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Thoughts on failure

C

cs284

Member
Hi all,

My thoughts are a bit of a jumble of tips and observations -- but anyway, here they are:
  1. The exams are difficult, there's no two ways about that. You need to be dedicated for a long time, typically 4-5 years at my company.
  2. I only know a handful of people who passed every exam first time. So be prepared for the odd failure on your route to qualification.
  3. Don't overthink failure, sometimes you just get a paper that doesn't suit you. Often the pass rate is around 40%. Sometimes I look around the exam room and think to myself how crazy it is that 60% of us won't pass, but that's the standard. Pick yourself up and try again.

  4. Know the core reading inside out.
  5. Do lots of past papers. In the earlier exams this is one of the best ways to really learn the techniques. In the later exams it's so important to understand how to answer questions. It's like a driving test, it's not enough to show you can drive -- you have to drive a specific way to pass.

  6. Honestly, points 4 and 5 are so important. I've come out of exams thinking I've definitely failed but in the cases where I can honestly say I committed to those points I've still ended up passing.
  7. Sometimes the pass rate will be lower than 40%. If you failed, it can feel unfair and there might be a lot of noise about it on this forum but honestly, the best way to get over it is to pass next sitting. Focus on what you can influence.
  8. I only know a few people who've been 'stuck' on a particular exam. It's not a 'lottery' as some people say. If you are getting 75% in your past papers, it's highly unlikely you'll be thrown by an unusual paper. It can happen though.
  9. From discussions with those people they nearly always agree they passed once they decided to stop waiting for a paper that suited them and instead knuckled down and went back to points 4 and 5.
The exams are hard, but they are achievable. You might experience failure, perhaps for the first time in your life, but if you use that failure as motivation and focus on the things you can do to improve, you'll pass next time.

All the best
 
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