Level 4 exam success – or failure – is a big topic of conversation on LinkedIn among those at the start of their careers in advice.
Many people proudly display images of their exam certificates within posts that recall the blood, sweat and tears involved in obtaining those passes.
Some posts are particularly triumphant because success only came after one or two failed previous attempts. The message conveyed is inspirational – ‘FAIL is a First Attempt at Learning’ or ‘failing is not trying again’.
Accepting we are fallible and forgiving ourselves for not performing perfectly is a better approach for mental health
But dusting yourself down after failure and having another go does not always come easily. Candidates need to be mentally prepared to resit an exam and will want to avoid making the same mistakes again. So, what should they do to boost their chances of a successful resit?
Frame of mind
It may be tempting to beat yourself up for failing an exam and dwell on the could haves, should haves and would haves but this kind of negative thinking is unhelpful.
Writing for the British Psychological Society’s website, BPS Research Direct staff writer Emma Young points out that when dealing with failure it is important to be kind to yourself.
Referencing the work of Kristin Neff – a professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas – Young says those who show self-compassion after exam failure ‘go on to study harder for future exams’.
Reflect on the causes of these errors. Were they due to a knowledge gap or time management?
Accepting that we are fallible and forgiving ourselves for not performing perfectly in an exam situation is a better approach for mental health.
Wasim Mehmood, wealth planner at Kingswood Group, agrees it is important not to be hard on yourself.
“Whether you’ve passed or not, you have likely put the hard graft in to cover the syllabus and chunky textbook,” he says. “The days building up to the exam and the exam itself can often be intensive and you’ll likely be well overdue a break, so take some time off. You’re going to have the best chance of learning effectively with a fresh and well rested mind.”
Having a balanced study timetable is also important in terms of maintaining health and performing well in the exam.
Allocate time for studying, rest and personal interests to foster personal development and holistic wellbeing
“Studies show taking breaks during study can improve focus and productivity,” says Sam Kunda, co-founder and managing partner of business consultancy Change Frontier. “Allocate time for studying, rest and personal interests to foster personal development and holistic wellbeing.”
Practical steps
Preparing for a resit is not only about being in the right frame of mind and taking care of yourself – it also involves practical steps, such as refining revision strategies.
Kunda suggests adopting the “3R” methodology – review, reflect and revise. This starts with reviewing your results to see where you lost marks.
Exam boards such as the Chartered Insurance Institute do not give exam papers back but candidates can see how many marks they got for each learning objective and build a picture of where they lost marks that way.
“Reflect on the causes of these errors. Were they due to a knowledge gap or time management?” says Kunda. “Then revise the areas that need improvement. Studies show that repetition and exposure to the same information improve long-term memory retention.”
Kunda also suggests joining study groups, as research by the University of British Columbia showed people who studied in groups performed better in exams.
People who fail written exam papers often debate whether it is worth paying to get them remarked rather than booking a resit
Many commentators say doing plenty of practice papers makes a big difference between passing and failing professional exams but even this is not a panacea.
“It’s easy to get into the habit of doing multiple practice papers and going over the ones you got wrong, but after a while you may find you’ve learnt them by memory and you’re not really learning anything,” says Mehmood.
Instead, he suggests looking at the learning objectives set down in the syllabus and revisiting those sections in the textbooks, e-learning and knowledge checkers.
Remarking and feedback
People who fail written exam papers often debate whether it is worth paying to get them remarked rather than booking a resit.
“This might be worthwhile if you were within a mark or two of a pass and it can be especially helpful because you will get feedback from the examiner on where you lost marks, as well as areas you missed,” says Mehmood.
Even if the remark still results in a fail, the feedback you are given can create the basis of revision for the resit.
“Also be aware of how you learn best, whether that’s with textbooks, audiobooks or e-learning – there’s many ways to learn the content,” says Mehmood.
“Some can simply read a textbook and absorb, but we’re all different and recognising the process that works best for you will help you learn more effectively and efficiently.”
