I failed the CA Final Exam. Now what?

“It’s not about passing or failing. It’s about learning and the experience.”

                                                                                    - CA Chinmaya Hegde

Wiser words were never spoken. CA Chinmaya Hegde is a rank holder in all three levels: CA Foundation, CA Intermediate and CA Final. He’s also one of our faculty for the CA Final exam. And has had plenty of experience in teaching students over the years.

And if such an experienced teacher says such a thing, it carries some weight, right?

So, how do you overcome failing in the CA Final Exam?

Note that, even though you’ve failed the CA Final Exam, you have still learned something.

And it’s not the end of the world.

Yes, you’d worked really hard. And yes, you put in 100% of your effort. But for some reason or the other, you didn’t make the cut.

And so, now what should you do?

First, remember, at the end of the day, it’s only an exam. And it’s one of the toughest exams in the country and the world. With strict grading. So, you shouldn’t be all that disheartened, right?

I know this is small consolation. And it’s quite normal to have bad thoughts.

Thoughts like, “I’m never going to pass the CA Final exam.”, “I’m stupid.”, “I’m never going to get a job” are commonplace.

But you shouldn’t drown yourself in your despair.

It’s alright to feel sad.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Take the time to grieve. But don’t let grief overwhelm you.

Go out with your friends. Specifically, non-CA friends. Do things that won’t remind you of anything to with the CA Final.

Watch your favourite movie. Or new movies. I think Uri might be a good watch, right?

But don’t overdo it.

After a while it’s time to come back to reality. Life goes on whether you want it or not.

Give yourself a week or so to get back on track.

Then it’s back to the grind.

You need to analyse what happened. Both about what went right and what went wrong.

Ask yourself questions like these:

Did you score enough in a paper to gain an exemption? Were you unlucky missing the cut-off by a mark or two?

Did you suffer from exam fear?

Or were there some personal issues that prevented you from performing your best? Did you try and do too many things at the same time? Problems with time management? And how many attempts have you gone through?

For each of these questions, write down an answer.

Here’s a sample question and answer jotted down by a hypothetical student:

Then it’s time to draw up an action plan.

You need to know firstly, where you went wrong. For that, it’s best to get certified copies of your answer sheet. Then get your answers analysed by a qualified CA or a rank holder.

Based on their feedback, identify your weak areas.

After identifying your weak areas, begin your study anew. But this time, you have an advantage because you know what topics to concentrate on!

Need help in strengthening up your weak areas? Sign up for our CA Final Video Lectures that cover the entire syllabus. Choose the topics that you are weak on and go from there!

It’s also a good idea to write mock tests to ensure that your study is progressing well!

Finally, try to get some perspective. It’s only an exam after all and not a matter of life or death! And remember, every attempt gives you an opportunity to grow and learn. Also note that people who fall and get up are a lot tougher than those who have never fallen!

Good luck in your next attempt!