How to pass the CA exams this November - 3 Reasons why students fail and 6 Imp study tips

“I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now, he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.” – Bill Gates

Are you a CA repeater? Perhaps your friend passed the exam in his first attempt and you are writing your exam for the third time and you are feeling dejected. This is absolutely not the time for you to throw in the towel. As you can notice from the above quote by Bill Gates, failure is not final, it's just a point in your journey.

Is CA for me?

This is a question that would have crossed the mind for almost every CA aspirant. If you are a repeater you must be wondering if you should pursue the course or just give up.

The first and foremost thing that you have to analyse is why? What is the primary reason behind the failure?

•  Is it cause of a lack of effort from your part?
• Because you didn't enjoy the subjects at all?

If it is the second, then yes, CA might not be well suited for you. 

Now let’s go through the top 3 reasons why students normally don't clear CA exams easily.

1.  Last minute study - Ask any CA and they will tell you that the portion is vast, the subjects are not that difficult but there is a lot to cover. So if you think you can cram all the portions a week before the exams like you did in your school days, you will be in for a shock. Students have to be consistent. Learn your portions systematically. 
2. Not enough practice - Think about your 10th/12th board exam and the huge pile of tests you would have attempted. Before attempting the final exam, students will be subjected to various class tests, unit exams, quarterly and half yearly exams. Then they will do various mock exams, tests at their tuition centres and practice papers at home. So why would you do it any differently before going for the CA exams? You need to have a flair for writing the exams, know how to solve the questions fast, have a proper presentation technique (write legibly).
3. Lack of understanding of the syllabus - When students learn by themselves they always run the risk of not comprehending the topics well. Lack of getting a proper grasp of the topics can end up causing more harm than good. The key to clearing your exams properly is to learn under a mentor so that the second you feel stuck you can always seek out to them. As they are experienced with the exam format they can perfectly guide you on the topics that are important, help you prioritize and can help you with the skill of writing.

Let’s also go through 6 quick tips that will help you do better this time:

1. Quickly read the syllabus - Having a good clarity on the topics will also help you to better link topics together. Identify the links between topics, the differences, the various steps in each process, make a note of all this. Skim through this note before you start a new topic, this will help you to recollect the previous topics and learn the new topic better.
2. Have a scheduled study format - Set proper deadlines for each day. Pre Decide and stick to your schedule. It is very easy to procrastinate, and in the case of a course like CA, as the topics are so vast you can easily get sidetracked and lose the whole schedule. Try and complete the portions well in advance, start revision at least a month before the final exam.
3. Get conceptual clarity - You cannot clear the exams unless your fundamentals are strong. As mentioned before the portions are very vast, so you need to have at least 75% clarity on all the topics to clear the exams. Try and attend good coaching classes for CA repeaters so that you have a strong base. 
4. Write and study - One of the major mistakes that most students make is that they read and study. When you read the problem and the solutions instead of actually solving them, it will not aid you in any manner and retention will be very low. Write! Write! And Write!
5. Practice exams - ‘Failing to plan is equivalent to planning to fail’. You cannot pass in your first attempt, be it CA or even your 10th boards. You have to get the knack of writing the papers, it has to be presentable and legible. Writing exams regularly will also help you to revise the topics you have previously covered, research studies say that revisiting a topic within the next 2 weeks is crucial to remember the topic. 
6. Have a good support system - Getting demotivated right before the exam is very natural, the fear of exams can overwhelm you. Have a solid support system to back you up. Group studies with your peers can actually help you during the exam time.

End results do matter but don’t focus just on the results, put in your best effort. Join a structured format like the residential programme. Here the major focus will be on the 3 C’s :

Consistency - Students will be subjected to a study format where they will get into the groove of studying.They will be in a conducive learning environment where they will be free from all forms of distractions, so they can learn their scheduled learning lessons as per the set schedule in a more systematic manner.

Continuous Improvement - Monitoring your progress is a crucial part of learning, it will help you to identify your weak points so that you can modify your learning methodology.

Conceptual Clarity - It is impossible to crack the CA exam until and unless you have a fair understanding of the subjects. The residential programme along with giving students an ideal learning environment will help them brush up on their basics. 

Students apart from learning under a mentor will also be provided short notes, tips on how to revise, the areas to focus on, ideas on how to approach each subject and topic, how to write the paper efficiently and make it presentable.

So pull up your socks and get to it! Let's clear the CA exam this Nov