8 reasons why students fail exams

Lack of Parental Involvement and Absenteeism
The impact parents have on the academic success of their children is immeasurable. Granted, there are a few students who succeed despite their home lives, but most students need a stable home and a parent or guardian who stays involved and makes sure their attendance is steady.

Poor Study/ learning methods

Often students have no idea how to study. At some point in their academic life, they realize that the work has gotten harder and they can no longer "wing it."

Lack of Motivation

The cause of low motivation is often nebulous. Modern students are accustomed to instant gratification, not slowly working towards an eventual reward.

Peer Pressure

Students can put themselves under unnecessary pressure during exam season. Tiredness makes revision ineffective and affects performance in exams.

Low Self-Esteem

Once students believe they are "bad" at a subject, they will always be "bad" at that subject. To break the cycle, self-defeating thoughts and try to "reprogram" positive messages into their brain.

Lack of School Resources and Staff

With budget problems looming over every school, programs are being cut. Most schools have gone to full-inclusion, and at the same time, there is a lack of qualified teachers across the country. Some lazy teachers who teach because they "just want to do their duty". They do not care whether the students are paying attention or not, all they care is "they did their duty". Even some of the teacher who goes in the class, say a few words and assign students to do some work.

Not Enough Revision

First things first, revision does not = reading. Revising is an active process. Students really don't understand what they are reading. They should know what every word means, be able to analyse every diagram, bullet point, graph and date. Mind maps, mnemonics, highlighting key point and notes summaries on cards are all useful ways of doing active revision.

Starting Revision Too Late

The path to success lies in good planning. Start revision early. Little and often is better than a mad panic at the end. Revision should be started so that there is enough time to understand, learn, memorise and to practice past papers.