How to deal with FRM exam failure?

Exam failure, the most common fear a candidate has but what happens after failure? Do you give up? Do you switch to something else? No! We pick ourselves up and move forward to next obstacle. FRM, being one of the toughest exam a candidate takes is no ordinary exam. And such exams have high failure rates. But how does one cope up with this situation and ensure that you bounce back stronger?

1. Sympathetic, But not for long!

It is normal to feel sorry for yourself, but not because of failing. Only because you did not give you best. Cut yourself some slack and pick that one motivating thing that you hold and start working on your next challenge immediately because the earlier you come out of this phase, the better kick start you get. Don’t be disappointed, because you did put your effort.

2. Coming out of the Closet

This is hard, for any individual not just you. The best strategy is to be straight forward without any if’s or buts. Be straight with your approach with your family, friends or colleagues without any shame. They know how difficult it is to pass in the toughest professional examinations. Try to walk it off as a minor speed bump in your life and move forward and prepare for the next one.

3. Understand the Situation

Understand and analyze your results and figure out where did you stand. Were you close to passing the exam or you did OK or you need to work a lot hard. Give some deep thought into this and plan things accordingly. Understand what went wrong in your approach and ask the following questions. Do you need a new study plan? Do you need more practice? Are you well accustomed with the course? Would you like to stick to same plan as before? When you have the solutions to these questions, then your real plan for preparation would begin and believe me, don’t stop until you get there!

4. Give everything you got

Failure is one thing that will teach you the most important lessons, that is, how to endure and come out. And when everything is said and done, start by taking baby steps towards your goal. Pick up your books or notes, follow your routine and start giving your everything in it. Balance your time schedule. Prioritize things according to your needs. Devote more time to study. Practice more and more than you did because FRM is all about how much you have had your practice. Solve as many questions as you can and practice those mock exams. There are some great tricks where there are platforms which promotes brain based learning used in many study programs.

And when the D-day comes again, go with a simple game plan, that is to conquer this exam. Be confident, be motivated and be smart with your approach in the exam. In the end, it will all work out because the difference between you and an average person will be that you did not give up.