Dear Student Friends,
Few students are lucky to clear the CA examinations in the very first attempt. However the statistics shows that majority students take more than one attempt to clear the exams.
Those who fail but are sincere at their work, ask me a common question i.e. "Why they have failed" and 'What to do to get success in the next attempt".
The reasons for failure could be many. I would list down some of the reasons for failure to do self analysis and would like to suggest the possible solutions as well. I hope it might be useful to you.
Reason No. 1 :
Lack of writing practice.
Solution :
Please appear for mock test papers before the actual exam. Either join paid test series of ICAI or Private Classes or download the past exam papers and suggested answers of ICAI and do it at home. But it is a must to know where we are and in which area the improvement is required. The trials and errors should be done before the actual exam and not in the exam itself. Appear for theory papers also, whether you like it or not.
Reason No. 2 :
Lack of written communication in English.
Solution :
The students who have studied in local language, generally lack in English. You may join the English speaking classes, read English newspapers and books. Have a good dictionary from English to your local language. Try to communicate in English with other friends. After becoming CA also, you will need it. Hence work on it right now.
Reason No. 3 :
Lack of Analytical Skills.
Solution :
Analytical skill means the ability to read, understand and interpret the question, forming a cause and effect relationship, logical reasoning and thinking etc. To some extent, it is connected with mathematical skills also. This is the biggest problem faced by many students.
You need to develop the logical thinking habit and should be able to interpret the given situation. It requires practice and hard work. It needs to be developed and cannot be gifted by someone to you.
It is a brain work and can be improved over a period of time. You may consult the related experts in this field.
Our present education system has to be blamed for this, to some extent. If you are told only to remember and write, then you cannot develop the habit of independent thinking. One must develop this habit of forming an independent opinion about a given situation.
For example - subjects like Cost Management and Financial Management require more of analytical skills. Subjects like Direct Tax, Indirect Tax, Audit, Laws etc. require more of memory skills. However, if you go deeper, you will find logic everywhere.
Reason No. 4 :
Writing speed.
Solution :
In today's world, we are fast loosing the habit of writing. Our fingers work faster on Smart Phones or Laptops. But the moment, you hold a pen in your fingers and try to write on a piece of paper, the speed goes down drastically.
One should develop the practice of writing by taking down dictations from teachers and preparing notes in the classroom while learning. I have come across with the students, who just watch the video lectures of a faculty (like a movie) and are reluctant to write down anything in the notebook. These students will have to wait till the time ICAI introduces fully computerized examination system.
Reason No. 5 :
Solution :
Very rarely, we have noticed that the handwriting of a student is such that the faculty is unable to understand it. It means, your handwriting should be legible and understandable.
You may write a paragraph in running writing and give it to your friend to read. If your friend understands what you have written, then your handwriting is legible. Else, you need to improve using the techniques adopted in early days of schooling.
Reason No. 6 :
Lack of Sincerity, Regularity and Dedication.
Solution :
Generally, majority of the CA students are sincere, regular and dedicated. However, few pampered children lack these qualities.
If everything is easily available in life, then one looses the motivation to work hard. However, CA course requires lot of hard work, regularity and dedicated efforts. Either develop this or leave the course.
If you are super rich or belonging to business family and if you feel that doing CA is a big challenge, then it is better to hire a CA instead of doing CA. You may concentrate more on developing successful businesses and become a job provider.
Reason No. 7 :
There is no inner urge to do CA.
Solution :
Sometimes, people join CA course because their parents told them to do so or their friends are doing it or it is a cheaper course or there is nothing else to do in life etc.etc.
If there is an inner urge to do CA, then only you will succeed. First of all, you should believe in yourself and your own ability, that you can do CA.
When it comes from inside, then you will be ready to face any difficulty, but you will become CA. However, if someone has forced you to join CA, then it becomes difficult to pass.
It is a mental game. "If you think, you can become CA, you are right". "If you think, you cannot become CA, you are still right". It means, you should have that inner urge and passion to do CA.
Reason No. 8 :
Doing multiple things with CA course.
Solution :
Some students try to pursue multiple courses along with CA course. Like, CS, CWA, MBA etc. If you are exceptionally brilliant and can handle it together, then there is no problem.
However, if we try to do multiple things together, we lose the focus of CA course and our time / attention gets diverted. I personally feel, if we concentrate fully on CA, then it is achievable with reasonable efforts.
Reason No. 9 :
Dummy Articleship.
Solution :
Some students are fortunate to get dummy articleship from their friends or relatives. It may be useful sometimes, that you will get additional time for your studies.
However, our course is designed in such a manner that Theory + Practical should go hand in hand. It will complement each other. During genuine articleship training, you learn a lot which is useful for your studies and during your studies, you will get lot of inputs for articleship. Thus, both are dependent and complementary to each other.
Articleship training teaches you a lot, which cannot be taught through books. Like, how to deal with boss, how to deal with clients, how to get the work done from government department, how to handle work pressure, handling ego of people, balancing between work and studies etc. All this will be useful in post qualification life as well.
Reason No. 10 :
Addiction of Mobile / Internet.
Solution :
Now a days, it is hard to find a person walking on a street without looking at his mobile. Some have practiced the art of driving while looking in to mobile phone. We have reached to a level of addiction with mobile phone.
Smart phones and internet are very good inventions. They are designed to make our life easier and to save our time to work. However, the fact is that we have become the 'Slave' of mobile instead of making mobile phone our slave.
The data available on internet is an ocean without any boundaries. We are living in a world of information explosion. Hence, it is important to understand what is relevant for us and what is irrelevant. Else, your entire free time will be consumed by your Mobile phone and you will never have the time for studies.
Reason No. 11 :
Unequal weightage given to different subjects.
Solution :
It is a common trend to pay more attention to the subjects we love (i.e. generally practical subjects) and pay very low attention to the subjects which we don't love (i.e. generally theory subjects).
We have to keep a balance between the two. You will notice that some students score very good marks (say above 80) in one subject and score very low marks (say below 30) in another subject. But, the result is Fail. Don't ignore a subject all together, even if you don't like it. Naturally, try to score maximum in those subject which you love. It is help you for scoring the aggregate 50% marks.
Reason No. 12 :
Referring multiple study material for one subject or studying with multiple teachers for one subject.
Solution :
You may do the careful selection of One study material for one subject and One teacher for one subject. For doing this selection, you may take the opinion of many, take your own time and then fix it. Don't change your preference every now and then, unless you have made a serious error in selection.
Some students have a habit of collecting every possible study material on each subject from all friends and relatives. It may confuse you more.
CA students already get limited time for studies. If you try to refer multiple study material, then you will fall short of time and you are likely to get more and more confused. Because, same thing might be explained in a different manner by a different author or a teacher.
Contents might be almost same but the way of explanation and style of teaching may be different. I have noticed that, those who refer multiple literature, often end up getting more confused.
Hence, concentrate and revise from the same literature which you had referred. Those who joined coaching classes, should refer the same study material provided by the coaching classes.
Those who are doing it on their own, should rely on the study material of ICAI. Reference books may be used, but only for reference and not for regular studies. Same literature will also provide you the flow of studies without any contradictions.
Have full faith and trust in the author or teacher, to whom you are referring. Else, have full faith in your own ability and study on your own, you will still get through.
Wish you Happy Learning and hope to see you as CA soon!
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