My latest email comes from a candidate worried about their upcoming examination and it is a common concern shared by many candidates.
Candidate email:That last PC was rough! Thankfully, I did better than I thought - but did panic when I opened it. What should I do if I panic at the exam centre??!!
My response: Thanks for reaching out! I suggest that to combat the potential for panic at the exam centre, you plan, practice, and (mentally) prepare. Allow me to elaborate.
Plan your case
Consider having a routine to set up your case. This means developing a set way to record your case, outlining it, identifying the key elements on your outline (e.g., user, role, “requireds”, key exhibits, time allocation, and ranking). Then, once you have a plan, you can start writing.
Practice in exam-like conditions
“Practice like you play” is a sports analogy used to communicate the importance of making gym sessions (the practice) the same intensity as the game you are training for (the play). In the following discussion, I will emphasize the importance of writing cases in exam-like conditions (e.g. a quiet room, within the time limit and only using the same resources provided on exam day) by offering counter-arguments to common objections I’ve heard from candidates over the years.
This excerpt is from a blog post dedicated to this topic: Practice Like You Play: The Importance of Writing in Exam-Like Conditions, and is exactly the same advice I give for candidates to utilize their weekly practice cases for exam preparation.
Prepare your headspace
By taking the above steps, you are training your brain by planning your case using the same tactics each time and then practicing these tactics in exam-like conditions. That way, when you come to the exam room, you effectively tell your brain "Don't worry, we've got this. We are just writing another case. We have been here before."Candidate response: Sounds good! I will keep these in mind. Thank you!!
These steps are transferable
Last Saturday, our hot yoga teacher reminded us that practice makes progress. On the mat and off, I must agree. I do not “just” teach this; I live it. Here is a link to my television media interview.To improve, I used the above tips and discussion here, and applied them to my scenario to prepare for my next on-camera appearance. Like we advise at CPAWSB, I focused on making small, incremental improvements. Then I gave myself kindness, knowing I was doing my best, which looks different every day. Here is a link to an interview I gave several months after my first. Not perfect, but perhaps improved.
Practice makes progress.
Closing thoughts
Relating back to managing exam room panic, here is my final tip: If, after all of your prep, you freeze, just do something.Your something is better than someone's nothing. If it is a difficult case, there is a chance the standards for what a C/RC will drop as CPA Canada does not fail everyone.
So, if it is a hard exam, tell yourself, "Good - more ‘easy’ marks up for grabs." For an intense reminder of this point, I like to watch this short video, from retired Navy SEAL and leadership coach Jocko Willink entitled Good.
And what if we are nervous when doing something we want to do well at?
Good. This means we care.
Do you have feedback on this post or a question you’d like answered by an experienced CPAWSB educator? Please contact your facilitator or send a question to the General Topic in the Candidate Discussion forum.
Samantha Taylor, PME, CPA, CA
Samantha Taylor, PME, CPA, CA, is an educator and lead policy advisor for CPAWSB and a Senior Instructor of accounting at Dalhousie University. She is on a mission to understand and enable learner efficacy while eliminating doldrums occasionally associated with accounting education. Read more of Sam’s posts at the CPAWSB blog.
