The accounting industry is highly competitive, and every student has excellent professional qualifications and work experience nowadays. Therefore, certifications in accounting are crucial to set yourself apart in the industry. That is why many accounting students often prepare to pass certification exams right after graduating with their bachelor’s degree. It is also because accounting certifications increase their marketability, provide more job opportunities, and increase their salary.
There are several accounting certifications like ACCA, CPA, CFA, CGMA, and more that you can opt for based on your interest. Each accounting certification has a different exam pattern, entrance requirements, exam timeline, total expense, and career outcomes. Therefore, considering all these factors is crucial before preparing for an exam.
However, passing accounting certification exams is challenging. Only half of the candidates who take the exam pass, and a significant number of students fail every year. Failure (after investing so much time, effort, and resources) can be heartbreaking and demotivating for students.
However, seeing failure as a learning experience and trying again can help you succeed. Many students don’t pass the certification in one go, but they succeed with flying colors on a second try. In this article, we are going to discuss some ways to ace your accounting certification if you’ve failed in the past.
1. Invest in a Study Plan
Accountants preparing for any accounting certification are encouraged to invest in a certification review course or study plan. There are several reputable course reviews available at a reasonable price.
These courses provide comprehensive guides about all matters, from “how to apply” to “how to study” for the certification. For example, the Wiley CMA test bank can help ace the CMA exam by providing results-driven CMA study material.
Sometimes you may fail even after investing in a study plan, and there can be many reasons for it. However, one of the reasons can be that you chose a study plan that didn’t align with your learning style. Therefore, invest in another well-reputed course that helps you learn the best and prepares you better for the certification exams.
2. Maintain a Positive Mindset
Failing the exams only once can severely demotivate students and lead them to develop a negative thinking pattern that fixates on the fact that they didn’t make it, so they start believing that they’ll never make it. Moreover, they may also feel helpless and frustrated and may not want to try again.
However, preparing for the exams again in an effective way can increase their chances of success. Maintaining a positive mindset and believing that you can do it can help you ace your accounting exam. Some ways to develop and maintain a positive mindset include;
- Accept your failure, but don’t let it define you
- Know that you’re not the only one
- Don’t take criticism seriously
- Say positive affirmations like “I can do it” every day
- Visualize succeeding in your exam
Overall, maintaining a positive mindset will help you throughout your career and life.
3. Stay Resilient
Failing an exam after giving your 100% can leave you distraught. However, it is crucial to stay resilient in the face of failure. You should identify your previous mistakes, avoid them next time, and bounce back. Developing and maintaining a resilient attitude can help you study for the exam and ace it. Some ways to stay resilient when preparing for your certification exams include;
- Don’t doubt your abilities and study with a firm belief that you will pass.
- Avoid perfectionism and don’t put pressure on yourself to learn every minor detail instead of focusing on the main concepts.
- Reflect on your past success instead of fixating on just one failure to motivate yourself.
- Reach out to people who have been in your situation. They can mentor you.
- Don’t overwhelm yourself with studying all the time. Develop a steady and healthy study routine.
- Like a positive mindset, resilience can also help you in other aspects of your life.
4. Follow a Strict Study Routine
Passing an exam will require consistent study efforts from you. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a workable study schedule and stick to it. Many students may study a lot in one day and then take a break for a few days. It is not an effective learning strategy and doesn’t help retain information.
Instead, it is recommended to assign an hour specifically to study for each day. It will help you learn something every day, and you will be able to retain more information this way. It will also help you to cover the entire course systematically. Overall, following a routine will increase your chances of succeeding in the exam.
5. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Studying is essential for passing the exam. However, other factors can affect your exam performance, like mental and physical health. Therefore, it is crucial to look after your health while preparing for the exams. Some ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle while preparing for the exam include;
Prioritize your health and set a specific time for studying, exercising, and eating meals. Eating healthy and nutritious meals will keep you in good physical health and help you learn more.
Maintain a healthy social life to stay mentally healthy. Talking with like-minded people and learning from mentors will keep you motivated and give you the confidence to do better.
Don’t ignore your sleep. Make sure that you get good quality sleep throughout exam preparation to wake up fresh and learn better. Moreover, do not stay up late a night before the exam for some last-minute cramming. A night of restful sleep will ensure that you ace your exam the next day.
The Bottom Line
Accounting certifications are sought-after in the accounting industry. Therefore, many students pursue them to boost their resumes. However, passing these certification exams is not easy, and many students fail each year.
Luckily, you can try again to become a certified professional. Students can feel discouraged to try again after failing one time. However, by following the ways discussed in this article, they can ace their accounting certification even if they failed in the past.
Some of the ways are to invest in a reputable course review, strictly follow a well-structured study schedule, and take care of your mental and physical health by maintaining a positive mindset, staying resilient, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, this article will help you understand how to ace your accounting certification if you’ve failed in the past.
