The Student Room Group

Withdrawing from exams please help

Hello, im in the 2nd year of a levels (bio, chem, psychology) and have exams in 3 weeks. I applied for dentistry and got rejected from all the dentistry unis due to a low prediction. I have not been consistent with revision and feel that I can’t get 3As so i would like to ask if withdrawing from these exams and take them the next year as a private candidate is a good idea. As i can get my predicted grades from a private tutor and i could spend all that time revising. Also i have told my parents about this and they are insisting that i do exams this year as they think i can “catch up” in 3 weeks. What do you guys think about my idea to take exams next year? Ands what can i do to convince my parents?
I may be wrong but it'd my understanding your sixth form have already paid and entered you in and so close to the exams it's not possible for you to withdraw and if that is the case you'd just have to do your A-Levels.

As someone also in year 13 I don't think withdrawing would be a good idea anyway as I've seen uni's ask for A-Levels done over 2 years, so doing it over 3 may not be accepted in some places if you choose to apply to uni next year. Honestly you should just try your hardest in these exams and retaking them next year if you end up doing as bad as you think you will. Exams aren't cheap especially ones like these so it's better you just see imo. You never know maybe you aren't doing as bad as you think.
Original post by MiriGyu
I may be wrong but it'd my understanding your sixth form have already paid and entered you in and so close to the exams it's not possible for you to withdraw and if that is the case you'd just have to do your A-Levels.

As someone also in year 13 I don't think withdrawing would be a good idea anyway as I've seen uni's ask for A-Levels done over 2 years, so doing it over 3 may not be accepted in some places if you choose to apply to uni next year. Honestly you should just try your hardest in these exams and retaking them next year if you end up doing as bad as you think you will. Exams aren't cheap especially ones like these so it's better you just see imo. You never know maybe you aren't doing as bad as you think.


Obviously though do check and get in contact with your sixth form as soon as possible. They will definitely be more help than me.
Original post by MiriGyu
I may be wrong but it'd my understanding your sixth form have already paid and entered you in and so close to the exams it's not possible for you to withdraw and if that is the case you'd just have to do your A-Levels.

As someone also in year 13 I don't think withdrawing would be a good idea anyway as I've seen uni's ask for A-Levels done over 2 years, so doing it over 3 may not be accepted in some places if you choose to apply to uni next year. Honestly you should just try your hardest in these exams and retaking them next year if you end up doing as bad as you think you will. Exams aren't cheap especially ones like these so it's better you just see imo. You never know maybe you aren't doing as bad as you think.

You can withdraw from your a levels until 14 days before results day. However you won’t be refunded for the examination fees.
Hey, so I think you should sit them this year and kinda view it as a no pressure thing. Because you can withdraw up to 14 days before results day, so if you do badly, you’ll know after the exams are done. You can also withdraw after the first exam if you have a bad feeling about it. But you also might surprise yourself so I think it’s worth a shot, and it’ll be good exam practice nonetheless. It’s completely inconsequential if you sit and withdraw so u won’t risk a bad grade on ur record. I did this in y13 and my applications the following year were fine bc I technically wasn’t even retaking i was just sitting them for the first time in the eyes of the universities, however my offers weren’t deferred and I had to reapply. Plus if you resit gives you time to get better predictions over the summer therefore better offers, so you feel more motivated for the resit.

To be honest, your parents can’t physically stop you from withdrawing bc the anything you do with your exams aren’t dependent on your parents consent. It’s hard to go against your parents but if you need to, then you should. Resits are only expensive if you enrol in a retake college or something but if you speak to ur current sixth form about it, you probs won’t have to pay for it and if you do, it’ll be a small amount in comparison to the large reward that it’ll garner. Plus there are student loans and bursaries that accommodation this. It’s not like a uni student loan but a higher education loan through the government so you get given Less but it will cover everything. You could also just self teach for the year and just sit the exams as a private candidate if you feel like that’s a better option. But definitely speak to your sixth form about whether they can have u retake the year with them
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by nushnush338
Hey, so I think you should sit them this year and kinda view it as a no pressure thing. Because you can withdraw up to 14 days before results day, so if you do badly, you’ll know after the exams are done. You can also withdraw after the first exam if you have a bad feeling about it. But you also might surprise yourself so I think it’s worth a shot, and it’ll be good exam practice nonetheless. It’s completely inconsequential if you sit and withdraw so u won’t risk a bad grade on ur record. I did this in y13 and my applications the following year were fine bc I technically wasn’t even retaking i was just sitting them for the first time in the eyes of the universities, however my offers weren’t deferred and I had to reapply. Plus if you resit gives you time to get better predictions over the summer therefore better offers, so you feel more motivated for the resit.
To be honest, your parents can’t physically stop you from withdrawing bc the anything you do with your exams aren’t dependent on your parents consent. It’s hard to go against your parents but if you need to, then you should. Resits are only expensive if you enrol in a retake college or something but if you speak to ur current sixth form about it, you probs won’t have to pay for it and if you do, it’ll be a small amount in comparison to the large reward that it’ll garner. Plus there are student loans and bursaries that accommodation this. It’s not like a uni student loan but a higher education loan through the government so you get given Less but it will cover everything. You could also just self teach for the year and just sit the exams as a private candidate if you feel like that’s a better option. But definitely speak to your sixth form about whether they can have u retake the year with them

Hey, can you please let me know more about withdrawing from an exam after I have sat it? I need to withdraw one of my exams really badly but I'm scared that I won't be allowed to withdraw. What did you say to withdraw from your exams after you had sat them?

Quick Reply