Third Timers

[Cynic]

Any third timers out there? How do you handle it the third time around? God, I've never felt so humiliated in my life! The worst part is, I have no time for any feelings, I must stick my head into that crap again asap. It sucks! It really sucks!

[Brutè]

I will be taking course 2 for the third time in May. There are two people in my office that will be taking it for the 4th or 5th (however many times it has been offered)

Anyway, for me, I;m starting my studying anew tomorrow. It sucks but I think I can pass this next time. WHat course are you taking?

[Han Solo]

Not something I'm proud of, but I finally passed the old Course 150 on my 4th try. The hardest thing was having to look at the material and not just gloss over it thinking I've seen it 3 times before. I had to convince myself that no, I really didn't know it all that well.

Keep your fingers crossed that I won't be headed for a third bout with 5 after Friday.

[E. Blackadder]

You're in good company. Let's set aside questions of ability (which can't be overcome, and are unlikely. Really.) and life events (which must be weathered, possibly to the detriment of exam progress.

You may be having some kind of mental block with learning part or all of the material.

It can get easy to focus on the material one knows well. This feels good right up until the grade comes.

I recommend for myself an attitude that I will learn all of the material. The dull stuff, the useless material, these must become your best friends...

Lunchtime? Bah! Sleep? Fuggeddaboudit! Hot dates? Only if study progress is acceptable. Or if the date is really hot.

_________________
The Tao that can be defined is not the Tao.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: E. Blackadder on 2002-01-06 14:17 ]</font>

[jets fan]

I failed the old part 4B 4 times before I passed it. One of those times, I answered a 3 point question, then I had second thoughts and erased my answer to leave the question blank. I later learned that I did originally have the right answer - I got a 5. 3 more points would probably have put me over the edge! Nice!

[Anonymous]

On 2002-01-05 23:42, l'Hopital wrote:
I will be taking course 2 for the third time in May. There are two people in my office that will be taking it for the 4th or 5th (however many times it has been offered)


Thanks for making me feel better. I'll be taking 2 again for the 4th time. Argh!

[Anonymous]

This will be my fourth attempt at Course 4 after three fives. I'm starting to question whether I should continue taking exams or possibly look into another career - any opinions?

[Maine-iac]

Depends on the answers to two questions.

1) Were the prior exams you have taken this difficult for you?
2) Aside from the exams, do you enjoy the work?

I hit the wall on the life contingency exam (different numbers - I was taking it during a transition period) Flunked it 3 or 4 times depending on how you did the transition count. Considered quitting but I liked the job. Once I FINALLY passed it, I never had that kind of trouble with another exam, passing the others on the first or second try. All those attempts certainly improved my study habits as well, as I became more desperate.

If its just this exam, and you are otherwise happy, keep plugging! If they are all this difficult for you , and you don't like insurance all that much anyway, maybe it is time to look at your options.

Just an opinion.

[Shrek]

Only the third time? Cripes, I've seen so much of certain material that I'm more acquainted with it than the wife and kids. But seriously, after a particularly nasty 5, I decided that I wasn't going to beat myself up with exams anymore. I've been blessed to be in situations where it wasn't pass or parish. Yeah they've sucked a lot of cash in the form of exam fees out of me, but I at least have my sanity. When faced with the reality of these exams, and the low pass ratios, it really isn't worth beating yourself up over.

[mikey]

My advice to 4x4. If you have 1-3, keep trying a couple more times. Who knows what could happen once you get to 5 & 6 which are a totally different format. You might get both on the first try.

[Anonymous]

Third time sucks, and 4th is even worse.

You can't really expect to whip thru these things one right after the other. It takes a rare breed to do that.

Maybe your study pattern isn't working for you...time of day, place, quiet/music, notecards/outlines, whatever.

Most everyone has that one exam that kicks them in the butt. Mine is CAS Part 9, apparently. I've taken quite a few others 3 times.

[moj]

I got killed by SOA 120 (CAS 3a). There was no reason for this, but something just didn't click. I actually don't remember how many times I took this exam, but I know that I got atleast two 5's, a 4, and a 2. Then, I went to a seminar that made it all clear. I am convinced that I got all 20 questions right on my next attempt. Thankfully, getting this exam in 1999 helped me get 4 exams under the transition (CAS), and I have been perfect after that (4 for 4).

It's funny to think that it took me atleast 5 attempts to get 3a, but then I got 5, 6, 7US, and 9 on a total of 4 attempts. Talk about your comebacks............

moj

[Anonymous]

no need to rub it in, moj!

[moj]

:smile:

[Minerva]

Take heart - I did a couple on the third try. A couple of little mind tricks I tried to play on myself were to try to act like it was a second attempt and/or to change the schedule (start the review/memory process earlier). I also usualy started with the subject(s) I felt were my weakest and tried to master them completely.

And elmo has some good points. Examine your pattern.

Good luck!

[Effa]

There's a quote out there, can't remember who said it... something like "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten". I think if you're looking at attempt #3 and your 1st two attempts were solid efforts, it's time to examine your approach to studying. I mean this only in a constructive manner - you (Cynic) said something about not having time for feelings because you had to get right back at the books. That's the part I don't get - a third attempt should be far less time consuming since you already know the material.

[Franchise]

Had more than my share of multiple attempts, partially my own doing though. I agree with Effa. A third sitting should require much less preparation time and a lot more review time. The "learning" cycle should essentially be done. It's the "memorizing" cycle you need to hit harder on a third sitting.

[Anonymous]

well, I too am up to try number 4 for course 3. I actually did worse this sitting than last. Please tell me how that is possible - I studied more, plus what I already knew and did worse?? Crazy!

I agree that my study pattern isn't working for me but I don't know what else to do - I seem to always end up doing it the same way and yes, similar patterns lead to similar (OR WORSE) results! Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

On 2002-01-08 09:33, Maine-iac wrote:
Depends on the answers to two questions.

1) Were the prior exams you have taken this difficult for you?
2) Aside from the exams, do you enjoy the work?

I hit the wall on the life contingency exam (different numbers - I was taking it during a transition period) Flunked it 3 or 4 times depending on how you did the transition count. Considered quitting but I liked the job. Once I FINALLY passed it, I never had that kind of trouble with another exam, passing the others on the first or second try. All those attempts certainly improved my study habits as well, as I became more desperate.

If its just this exam, and you are otherwise happy, keep plugging! If they are all this difficult for you , and you don't like insurance all that much anyway, maybe it is time to look at your options.

Just an opinion.


Thanks for the opinion. I passed the first three exams each on the first try and do like the job. I'm planning to sit for course 4 again, but don't know if I can handle it a fifth time should I fail again!!! I'm going to take some advice from this forum and start with my weakest points -I've been through Mahler's problems so many times I could recite the solutions to most of them! I'm also going with ASM this time (in addition to Mahler's problems) and totally skipping Pai. We'll see if it works!

[Griffin 1]

On 2002-01-10 07:22, me123 wrote:
Any suggestions?

Are you still using your old notes? If so, dump them, and start over.

That goes for study guides, too. If you have marked or highlighted in them, get new ones.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Griffin on 2002-01-10 08:01 ]</font>

[Minerva]

Along the same lines of "starting new" - your idea of getting new / different study guides is good, not just for different approaches to the material, but for new and different questions to answer.

I'm not familiar with what's out there in terms of sample tests / questions for C4, but answering questions from different angles and written by a bunch of different people is a good way not only to test yourself and learn the material, but also to handle a variety of exam questions.

Again - Hang in there - GOOD LUCK!

[Anonymous]

thanks guys

Well hopefully this time will work then since I have purchased a couple new manuals and am making new notes. Each time I redo all of the questions but maybe a new manual will do the trick. I have been using the same material all along but I always made new notes.

Maybe I need to review more, say do some questions and the next study session, review the last ones I did?

Very frustrating and I am getting discouraged. Hopefully there is a saying that if three times is not a charm then four is! :smile:

[Me]

On 2002-01-10 07:39, 4x4 wrote:
Thanks for the opinion. I passed the first three exams each on the first try and do like the job. I'm planning to sit for course 4 again, but don't know if I can handle it a fifth time should I fail again!!! I'm going to take some advice from this forum and start with my weakest points -I've been through Mahler's problems so many times I could recite the solutions to most of them! I'm also going with ASM this time (in addition to Mahler's problems) and totally skipping Pai. We'll see if it works!


Two things. 1) Have you tried a seminar? Is it a possibility for you? Sometimes having someone else explain it can make stuff click that wouldn't before. 2) If you fail it again, you could try coming back to it. While it's recommended that you take the exams in order, I don't think it's required. (You certainly are at least familiar with the material for 4). Try 5 or 6 (whichever is up the sitting you decide to do it). Maybe coming back to 4 after you have one or both of those will turn things around.

[WQN]

For some of the sittings Gordon Klein, author of HTP, offered solutions to past exams. It was interesting to see how he approached some problems differently than the solutions from the SOA. I believe he posted solutions for Exams 3 and 4.

[Anonymous]

I took the old 161, so many times, I lost count. I think I got either 4 or 5 5's. I knew I knew the material, but I had a mental block on passing it. On my last sitting, I studied the same I had, the only difference was my mentality. I told myself that I knew the material and there are only a finite number of different types of questions they can ask. I knew I just had to figure out what they wanted. I ended up passing that time with an 8 with no more studying than I had done the other times. My advice is, if you think you are preparing adequately, step back and try to shake the mental part. Good luck to all of you!

[MountainHawk]

While not the horror stories some of you have, I did fail part 2 twice, each time by what I am convinced was only 1 question.

I then failed 4A twice, passed it the third time, but failed 3A in the last sitting, so I got to take the 4A material a fourth time. That was fun, too.