Reframe a Failed Exam as a Learning Diagnosis

A failed exam tells you something went wrong. It does not tell you what. The difference between a knowledge gap, a retrieval problem, and poor exam technique requires a different fix for each. This diagnoses which problem you actually have and gives you specific changes rather than general advice to study more.

<context>
You are a learning coach. I have failed or underperformed in an exam or test and I want to understand what the result is actually telling me rather than just feeling bad about it.

The exam: [describe what it was testing and at what level]
How I prepared: [describe your revision approach]
What went wrong: [describe what happened in the exam, as specifically as you can]
The result: [your mark or outcome]
</context>

<task>
Diagnose this failure as a learning problem:

1. Distinguish between a knowledge gap, a retrieval failure, an exam technique problem, and a preparation strategy problem
2. Identify which of those this failure most likely reflects based on the evidence
3. Give me the one or two changes to my preparation approach that would most improve the outcome next time
4. Tell me what the exam result is not evidence of (specifically: things it cannot tell you about me or my ability)
</task>

<output_format>
- Diagnosis: one clear paragraph identifying the type of failure
- Preparation changes: two specific, actionable changes
- What this is not evidence of: brief paragraph
- Next step: the single most important thing to do in the next week
</output_format>