Self-esteem is obviously important, and low self-esteem can obviously be a problem. However: 1) It is not the only problem out there; 2) Lying about somebody'

Self-esteem is obviously important, and low self-esteem can obviously be a problem. However: 1) It is not the only problem out there; 2) Lying about somebody's achievements is not a good way to raise their self-esteem, in the same way as maxing out your credit card on indulgent purchases is not a great way to achieve happiness. It works, somewhat — just until it doesn't. 3) A better way to achieve genuine self-esteem is to solve objectively difficult problems, successfully. Tests and exams are not problems; they were meant to give you an objective feedback so you could adjust your priorities accordingly. The straightest way to unlink test results from self-esteem is to give them in private and discourage comparison. 4) Like in sport, self-improvement is what counts in life, not the compared results. You are better that you were a year before, and that's all that matters.