Learn Hardcore Japanese: siken no kekka ha mada kite imasen. - The exam results haven’t arrived yet.

の here marks a genitive/possessive relationship—“result of the exam.” It turns 試験 (“exam”) into a modifier for 結果 (“result”). Although 試験結果 can appear in compound technical terms, using 試験の結果 is more natural in everyday speech.

Why is は used after 結果? Could we use が instead?

は is the topic marker, highlighting 試験の結果 as what we’re talking about (“As for the exam results…”). If you use が, you’d simply mark 結果 as the subject, focusing on its existence or arrival without the same contrastive or topical nuance. 結果がまだ来ていません is grammatical but sounds more like you’re just stating a fact, whereas 結果はまだ来ていません can imply “compared to expectations or something else, the results aren’t here yet.”

What does まだ do in this sentence, and why is it placed before 来ていません?

まだ means “still” or “not yet” when used with negatives. It indicates that the action (results arriving) hasn’t happened up to now but is expected. In Japanese, まだ typically precedes the verb (or auxiliary) in a negative clause: まだ来ていません = “haven’t come yet.”

Why is the verb 来る (“to come”) used for exam results? Aren’t only people supposed to come?

In Japanese, 来る is often used for things that “arrive” in your possession or inbox—letters, emails, parcels, or, as here, test results. Think of it like “the results have come in.” It’s an idiomatic use rather than a literal sending of a person.

Why is the form 来ていません used instead of 来ません or 来なかった?

来ていません is the negative present continuous (progressive) form of 来る. It expresses a current ongoing state: “(They) have not yet arrived.”

来ません (simple present negative) can mean “won’t come” or “don’t come,” which is less clear about an expected arrival that simply hasn’t happened yet.
来なかった is past negative (“didn’t come”), implying the opportunity has passed.

Is 来ていません polite or casual? How would you say it in informal speech?

来ていません is polite since it uses the ～ていません form. In casual speech you’d drop the ます style: 来ていない or even contracted 来てない. So informally you might say, 試験の結果はまだ来てない。

Could we use a different verb such as 届く or 出る instead of 来る for “results”? What’s the nuance?

届く emphasizes physical or digital delivery reaching you: 結果はまだ届いていません (“The results haven’t been delivered/reached me yet”).
出る focuses on the release or publication of results: 結果はまだ出ていません (“The results haven’t been released/come out yet”).
Each choice shifts the nuance slightly—来る stresses your perspective of awaiting something’s arrival.