ashamed

[Guest ashamed person]

i had some exams two weeks ago and I revised for them pretty well but for some reason during the exam my mind went blank and I panicked and I know I have failed those exams which were crucial to me passing the course. i was feeling pretty down and then one of my mate goes to me apply for mitigating circusmtances and say you were not well to the doctor and he will give you a note which will give you a chance to redo your exams. Now I did not want to do this as I used to be a mona do a lot of bad things but five years ago I started keeping my kesh and took amrit, and a true singh does not lie, 100% truth, but I will be telling such a big lie jus to cover myself, I booked an appointmet and I was going to lie saying i have been stressed out and could not sleep etc, but now I feel terrible about doing this but i have to pass those exams well to get a good grade overaal and the retakes get capped,

what should i do

[Jangal Da]

I occasionally see students with similar stories asking for a note. As this is a non NHS service we charge for this. Then we only say what you have stated ie he has told me..... . We never corroborate the story unless there is evidenced records in the notes of a nature that would allow us to do so - that would not just be stress, but for example students who battle through chemotherapy with Hodgkins lymphoma, but the intense schedule of such therapy or side effects or the disease itself will have affected exam performance etc... Otherwise in theory a doctor's note that cannot be cross corroborated against the record can put the doctor in serious trouble. What most students do not realise and I always tell them, is that the educational establishment has no obligation to take a doctor's note into account for mitigating circumstances. Exams like a lot of things in life are stressful and saying you've been stressed etc will hardly cut it against the educational board when your case is discussed. Preperation is key for exams just like a warrior going into battle.

[West London Singh]

Quite honestly mate.....the surreal world of exams and marking of said exams is something that I will never be able to figure out. In my time, I have come away from exams feeling really comfortable that I did exceptionally well. 2 months later when the results came out I find out that I had only just scraped a pass. I have sat exams after which I was in total despair, knowing that I had failed. The fact that I had answered the questions I answered completely wrongly and not even attempted the other 2 I was supposed to answer suggested that there was a 99.999% chance of a miserable fail. 2 months later the results come out and I get a good pass. You just never know my friend. You never know. Its not over 'till the fat lady sings.

[humkire]

In my opinion West London Singh Saab, basing on what you wrote I do feel your circumstances are indeed mitigating cicumstances because you indeed were not well, though you felt well. From what you explained it appears you had a breakdown of some sort right on the spot. This breakdown is what I would loosely classify as not being well.

I have sat for so many exams throughout my life and yes sometimes we can get a little confused or blank but in normal circumstances our human ability to fight that back for the sake of survival is far greater than you can imagine and we can pull everything together to write and write and complete the exams.

However in your case that did not happen implying some sort of a breakdown which you probably will never understand causing total blank and intense panic. You could choose to just be more general with the GP and tell him you just felt unwell(which is a summary of your unexplained blank out and panic) to avoid getting into unnecessary detail and the need to cross reference etc, but if he does get into specifics then explain it briefly in the context of a breakdown.

Hence the way I see it, it is not a lie and on the positive side it does give you a chance to retake quickly. do them right, pass and get a nice job and then sponsor a nice keeertan darbar somewhere hehe.

[luckysingh99]

I used to get real nervous but I would keep some sukha prashad in my pockets and eat it whenever I felt the need. The sweetness of a misherey helps to give a glucose brain boost as well as the power of waheguru.

I too agree with WLSji that strange things happen because I passed exams in flying colours that I was sure I failed and vica versa!!!

Doing paath even after and having faith even after blanking out still helped me get through.

[Guest Guest]

I think you should try again but not in this manner. Go for an Improvement Exam as per normal procedure. See whether you actually have what it takes ! If not then look for other career options, it's not end of the world. I too am ashamed of wrong conduct (gaining admission in college by reference rather than merit). Honestly, in our days it was kind of norm to get a degree. Frankly it never helped me in making Money, gaining Power and having Sex.

[Wicked Warrior]

I wouldn't bother with the appointment or note. You need to learn to deal with panic and stress in exams. Asking for a note is like running away. What happens the next time you face this problem? And the time after that?

As above, exam boards take a dim view of a note produced AFTERWARDS. If you had a genuine medical condition, even something like anxiety, that you had a history of, it would have been your duty to notify the exam board in advance. They would be more likely to take it into consideration.

[humkire]

I wouldn't bother with the appointment or note. You need to learn to deal with panic and stress in exams. Asking for a note is like running away. What happens the next time you face this problem? And the time after that?

As above, exam boards take a dim view of a note produced AFTERWARDS. If you had a genuine medical condition, even something like anxiety, that you had a history of, it would have been your duty to notify the exam board in advance. They would be more likely to take it into consideration.

This advice in my opinion would be right if indeed _ashamed person_ has a history of panic and stress in exams in which case a history of such sort of repetitive behaviour to do with anxiety would indeed in normal circumstances have been documented in his GP's notes which does not appear to be the case.

Hence I deem that as a one off, the description given so far by _ashamed person_ infact points to some sort of an unexplained mental breakdown symtomised by a total blank out and sudden intense panic to the point of making him fail.(unless _ashamed person_ can say that this is not the case). His GP would indeed issue a letter to that extent as I mentioned earlier, and I am quite confident, based on my experience in helping quite a few people in this respect that the exam board, dean of faculty, personal tutor, year tutor, etc i.e whoever is given the authority to decide, would be very sympathatic and give _ashamed person_ another chance, and why not, especially if he can pull himself together and use it to pass.

An academically successful son of a very close friend of mine never had any history of any medical condition relating to anxiety but just as in the case of _ashamed person_, at some point of his studies and exams, a very similar situation occured as a freak one off, for which his GP gave a note which did give my friend's son another chance for a repeat which proved successful, and today that guy is a senior geologist.

However of course if _ashamed person_ indeed has a history of being incapable of dealing with panic and stress in exams then maybe Wicked Warrior who is a qualified doctor could offer some brotherly love and support by arranging privately for _ashamed person_ to visit his clinic for free consultations on dealing with stress, anxiety and panic as GPs are some of the best persons to talk to on these matters, apart from others in the specialised fields of psycho analysis.

[Wicked Warrior]

Depends on where OP is from. In the UK, I've known exam boards to turn down retrospective notes. Agreed if he had a pre-existing condition, his doctor may be more likely to give a note but then the question has to be asked: why wasn't the exam board notified in advance?

Universities in the UK tend to be less biased by doctor's notes and less likely to give extensions or a chance to re-sit unless it was a major health problem.

We all panic in stressful situations but it is far better to learn to deal with these things either through learning, experience, counselling, or (if truly required) medication.

It would be better to go and ask for advice than simply ask for a sick note. But I would advise to be truthful rather than just say "I felt a bit unwell".

Also, two weeks after an exam - the timeframe may be too distant for an accurate assessment of an isolated incident. OP's doctor may take a dim view of this delay.