With school exam time here, how do you feel about how you did in your exams? Whenever that was.

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melanie110@reddit

I got 11 As in my GCSE’s. A for absent.

Do I regret it, yeah a bit but it hasn’t hindered me n my career at all. I’m 45 F and earning very well and above our median for my area

My son is set for his this next coming weeks, he’s sitting 18 and then n target for 8s and 9s and I couldn’t be prouder of him

He’s got his whole career mapped out. When I was his age, I didn’t even know what I wanted for my tea that night

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

He's sitting 18 subjects? Jesus christ...

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melanie110@reddit

Some are combined, 3 I think but yeah

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got all As studied hard, had lots of potential, then i got depressed at uni, didn't go to any lectures, scraped by, could've done so much more with it, but i still went from poor immigrant living with two other families in a 3 bed flat in a shitty part of a shitty town to owning my own 4 bed house by the beach. I didn't need all As really but in the end good grades allowed me to do this.

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

My GCSEs I did very well in, mostly As and some Bs. It meant I could do A levels of my choice. Unfortunately I lived rurally and the nearest college shut it's science labs down so I couldn't do what I wanted and ended up taking any old shite. I did terrible at my A levels because I didn't care and had no intention of going to uni. I'm paid well above the national average now, though it took me a little bit to get here. So overall my results weren't important to my career, but I had intended to study science and then do the same at uni which got scuppered.

Lots of folks here saying GCSEs don't matter as an adult. But they did as a kid if you had academic intentions. Without good GCSEs and A levels you won't get onto the Uni courses you want to. If you don't care about Uni then yeah, it is kind of unimportant. Though you still need decent maths and English at at least GCSE level for many entry level jobs.

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DameKumquat@reddit

I did way better than most teachers expected - got all As at GCSE and A-level, at GCSE, from working way too hard and not having a life.

So now I've got eldest who has been totally disengaged and has only been willing to do maths and English in the last couple months, and I'm struggling to be useful. The local college doesn't even do open days, you have to apply for a course before you can speak to anyone - but he has no idea what he wants to do...

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buy_me_a_pint@reddit

I have dyspraxia and did my best,

I would have done a lot better had i been allowed to drop a few GCSE subjects

I did managed to get a C grade in Maths at college , even though I was told I should have done a resit the first year at college, I argued saying I need this year doing the key skills in Maths which helped.

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h00dman@reddit

I wish I'd done better at history.

I remember studying for my GCSEs, I read the entire textbook from start to finish and I could recite it from memory.

I'm not trying to show off about having a photograph memory or anything (if such things even exist, I don't have one lol), it just happens to be the subject I was most interested in.

The problem was the exams, I just couldn't write 3 essay length answers in an hour.

I'm not blameless though, I know I could have practised more.

I think this year I'm going to start planning to write a book. Castles in Wales or something. I know there are millions of other books like that but this one will be mine, and I feel it would heal a wound a bit.

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random_username_96@reddit

I was a pupil in Scotland when it was still Standard Grades and Highers/Advanced Highers. I was that smart sod who was unhappy with anything less than an A at the time, but am more than happy now when looking back at my results. I paid attention in class, always completed my homework on time, studied hard, revised a lot, etc. I also didn't struggle too much with understanding most subjects at school level, and was in the privileged position to recieve tutoring for the one subject I really struggled with.

It paid off with mostly 1s (A equivalent) and a couple of 2s (B equivalent) for my standard grades, and 4 As/1 B for my Highers. Dropped off a bit with 1 A/2 Bs/1 C in my Advanced Higher Year, and honestly that was because I'd already got my unconditional offer and so the motivation dropped off somewhat!

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unbelievablydull82@reddit

Terrible. Highest I got was a "D", in English, German, and science. I never studied, just did what I did for the entire time in school, go through the motions, do what I have to, and then leave. I drove teachers mad, as I was as intelligent as any of my peers, but I was always in the bottom classes, if I turned up at all. Turns out I had undiagnosed ASD and ADHD.

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therealstealthydan@reddit

I always struggled to engage academically. I achieved reasonable grades with little effort and left school straight after my GCSE’s with a handful of A,B’s and C’s.

Real word I found I learnt quickly, if I could see a practical reason or application and afforded autonomy to learn in my style then it went in. I started my career with a practical engineering apprenticeship, moved around from there, started my own business, worked as a consultant. Now I’m 39, speak 3 languages, have an MBA and all to plan will be retiring in the next 3 years.

Message I always give is some people are academic, some aren’t, but those who want to apply themselves in a way that suits them will always find a way. That’s not to say don’t try, just that for me anyway, it seemed like a year after leaving school, the bits of paper were largely forgotten.

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hhfugrr3@reddit

I don't think i ever studied hard enough. Tbh i never really understood what I was supposed to be doing and I've never worked out how to write an essay properly. I've been seeing a girl for language lessons lately. She's a student at Oxford uni and her life is studying, absolutely nothing like i was at school or uni.

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pajamakitten@reddit

All As at GCSE and all Bs at A-level (makes it easy to remember what I got). I took it seriously and having no friends or social life to distract me from work helped a lot. I cannot complain about that, instead I wish I could relate to other people about teenage hijinks instead.

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CodeBeginning6548@reddit

Didn't study a single second for any subject. Passed all my GCSEs, but got mostly Cs. I was lucky as I was in with the wrong crowd and drinking and smoking weed most nights after school. Wish I had stayed home and just read books, played guitar and really payed attention in class.

Thankfully I grew up and ditched my 'friends' from that era. I'm a financial adviser now and during a recent works night out, everyone couldn't belive I did so poorly at school (most guys I work with are private school kids with A* all round).

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dronebox@reddit

Did alright.. Would have done better in my Maths “O” Level if I hadn’t gone out to see Siouxsie & The Banshees the night before…

Two years later I went to see Siouxsie again the night before one of my Maths (Pure & Mechanics) “A” Level papers.. Perhaps Ccould have done better on that one too..:-)

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OldLondon@reddit

Did my o levels and absolutely sucked. Went to an amazing grammar school and did not apply myself at all. Took 7 failed 2. However luckily it didn’t hold me back as I decided to try IT as it was pretty new as a course in 1986 - that was a good move in hindsight and failing economics didn’t really matter.

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TheEnglishNorwegian@reddit

Didn't revise for anything bar skimming through BBC bitesize or whatever it was called for an hour or so before science to remind myself of some plant cell names and other bits.

Got good grades, had a fun time that year in general. Lots of parties, girls, all nighters and just embracing being young.

As a teacher now I would probably encourage my kids to revise a bit, but honestly too much pressure is put on kids.

My argument from back then stands today, if you don't know this stuff before the exam, you ain't going to suddenly learn everything by staying up all night revising. Get some sleep and do your best. Grades mean absolutely fuck all in the real world beyond the bare minimums to get you into A levels or uni.

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Traditional-Leg-1122@reddit

I did shit, hated exams. I’m lucky that I got into a profession where you learn on the job.

My daughter is an infinitely better student than me and it makes me so proud to see her working so hard and having the brains she has.

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JennyW93@reddit

I did okay in my exams, 11 A*-B GCSEs. What I didn’t do well at was managing my severe anxiety around exams, which meant the first time I got sectioned was when I was 15.

I wish I’d have realised how stupid it is to attempt to take your life over GCSEs, but the way it was drilled into us I really, genuinely thought my entire life would be ruined if I couldn’t understand quadratic equations.

I’m really envious of the middle-ground kids. The ones who took it seriously, but not too seriously.

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FunkyYoghurt@reddit

I left in 2004. I didn't revise much at all, I just wanted my C+ in Maths and English. Ended up getting grade B in them both. I'm a qualified English teacher but don't teach anymore.

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

I took GCSEs seriously.

I took A Levels semi seriously because if I didn't hit certain grades, I knew my university offers would all fall through. However, I maybe should've taken them more seriously because I missed my Cambridge offer by two grades and it fell through. I still went to a good university but I would've had better opportunities having gone to Cambridge probably.

I took uni a bit more seriously in first year and aced a lot of exams, but first year is more of a catching up year anyway and it's weighted as such. By final year I already had a job and had an unconditional job offer lined up for once I'd finished my exams as well, and I'd fallen out of love with some of the modules I'd chosen, and crucially, my dissertation. I don't know what grade I got in my degree in the end.

However, despite not doing well at uni, once I was actually in work I took things very seriously, and I now run a small business with just under £0.7m turnover and 2 members of staff (soon to be 3). I have the work life balance I want and can afford to give our staff the same flexibility, decent pay, benefits etc.

Ultimately some people don't treat school seriously, but there's plenty of reasons for that. Many of those people still go on to find work they enjoy. Most of the difficult pupils I remember from school are actually doing pretty well for themselves, often running their own small businesses. Their work is less academic and more practical. Which perhaps just shows that our education system may put too much emphasis on everybody being academic and not enough on people learning skills.

Every year you'll see Tweets etc from celebs like Jeremy Clarkson, who love him or hate him, has done very well for himself given he got two Us and a C in his A Levels.

Yeah it's a lost opportunity to do well and broaden your options, but it's far from the end of the world.

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AggravatingSpot4330@reddit

I messed up my exams too. Took me years to figure things out, but I got there in the end.

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Loose_Avocado4670@reddit

I passed maths, both Englishes and all of my gcse choice options but completely failed science.

Well, I passed biology, but the other 2...epic fail.

I've not been asked about my gcses ever, so I can't say it's affected me. I hated science and I just couldn't stand to do more of it at home,so I failed.

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Shrimp_Watch101@reddit

I did well at subjects I liked. Subjects I didn't like, I crammed last minute and got a load of C's.

But what I mainly remember is a bizarre story my history teacher told us.

Supposedly a girl had stood up in the middle of her GSCE exam, yelled out "I'm an orange!", then walked out, never to be seen again.

That story got stuck in my head, and I still wonder about it.

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terahurts@reddit

Did pretty good in my GCSEs without really trying then fucked my A-levels (an E and an Ungraded...) thanks to discovering beer and girls. Regretted it when most of my mates went off to Uni. I did a foundation course in mechanical engineering at the local tech college and lucked into a old-school apprenticeship that paid for my Mech Eng. HNC.

Was supposed to carry on to HND level but got laid off. Got a part time job selling clothing and parts in a motorcycle dealership and went back to college to study IT. Scraped a 2:1 in Informatics (a mix of hardware, networking, database design, software engineering and project management) which was a bit of a surprise as it turned out I suck at the software side of things and I honestly thought I was going to fail.

Not being at all interested in a career in software engineering, but needing a job I drove a forklift for a year, then got an IT support job at my local council thanks to the hardware and networks parts of my degree.

Spent the next 15 years working my way up from technician to senior support to team leader in various companies, although it took most of a decade for my salary to catch up to those of my mates who didn't fuck their A-levels.

Not that any of it really mattered. My wife got sick a decade or so ago and I had to become her full-time carer. Now I'm benefit scum while my ex-mates are on £100K a year.

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lookhereisay@reddit

I did well in my GCSEs. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd and want to do well. I can top of my school. Not hard because it was a failing school on special measures.

All A and A* except 2 Bs which really annoyed me, but one was IT and the other Drama where I’d been let down by my group.

Went to drama school in London, recession hit as I was there, did a bit of acting work but it was tough. Went back to college for a fast track course, got a job out of that and here I am.

I do a lot of studying and reading up on topics in my spare time to satisfy my brain itch.

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bishibashi@reddit

Always found school easy so never learnt how to study or revise, got all Bs and Cs at gcse which I was fine with but my teachers were pissed off about. Mainly smoked weed in 6th form which wasn’t helpful, came out with a B a U and a D appropriately. Easily enough to go to university back then. Thought I’d carry on the same way but it didn’t work at university and got bounced after 2 years. I still have the occasional dream about exams, which surprises me as I never took them seriously at the time. My kids are way better thank goodness.

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hornet-prodder-214@reddit

When I was at school I was every teachers nightmare and bottom of the bottom class in all years and they were very surprised when I p[assed my 11 plus.

Shortly after that we moved to another area and I had to sit the exams again alone with constant 'eyes on' supervision in a massive room where only I and an observer were there as my previous school thought I must have cheated. They were even more surprised when I get higher marks and went to a Grammar school; where I was no better in school and passed all the GCE's I sat.

I left school and joined the Navy in electronics and was a a model student there as the teaching was interesting, rather that just sitting there and being told what the schools thought I needed to learn by 'rote'.

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dinkidoo7693@reddit

I did awful, but I was bullied at school and overlooked by teachers. I still Struggle to concentrate in silence. Undiagnosed ADHD explains a lot.

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Puzzleheaded-Web1519@reddit

My exam passes, despite a Grammar School education, were negligible. I bribed my children and grandchildren on results. There is some truth in the saying “ Money talks! “

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yolo_snail@reddit

I did alright.

I never revised, and spent the study sessions just pissing about.

I'm of the belief that if you need to revise, you haven't learned it.

My lowest grade was a C, and that was in both English Language and Literature, purely because I'm just shit at reading and writing.

In fact, a lot of us left our further maths exam early as it was just an extra exam for 'fun'. Ended up getting a B anyway.

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Romeo_Jordan@reddit

I didn't take my GCSEs seriously as I was a smart kid in a rough comp so did ok but not brilliant. There was no support at all due to all of the challenging behaviours there. I really started workjng harder at Uni and did much better.

My son is now at a really good state school and the support is amazing, he'll hopefully do better than I did.

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Disastrous-Place-846@reddit

I was offered 100 quid for every a I got my dad. I reckon I could of got 3-5 with some revision and effort.

I chose to smoke weed and player counter strike source instead.

My a levels were a total right off and waste of time

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Polz34@reddit

I hated them, I was always better at coursework than exams; this was proven over and over throughout school, at college I did a BTEC with no exams (all coursework) and did really well then at uni once again the exams dragged down my grades. Literally was a month off finishing my degree and I asked a lecturer for a reference to do the PGCE and on that reference he said 'she's most likely dyslexic' - which might explain a few things!

Literally went into GCSE exam periods with A's & B's for my course work but all my exams dragged my grades down to B+ to D.

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Basic-Implement8080@reddit

I did take compulsory academia seriously. I did fine in my GCSE’s, got what I had to but only got 2 a levels, both of them were a D.

I then worked for a few years while I figured out what I wanted with my life. Ended up going to uni to study graphic design at 23, walked away with first class honours and a published paper. Just finished my masters degree with a distinction as well.

Guess what I’m saying is that if you don’t take it seriously at 18 sometimes it works out okay. Some people are better off doing it when they’re older and taking education more seriously.

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Voodoopulse@reddit

I did m well at my exams, A* and A's at gcse, 2 A's and a B at a level, 2:1 in my degree.

What I can wholeheartedly say is I never did my best in any exam I ever did, I didn't even half ass revision and although better results wouldn't have impacted my life it does make me sad looking back that I can't say I'm proud of the achievements because the effort was so lacking.

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SenSel@reddit

Still don't know how to study.

Whilst I didn't study early enough, I did put shifts in closer to the exam dates (a day or two before?) but I never really engaged with the material. I just worked off memorising which to this day is how I live my life too.

Probably contributes to the constant dread and anxiety that I feel.

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