Hi everyone. Two days ago I started this 4 part series which revolves around dealing with your test 1 results in the most effective manner possible. The feedback which I have received thus far is overwhelmingly positive and I am glad to see so many people starting the year off in such a positive frame of mind!
Today we will focus on those people who fall into category 2: those who expected to pass but did not. If any of you find yourselves in this position at the moment, or find yourselves in this position later on during the year, I really hope that this blog post will help you get back onto the right track and back into the right frame of mind.
This is perhaps one of the most problematic scenarios to be in because of the huge amount of "negative" emotions which you may be feeling such as:
- disappointment
- frustration
- anxiety
- lack of motivation
- lack of confidence
- a loss of self-belief
- self-doubt
- anger
- questioning everything about yourself and this course (like whether this is for you or whether you can do it)
The feelings are even worse when someone else that you know who expected to fail ends up passing! So how do you bounce back from this and get back into the groove of studying and passing?
1. Be honest with yourself
As much as it is good to have faith in yourself, make sure that you aren't overestimating your understanding about certain topics and convincing yourself that you know your work at the level which you are required to know your work when you really don't. Until you get your test paper back and really work through it to see where you went wrong, ask yourself whether you really made the best effort which you could have made for the module or not. And if you haven't, was it very realistic to expect that you would simply pass? Understand that you might not have known your work as well as you should have.
2. Understand that it is just a set-back, not a loss
I'm a cricket fan and very often when the batting side lose an early wicket, the way they respond makes the ultimate difference in determining whether they get bowled out for a paltry below-par score, or whether they end up posting a decent total despite the early wicket. Bringing that sort of thinking into the academic environment, understand that failing that first test, even if you thought that it was easy, is part of the learning curve. I do not think that there has been a single CTA student in history (including myself) who hasn't experienced a set-back of some sort. There will be those tests which you expect to pass but which you don't for some reason. That's normal. Like I said, it's part of the learning curve. What is important is that you don't go into panic mode and let your one disappointment pollute your potential for future success.
3. Don't doubt yourself
I know, this is easier said than done. You expected to pass but then you didn't. For some reason, you failed. Some reason. A reason which might be academic or which might not be academic at all. For example, you may have simply misread the question and therefore not have answered the required. Your academic knowledge wasn't the issue here. So why doubt what you know?
4. Learn the difference between knowing your work and understanding your work
One of the things I hear many people who do CTA for the first time say is "It's the same work like undergrad" or "The test wasn't so difficult" and so on. And while the above is not entirely untrue, a lot of people who have done well in undergrad in particular fail to give CTA the respect which it deserves, and to an extent, a lot of repeat students have the same attitude as well. CTA involves application of what you know, and in order to do that you need to not only KNOW your work but UNDERSTAND the work.
Useful links (Link will open in a new window)
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Loans unlimited
Today we will focus on those people who fall into category 2: those who expected to pass but did not. If any of you find yourselves in this position at the moment, or find yourselves in this position later on during the year, I really hope that this blog post will help you get back onto the right track and back into the right frame of mind.
This is perhaps one of the most problematic scenarios to be in because of the huge amount of "negative" emotions which you may be feeling such as:
- disappointment
- frustration
- anxiety
- lack of motivation
- lack of confidence
- a loss of self-belief
- self-doubt
- anger
- questioning everything about yourself and this course (like whether this is for you or whether you can do it)
The feelings are even worse when someone else that you know who expected to fail ends up passing! So how do you bounce back from this and get back into the groove of studying and passing?
1. Be honest with yourself
As much as it is good to have faith in yourself, make sure that you aren't overestimating your understanding about certain topics and convincing yourself that you know your work at the level which you are required to know your work when you really don't. Until you get your test paper back and really work through it to see where you went wrong, ask yourself whether you really made the best effort which you could have made for the module or not. And if you haven't, was it very realistic to expect that you would simply pass? Understand that you might not have known your work as well as you should have.
2. Understand that it is just a set-back, not a loss
I'm a cricket fan and very often when the batting side lose an early wicket, the way they respond makes the ultimate difference in determining whether they get bowled out for a paltry below-par score, or whether they end up posting a decent total despite the early wicket. Bringing that sort of thinking into the academic environment, understand that failing that first test, even if you thought that it was easy, is part of the learning curve. I do not think that there has been a single CTA student in history (including myself) who hasn't experienced a set-back of some sort. There will be those tests which you expect to pass but which you don't for some reason. That's normal. Like I said, it's part of the learning curve. What is important is that you don't go into panic mode and let your one disappointment pollute your potential for future success.
3. Don't doubt yourself
I know, this is easier said than done. You expected to pass but then you didn't. For some reason, you failed. Some reason. A reason which might be academic or which might not be academic at all. For example, you may have simply misread the question and therefore not have answered the required. Your academic knowledge wasn't the issue here. So why doubt what you know?
4. Learn the difference between knowing your work and understanding your work
One of the things I hear many people who do CTA for the first time say is "It's the same work like undergrad" or "The test wasn't so difficult" and so on. And while the above is not entirely untrue, a lot of people who have done well in undergrad in particular fail to give CTA the respect which it deserves, and to an extent, a lot of repeat students have the same attitude as well. CTA involves application of what you know, and in order to do that you need to not only KNOW your work but UNDERSTAND the work.
Useful links (Link will open in a new window)
iHound Car insurance
Loans unlimited
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