By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
If you have a bad grade in a class and youâre totally fine with it, then you donât even need to watch this video or read the rest of the article.
If you have a bad grade in a class and youâre NOT fine with it, then you must do something to bump it up. The last thing you want to do is sit around and feel sad, guilty or even wronged that your grade is low. You have control over the situation, and there are many steps you can take to improve your bad grade.
First things first â getting a low grade on a single test is different than getting a low grade in an entire class. A failed test can sometimes appear to have come out of nowhere: You take a test, think you did okay, and are totally shocked when you get your grade back. These moments suck, but they happen and you can deal with them. If you simply bombed a test, but the rest of your assignments and exams are otherwise fine, then you probably only need to take one or two of the steps Iâll be discussing to improve your situation.
A failed or nearly failing class, on the other hand, never comes out of nowhere. Youâll know long before the semester or year is over if youâre spiraling downward. So the idea is to stop the spiraling as soon as you become aware of it. So if your entire class grade is low because you consistently bombed tests or assignments, then youâll want to cover as many of the steps below as possible.
How to improve your bad grade
If you’re reading this post because you want to learn how to improve your bad grade, you’re obviously in the right spot. But for a more complete evaluation of what your strengths and weakness are (so that you know exactly what areas to target) I want you to use my FREE Student Self-Assessment Checklist.
1. Complete and turn in any missing assignments.
If youâre uncertain if youâre missing any assignments, ask your teacher. We all miss assignments now and again â but it should only be for a good reason, like you were sick. Complete every single assignment that you owe your teacher, even if that part of the lesson is over. The benefit of doing this is that youâll a) hopefully earn those points back and b) show your teacher that you care â and donât underestimate the power of showing your teacher that you care.
2. Participate more in class.
Some people are naturally more inclined to raise their hands, ask questions and join the class conversation. But even if youâre not that person, be that person for the sake of getting your grade up. Many teachers work a class participation grade into their class grade â so milk this one! There is absolutely no reason why you canât raise your hand at least three times in class to ask a question or contribute a comment. Even if you have to make up a question, do so. This is an easy one, guys.
3. Show up.
Yes, another easy one. You want to improve your bad grade? Show up to class. Every day. No exceptions. And stay until the very end, every time.
4. Take notes in class.
Taking notes has 4 main benefits: 1) youâll learn the material better because youâre interacting with it 2) youâll have awesome notes from which to study for exams, so youâll get a better grade on your exam 3) youâll focus more in class, and 4) your focus and note-taking will impress teachers and show that you do indeed care.
The most effective way to take notes during class is to use a simple bullet format. Use abbreviations and symbols for words and concepts are frequently repeated, and be sure to edit and re-type your notes the same day you took them. For a detailed explanation of an effective note-taking strategy, watch my note-taking video.
5. Ask for extra credit.
Not all teachers offer extra credit, but if they do, take it! And do it all. And even if your teacher has never offered extra credit before, ask him or her if theyâll make an exception for you. Teachers donât want you to fail, and it makes them happy to see that youâre actually trying to improve your situation.
For extra brownie points, you could always offer your own version of extra credit if your teacher doesn’t have any prepared. Offer to read an extra article, make a short presentation or write an additional essay. Take the initiative.
6. Get help.
Chances are good that youâve failed a test or a class because you didnât understand the material. If you donât understand the material, then you must find a way to understand it. Stay after school, get a tutor, find another teacher who can explain it differently than your teacher, watch videos about the material, revamp your study techniques â just do something different from what you’ve been doing. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Hm. That means itâs time to try something new.
Asking for help — either from your teacher, another staff member or even your parents — is an important school habit that will eventually become a key career and life habit. When possible, always try solving the problem on your own first (don’t underestimate you!), but then recognize when it’s time to solicit someone’s help. Here is my complete tutorial about how to ask for help in school.
7. Own it.
Harsh truth alert: If your grades are poor, itâs no oneâs fault but your own. (Important side note: I get it — maybe a C really is the best you can do! In that case â good for you, really. Keep doing your best, and youâll be awesome.) But if you have a C and youâre not happy with it, donât blame the teacher, or the test, or the cat. âThe test was hard!â actually means that you werenât prepared for it. âMy teacher is unfair!â actually means that you donât like his/her teaching style (deal with it). âI have no time to study!â actually means that youâre not prioritizing your time well enough. The sooner you recognize that your situation is your situation, the sooner you can get started fixing it.
Itâs not the end of the world if you bomb a test, or if you get a B- when you really wanted an A. And you certainly shouldnât beat yourself up over the occasional crappy grade. (Crappy grades happen to everyone.) But my message here is that there are many ways to improve your bad grade if you want to. And the sooner you make that deliberate effort to improve, the more time youâll have to get that grade up. It is possible. But only if you do something about it.
