Why Am I Not Getting Good Marks Despite Working Hard?

I study 8-10 hours a day, yet I'm not getting good marks….

What's wrong with me? 

What am I missing?

Why am I getting such low marks? 

All these questions are going on in your mind too, that is why you have come to read this. When you don't get marks according to your hard work, you feel very bad, frustrated, start doubting yourself, and feel a lot of confusion. Parents, teachers, relatives, and friends start asking questions, advising you to “study harder,” and students start blaming themselves. But getting good marks doesn't mean studying for long hours, it's just one part. Getting good marks means studying with the right approach. The examiner does not see how long you have studied, they see how clear your concepts are, how much you recall while writing, and how much you have applied concepts under pressure. With proper planning, we can do all this. 

Effort is important, but direction is everything. You don't get marks for how long you study, but for how well you focus.

Using effective study methods, learning, and applying more information during the exam will definitely improve your score. Planning ahead. managing your time, and developing good habits are just some of the ways that can really help. These things will help you approach the exam with confidence. Here we have listed some common mistakes that students ignore, and that actually help in improving exam performance.

Common Reasons Why Students Get Low Scores

Was there a student in your class who did not attend class daily and was always at the top of the list of mischief-makers, yet still scored better in exams than those who attended class daily and maintained discipline?

The reason for this was that those students studied smartly, and whenever they studied, they studied with full concentration.  Teachers also always say that marks are not decided by how long you studied, but by how you studied, how you revised, whether you had exam stress, how clear your concepts, how good your time management is, etc. These are the factors that determine our scores. Having a low score does not necessarily mean you do not have the knowledge or have not studied. It all depends on some common mistakes we often ignore. Here We have explained some of these mistakes.

Mistake 1: Always Comparing with Others

Comparing with others is a common habit among students. They may not even realize when this habit affects their exam performance. When they see other students scoring higher with less effort, they begin to doubt themselves. They put pressure on themselves, which increases their stress, and they start judging themselves. This constant comparison diverts their attention from studies to fear and anxiety. This comparison demotivates the students, and they feel like giving up. Instead of focusing on their weak areas, they keep thinking about someone else's success. 

Every student's learning speed, background, and understanding level are different. Some understand the lesson in one sitting, others take a little longer, and some need more practice. Comparison ignores all these differences and creates unrealistic expectations. It reduces student concentration, the mind becomes restless, confidence drops, and even well-prepared answers can seem confusing. Students who do not compare themselves with others and focus on themselves have more clarity, common sense, increased concentration, and their performance automatically improves.

Mistake 2: Reading is not Learning

There must be someone in your family, among your relatives, or even in your friend circle who sits with books for hours, does not talk much to anyone, does not go out, does not attend any function or event, but when the result comes, their marks are not that special. This confuses everyone as to how this is happening, even parents ask why you are not getting good marks, even though you study all the time. And the student feels tired and frustrated. But the truth is simple, but hard to accept. Reading is not learning. Many students simply read, flipping from page to page. They highlight or underline what they think is important. They feel busy, but their brains are not actively working. Real learning means understanding, recalling, and applying. After you read a topic, ask yourself did you understood it, then repeat it in your mind in your own words, and apply it.

In the exam, it does not matter how long you spent studying the books, but rather how clear your concepts are and how much you remember what you have read. Exams test your clarity, not your effort. If your concepts are not clear, hours of studying go to waste. This is why you should actively understand things, not just read.

Mistake 3: Poor Answer Writing Skills

Poor writing skills are also a big reason for getting low scores. If you know the answer but do not know how to present it properly, you won't get good marks. If you write long answers without proper structure, important information will get lost somewhere and will not be noticed. Examiners have a lot of papers to check, so they do not have time to read each question deeply. The examiner does not give good marks. 

What most students do is just memorize questions-answer but not practice them by writing them down. And then what happens, during exams, when time is limited, and exam stress is pressing, they can not structure their answers appropriately. Even some students fail to complete the paper due to a lack of time. Subjects like Math and Science are awarded based on the steps, so if you miss those steps, you will lose marks. And in subjects with a lot of theory, if your handwriting is not good or your answer is not presentable, you will lose marks. Board exams follow a fixed marking scheme. Marks are awarded only to those who have written answers with correct points, keywords, and logical flow. otherwise you will lose marks easily. 

Mistake 4: Lack of Revision 

Some students just memorize, and at that point, they understand the topic clearly, and the concepts become clear. A common human tendency in human memory is that if you don't keep in touch with something for a few days, you start to forget it. The same thing happens when confident students do not revise before exams. When exams are near, and they start studying, and are unable to recall what they have studied earlier, which causes them to feel stressed and confused, which is natural. Everything they have studied gets mixed up, and one concept starts to seem different from another, which leads them to make silly mistakes in the exam. 

A proper revision structure can make a huge difference in your exam performance. You should start planning your revision months before the exam. Revision keeps your concepts fresh. Create short notes and formula sheets to help you revise quickly. Revision makes you feel more confident and helps you score better in exams.

Mistake 4: Never Focus on Manage Exam Stress & Fear

Exam stress and fear also affect students who score well, even those who have prepared well. As the exam approaches, students feel anxiety and pressure about the exam. They wonder what the result will be like, what if they get low marks, whether they will disappoint their parents, teachers, and friends, or whether they will fail the exam. This fear gradually makes its way into the brain, and its worst form is seen in the exam hall.

When you try to recall something, you have already forgotten it due to exam fear and stress. I remember when I was in board class, I prepared for my pre-board exams with my friend, but my friend got good marks, and I didn't. Because as soon as I entered the exam hall, I would get nervous, scared, and stressed. In such a situation, it's very difficult for your brain to recall information. Stress blocks your concentration and clarity in thinking.

Often, exam stress is also the result of poor time management. Students rush through the question paper and, in their hurry, end up reading the wrong material. These small, common mistakes can undermine confidence and lead to poor exam performance. This does not happen because your exam preparation is less, but it happens because you have overloaded your worth with exams. You have to manage and overcome fear and stress during exams, and score well in the exam.

Mistake 5: Multitasking

Many students make the mistake of studying two or three subjects at a time, which leaves them anxious and unable to gain clarity on any subject. Therefore, avoiding multitasking and focusing on one subject at a time is very important. When your brain repeatedly shifts from one subject to another, it is unable to settle on a concept, and the brain gets overburdened, due to which feel too tired quickly and being unable to remember much. For example, you are studying a science theorem, but an equation in a maths book is open in front of you, and you start thinking about the one you just read, due to which you get confused and are neither able to read the theorem nor think about the equation. This only wastes your time and tires your brain.

It is wise to focus on only one topic at a time. This will help you gain better clarity of the topic, you will remember it for a long time, and when you revise it, then you will easily recall it in less time. This habit will reduce your exam stress and help you score well.

Solutions to Common Mistakes with Strategies to Score Good Marks in Exams

Strategies always help you achieve good marks. Efforts alone are not enough; how you manage the pressure of exams is also important. Many students study sincerely but cannot convert their hard work into marks. Somewhere, they are not reading in the right direction. Without a clear strategy, they read randomly, revise anything, and then what happens is they get very confused. To avoid this, you will have to make a proper strategy for exam preparation. You have to decide what and when to study, how much time to devote to each subject, when to revise it, and how many topics to cover before taking the mock test. Having a strategy also reduces stress. When your preparation plan is streamlined, your brain remains free, focused, and calmer. There are a few strategies that I shared here. 

Solution 1: Focus on Concept Clarity

Focusing on the concept is an important strategy for scoring good marks. Many students memorize answers, formulas, and definitions without understanding them. What happens is that when asked a direct question, you can answer, but when asked an indirect, twisted, or application-based question, you struggle to understand how to solve it. In such a situation, you will be able to answer only if the concept is clear, otherwise not. If your concepts are clear, you will feel more confident and stress-free. The simple meaning of concept clarity is knowing what, why, and how behind the topic. If you know the concept, then you solve the question with your own, same in theory base question, you will be able to write an answer in your own words. This will definitely help in getting good marks in an exam.

Solution 2: Practise Writing Answers

Many students focus only on reading textbooks and notes. This is where they make the biggest mistake because there is a huge difference between putting your knowledge into written form. During the exam, you feel nervous and have exam anxiety; during that time, your writing speed slows down. In such a situation, if you have not practiced beforehand, it will go negatively for you. By practicing, you will get clarity on your writing speed and the structure of the answer. Otherwise, your answer sheet will appear incomplete and unorganised. 

Regular practice also improves handwriting, presentation, and time management. For subjects like Maths and Science that carry marks for steps, and for theoretical subjects, writing with a clear introduction, bullet points, and appropriate conclusions allows the examiner to easily understand what you have written without wasting time. You will be able to write to the point that is asked in the question paper. All this happens with practice. 

Solution 3: Study Smart, Not Hard

Study smart, not hard. You must have heard this many times, but be honest, how much have you applied it? It's okay if you have not applied yet, it's not too late. If you have come to this reading, it means you still have a chance to correct your mistakes and study smartly. Smart study means you should study in the right way and not study for hours. If you don't do this, you will get tired, stressed, and at one point, your brain will stop working, then no matter how much you study, you will not understand anything. In a smart study, you clear concepts, do regular revision, and practice. Smart studying involves clearing concepts, revising regularly, and practicing. Making short notes, writing down formulas and equations, and setting goals for how much and for how long you want to study. Properly streamline pre-exam preparation. When efforts are put in the right direction, studying becomes easier and more effective, and marks automatically improve.

Solution 4: Follow a Fixed Revision Plan

As I mentioned above, revision is a very important point for achieving a good score. Even more important is the way in which the revision is conducted. Proper structure and planning are essential for revision. The human brain needs repeated exposure for information to be stored for a long time. Therefore, we need to remind the brain of the material that we have studied through revision. But make sure you do not study one subject and revise the same subject the next day, repeating the same routine. This will waste your time and prevent you from studying as much as possible. To avoid this, you need to properly plan your revisions. Whatever you study one week, dedicate one day to it, so that you can do only revision on that day. This will help you determine how much you remember from what you studied, and obviously, revision will always help you identify your weak areas.

A fixed revision plan will bring discipline and consistency. This will increase your confidence, reduce exam fear, stress, and anxiety, and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by learning by the time exams come around,, and you will have covered the syllabus. Instead of thinking about studying more, revise and confirm what you have studied.

Wrapping up the Article

Scoring low does not mean you lack knowledge, but rather that you don't know the right direction. Through out article, I've explained one thing, effort alone doesn't determine marks, direction does. Many students study really hard, spend long hours with books, and give up their comfort levels. But they can not convert this into good marks. Because they ignore a few things that make these common mistakes, such as

• just reading and not clarifying concepts,

• constantly comparing with others,

• not writing answers correctly as required by the examiner,

• lack of revision,

• taking exam stress and fear,

• doing multitasking, and

• not focusing on one subject at a time.

As you might have seen, in your class, all the students are stressed as the exams are approaching, but there are 1-2 students who are calm because they prepared with a proper strategy. So, prepare a plan as soon as your class starts, such as in April or May, and stick to it. You will observe that your confidence is at its peak and your score improves. If you like the article, do not forget to share it with your friends.