If you’re a student, particularly an accounting student, you’re probably no stranger to experiencing failure. Fortunately, there’s usually enough time to identify what went wrong and adjust your actions and habits to correct the cause of failure. However, in some cases, the reasons for failing can be serious, indicating a lack of understanding of the core concepts. This can leave students fighting to salvage the academic year.
If you find yourself in this situation—failing throughout the year and overwhelmed with anxiety about whether you can turn things around—this article is for you.
1. Failure is Feedback
The first thing you need to know is that failure is feedback. It indicates that something isn’t working, and you need to study that feedback.
Have you done a “post-mortem” on your past exams and test results to understand the “cause of death” or failure? In this case, the ‘death’ refers to the reasons behind your poor performance. If you haven’t done this yet, it’s a good place to start. Many students skip this step and dive straight back into the content, thinking that simply restudying will fix the problem. However, this can waste precious time if you don’t have a clear direction.
2. Correct Your Mistakes
Once you’ve identified where things went wrong, it’s time to fix them! This might involve focusing on practice questions in your problem areas or revisiting foundational concepts in the topics where you’re struggling. After doing practice questions and reviewing the basics, set aside time to consult with a tutor, lecturer, or study buddy. This will help confirm your understanding or clarify any confusion.
Seeking guidance is crucial—if you stop before this step, you may continue seeing poor results.
3. Apply What You’ve Learned
Understanding a tutor’s explanation or your lecturer’s re-explanation is one thing, but it’s essential to confirm this understanding. Do more practice questions around your problem areas to ensure you can apply what you’ve learned. Don’t wait until an exam or test to figure out whether you truly grasped the concept. Consistent practice is key, especially with topics that make you feel uncomfortable or uncertain. Avoiding difficult topics will only delay progress.
4. Summarize Key Concepts
Once you’ve gained clarity on a topic you struggled with, write it down in a way you understand. Months later, when revisiting the topic, you might feel those same uncomfortable feelings. Having a well-written summary or an illustration will help you reconnect with the clarity you achieved. Make sure your summary has enough detail to remind you of how you overcame your initial confusion.
5. Stay Positive
As daunting as it may seem to have to pass a major exam to pass the year, try not to dwell on it. Thinking about it too much can stress you out and become counterproductive. Instead, focus on the steps above and work on correcting your mistakes. Stress and anxiety can drain the energy you need for studying. Stay positive and stay calm.
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PS: It’s not over until it’s over.
