Passing the exam

I feel like I'll never pass this exam. I've taken on loads of advice on board and I feel like I know the course inside out. I went to exam counselling and they said that I didn't write enough to pick up enough marks! I've practiced at exam technique and I really felt that I produced enough ponts in each question to pick up lots of marks. I don't know what else I can do to improve and where to go from here.

 

I was going to ask if exam counselling was worth it... I'm guessing not?!

Just wish the exam history was up online so I could see what I failed with

Updated: Got an FA... assuming a pass mark of 50 that means I was less than 2.5 marks from a pass... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

That's actually made me feel even worse

 

Firstly don't panic. I've been there and can share your sentiments - but believe me, that glorious day will arrive. Some tricks that helped me are

1. Don't start again immediately. Get over the anger/frustration etc before you even think of opening the course again. If you want to do it again in October then its fine not to start again til Aug or Sep but don't defer too long and end up cramming.
2. Keep saying its not impossible. I can do this.
3. Look at what you did last session. What support did you use eg did you do assignments, tutorials etc. You need to do something different to last time. For tutorials, if you are close then regular probably isn't the solution but block could be.
4. Don't rely on your last notes. Try to do them afresh otherwise you'll find you are working passively rather than actively.
5. Consider a session off the subject - I never did but some swear by this.
6. You nay have to invest your own money. This alone can be a great incentive.
7. Do read the solution.... there may be a glint of wisdom there as to what people failed on this time and of course be aware of the things you dislike. Try to focus on your less liked topic and try to bring them towards a strength.

Alas there is no magic solution, but I wish you all the best.

 

I have just returned to my studies after a 14 year break! I sat (and passed) CT8 in April, and it was such a lovely feeling. One of the reasons I gave up all those years ago was the frustration of not passing.

Some counter intuitive ideas:
(1) Have some study techniques that do not rely too much on active thought. I am often too tired to study 'hard' (I am a mother with six small children), so it is enough sometimes to just watch the online 'bitesize' tutorials, and think about what they are saying. Or try to write down answers very quickly to flash cards. That way, if you get the answers wrong or can't remember the answers, you follow up with copying the correct answer down. If you do a lot of "mindless" study, after a while the "thinking" study becomes easy.
(2) Tell your family/friends about what you are studying. If you try to explain it to them, and better still try to make it sound interesting, you will stay more motivated, and will form better answers.
(3) In the dark night, tell yourself how much you want to pass, and keep going. Another one or two years makes no difference in the long run.

Good Luck!