THE DREAM DICTIONARY

Dreams in which the dreamer fails a test or an exam, or where he or she is confronted by an exam suddenly, are some of the most common of all dreams. These dreams can represent a variety of fears, insecurities and anxieties.
Dreams in which the dreamer is taking or failing a test are one of those unique areas of dream interpretation where a symbolic answer is not always needed. It is obvious why students would dream about failing tests. The failed tests in their dreams are literal interpretations of past, present and future tests in their waking lives. For instance, the failed test can represent regret at failing a past test, or anxiety about a recently taken test or fears of failing future tests.
Good students often actually dream more about failing tests, since they tend to hold themselves to higher academic standards than poorer students. Even a student who has never failed a test in real life may constantly dream about failing test after test.
Of course students are not the only ones who dream about failing tests, and for non students, symbolic interpretations of such dreams are often needed. Failing a test in a dream can be a nighttime manifestation of a number of fears, such as fears of doing badly at work, fears of failing to live up to the expectations of family members, or fears of falling behind in life. Dreams of failing a fest can also represent general feelings of inadequacy, low self esteem or a lack of confidence.
The situations encountered in dreams of failing an exam can range from the very realistic, in which the dreamer can literally feel the hardness of the desk and chair and feel the pencil in his or her hand, to the very unrealistic. In such unrealistic dreams, the exam may take place in a strange place, such as an open field or even an airplane hangar. In some dream scenarios, the test questions appear to be written in an unfamiliar language. This can mean that the dreamer feels unprepared for the exam, or that he or she does not feel a mastery of the subject begin studied.
Other exam dream scenarios include not being allowed enough time for the test, or the pencil continually breaking. These scenarios can also indicate an uneasiness about being unprepared for the test, or in the case of a non student, being unprepared for work or for life in general.
Sometimes dreams about taking and failing exams are so real that the dreamer actually remembers some of the questions on the exams, but these types of dreams are relatively rare. In most cases, dreams about taking and failing exams are manifestations of anxieties, fears and issues with confidence and self esteem. They can either represent concrete fears of actual failure on an exam, or more symbolic fears of failure in other aspects of life.
Dreams of taking and failing exams and tests sometimes also indicate that the dreamer feels he or she is being judged. These dreams can be a signal for the dreamer to examine his or her life, especially areas that have been neglected, and pay closer attention to them. In many cases, it will be obvious which parts of the dreamer's life need attention. In other cases, it will require some closer examination. Such dreams often stem from a fear of letting other people down, and not from any actual inadequacy.
People who constantly dream about taking and failing test are often high achievers who set very high, sometimes impossible to reach, goals. It may be necessary for such people to reexamine their lives and their goals and set more appropriate and more reachable measures of success.