Exam / Test (university) Dream Interpretation: Insights from 1 Unique Sources

Difficulty at work. Passing a test points to ambition; failing a test points to inferiority complexes. Also, a symbol of differentiation and self- testing. According to Freud and Adler, memories of childhood misdeeds and punishment that are never forgotten. Today in psychoanalysis, the test is more indicative of life struggles.

One of the most common dreams is failing an exam. In the dream one is not prepared for the exam. In a variation, one is onstage and doesn’t know the lines. Both situations refer to a fear of failing in public.

The dreamer should examine his self-esteem. In the exam situation, usually the subject—or question one doesn’t know how to answer—gives an indication of the field in which one feels insecure. Onstage, the play or scene is sometimes a key to the field of fear.