You Failed a Midterm — Now What?
Writer:
You just failed a midterm. You’re screwed, right? Not necessarily! Here’s what to do.
Take a breath
Before you panic or take action, just stop and take a breath.
Breathe in so that it fills up your lungs and your belly expands, then breathe out slooooooowly. This will slow down your autonomic nervous system and help you relax.
When people feel stressed or threatened, their brains usually try to speed things up – the famous fight or flight reaction. While this was helpful for our evolutionary ancestors, it won’t help you deal with your current situation.
Figure out your overall grade
If your school/professor uses an online tool like Blackboard, Google Classroom, etc., this may be easy to figure out!
If not, you can calculate it yourself. Check your syllabus to figure out what percentage of your grade that midterm was worth. You can search for online tools like this to calculate your weighted average.
Ask your professor. They’ll know better than anyone how you’re doing in class and what it will take to pass.
Can you still pass?
Chances are that failing a midterm isn’t enough to sink you completely.
Based on your current position and weight of the midterm is it still possible to pass?
Will you need to get 95 or higher on everything you submit the rest of the way? Or can you pull a grade you’re happy with if you just get 80s the rest of the way?
If you have a scholarship, do you need to maintain a particular GPA?
If you think you CAN still pass the class, make a concrete plan
Don’t just say you’ll plan to do better next time — that isn’t a plan!
There are concrete steps you can take to have a stronger second half of the semester.
Schedule the tutoring sessions. Email the professor and commit to going to office hours. Ask about possible extra credit opportunities.
If the professor can recognize the extra steps you’re taking to get back on track, that can also go a long way toward helping you pass.
Will you need to drop an extracurricular or miss some practices or rehearsals? This is a good time to think about priorities.
Think of it this way: If you fail, you may not be able to able to participate in that activity anymore anyway, so some short-term adjustments might be necessary for the long-term benefits.
Get extra support
Check your school’s tutoring center. Are you willing to work with a tutor for the rest of the term?
Can you attend your professor’s or teaching assistant’s office hours?
Do you have a friend who seems to be doing well? Can you study with them?
Do you have other obligations that would prevent you from doing these things? Do you work full- or part-time? Are you a member of an organization that demands some of your time? Have you taken on too much?
If you CAN’T still pass the class, consider dropping it or switching it to pass/fail
Most colleges or universities will still give you the opportunity to drop a class for several weeks after midterms.
You may wind up with a “W” or incomplete on your transcript, but this is not calculated into your GPA.
Similarly, most colleges or universities will give you several weeks to switch classes from letter grades to pass/fail. An F won’t look great, but at many schools it won’t be factored into your GPA (check your school policies to confirm).
This cannot be done for every class. If you have questions, contact your academic advisor or advisor’s office!
But if you drop the class, won’t you be behind on your credits?
Maybe... but that’s okay!
If you came in with any credit from high school courses or AP exams, you still may be on schedule to graduate.
If not, you can always overload in a future semester, or take summer classes.
Very often these options are cheaper than your typical classes anyway!
Consider taking summer courses towards your requirements at a local community college or online.
Just check with your academic advising office to ensure they’ll accept the credits!
Also, fewer than 50% of students graduate from college in four years. You may want or need to consider a slower pace.
September 19, 2025
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