The author cites three instances of male students who failed repeatedly in examinations despite adequate ability and preparatory study. He finds that the failures were unconsciously motivated acts. Unconscious aggressive attitudes toward a parent and a need for punishment were found in all cases. In two of them the failures seemed designed to prevent the assumption of adult responsibilities while at the same time they served as a punishment for unacceptable sexual impulses. The author also draws attention to the parallelism between initiation rites and examination procedures.