When failure is an option

Sometimes I tell myself the past two years of school have made me an "expert escape artist" as I dodged one "bullet" of exams after another with slightest of margins. But now, like in those video games that lead to one mini-boss after another until you get to the final giant boss and he's 10x stronger than any of the mini-bosses, I face the greatest academic challenge of my life.

While I wish failure is not an option, it is*. As I contemplate the possibilities, I cannot help but ask myself what it is that bothers me about failure. Is it merely the inconvenience of having to re-study and re-take the exam, or are there deeper issues, like losing face, self-esteem, or the initial inspiration/conviction to do what you thought you were meant to do? It's probably Choice E, "all of the above", which, fortunately, is not an option on this monster of an exam I am to take in less than one week.

*Fortunately, it is not an irredeemable failure, as there are options to make up (although the make-up will cost time, money, inconvenience, and possible delay in my path).