The pain of defeat can be a much-needed wake-up call. On the surface, the whole concept of exams may seem arbitrary but deep down, it's not about grades, it's about rising to the occasion, it's about experiencing the rapture a triumph and disgrace of failure. They go hand in hand you see, one is meaningless without the other. To win, one has to lose. The difference between the novice and the master is that the master has failed more than the novice has tried.