Failed finals by 0.4% (panicking)

Received my results this week. I had passed 4/5 of my exams apart from the written skills paper which I fell 0.4% below the threshold for.
The med school said I could either redo the year or resist the single paper in June with the condition that if I failed that I would be kicked off the course.
I’m in full panic station now. Never failed anything before and having got this far through med school I feel like I may have just wasted a huge chunk of my life for nothing.

Really want to fight this and smash the resit but having all this added pressure i just feel so scared. Some of the doctors I’ve met on placement have agreed to coach me and provide extra resources but for anyone who has sat this paper you know temperamental it is with it being so time pressured.
Wondered if anyone else was in any similar situations?

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Hi, If you failed by such a small percentile, it means some knowledge is there, but more revision is needed. Those tests often have tricky questions to separate crammers from those who might have studied more strategically through out the year. I know there is soo much to study and sometimes you do not know where to start. However, think about the effort you made so far a good result on your second sitting it is not impossible to reach especially if it is the only one you have to repeat. Ultimately the decision is yours and confidence/state of mind, it is a good 30% of exam success.

Thus, you can do it next year, if you do not feel ready. Do not feel the peer pressure. Medical school is a marathon not a sprint. No one would question you taking the time to resit it next year, 1 year in the big scheme of life is a small sacrifice.