waiting for exam results is a stressful time.

You might be feeling worried, anxious, panicky, or afraid. It can be hard to think about anything else, too – you might find yourself constantly talking about results, scrolling results day content online, or imagining your personal worst-case scenario.

There’s no way to make the experience of waiting for exam results stress-free, but there are things you can do to cope with the wait and make it less distressing!

Different things help different people, so try to approach these ideas with an open mind – you might find them more helpful than you expected.

It might feel impossible, right now, to think about anything other than what your results will be, what that means for your future, and how you’ll cope.

But remember that whatever your results say, you’ve already made it through a whole exam season! You’ve tried your best and, at the same time, shown how resilient and brave you are. There’s plenty to celebrate, from recognising how much it took to turn up to each exam (despite how you felt) to acknowledging the times you asked for support.

Whatever your results are, with the support of trusted adults, you will be able to make a plan for your next steps. Plenty of successful people have made mistakes and failed along the way, and one set of exam results does not mean you cannot make a new plan for how you achieve your goals.

And perhaps most importantly, remember that your academic achievements only represent a tiny part of what makes you you. However your exams went, your exam results aren’t the most interesting or most important thing about you.

It might be helpful to think about how the people who are close to you would describe you. Think about the talents, passions, and qualities you have – because these will continue to exist, whatever your exam results are.

Waiting for exam results can be difficult for many reasons, but a lot of people find it really challenging to feel like they have no control.

The good news is that there are still things you can plan, and some people find this helps them feel calmer.

It can also be a good idea to put everything you’ll need in one place – including items that help you feel calm and grounded, and practical things like a notebook and pen. If you’re collecting results in-person, you could pack a bag with everything you’ll need (like a portable charger and a snack).

If you’re waiting for A-levels, it might help to read about clearing on the UCAS website so you feel informed (with something distracting planned for afterwards so you don’t spend ages re-reading the same information).

You can also plan how you’ll manage while you’re waiting for results, including on the night before results day, if you think you’ll find it difficult to sleep. Different people find different distractions helpful, but it can help to think of favourite, comforting books, games, or TV shows, as well as crafts or hobbies that help take your mind off things.

It’s understandable that everyone wants to talk about exam results – especially as it gets closer to results day – but try to make sure you’re not making each other feel worse and more stressed.

As results day gets closer, it can be easy to get dragged into panicked messaging, searching online, or scrolling through endless content.

You can choose to take a break from social media or websites, or change the topic if you’re chatting to friends. You could talk about your favourite memories or things you’ve already achieved together, or goals you have that aren’t affected by exam results, for example. Or you could try to watch the same TV show or film together remotely and message about that, rather than exams or results or the future.

Everyone has difficult thoughts sometimes. It’s really common to get stuck in thoughts about exam results, and some people find it helpful to learn a bit more about different ways of thinking that can make us feel more anxious or distressed.

It’s OK if you don’t find this helpful or if you just want to focus on distracting yourself instead.

Some of the unhelpful ways people might think about exam results include:

If you can notice when your thinking is falling into any of these patterns, you might be able to challenge your thoughts by pointing out the lack of evidence, finding another perspective, or distracting yourself rather than focusing on the thoughts.

These ‘types’ of unhelpful thinking come from an approach to therapy called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

However you’re feeling about exam results, you don’t have to cope with the wait (or the results themselves) on your own.

You might find it helpful to talk to an adult you trust, like a parent, carer, teacher, or youth worker, and there are also plenty of organisations that support young people through text messages, phone calls, emails, and online chats. You can talk about how you’re feeling now or your worries for the future.