Hopefully we won’t need those tips [fingers crossed], but I’m sure at least a few of us are getting anxious about handling potentially not-so-great news while surrounded by colleagues and other well-wishers.
So: any tips on how to handle anything less than a pass with grace — or at least with minimal obnoxiousness and limited whimpering?
Alcohol comes to mind, of course, but curious if you guys have other good strategies to cope.
Mine is to tell myself that come what may, I won’t be smarter or dumber on Wednesday than I am today.
It’s a start, but I don’t think it willl hold very well under pressure… So if anyone has mastered the art of resilience in the face of adversity, please share your mantra or general attitude!
Hit “reply” on the result email and just blast it with 3000 words on your anger and disappointments, swearing is probably encouraged, and hit “send”.
Knowing it’s a no-reply email account, it’s probably not going to be read.
Ha, good thinking!
I must confess I am too much of a coward to risk it if it’s only “probably” not going to be read, but forwarding a good rant to my own email address is a riskfree way to vent I guess… Thanks, Nana!
In the pre markets, put on a very high risk/reward
trade prior to the results email…
I’m sure whatever the outcome, you’ll be
more elated or pissed than what the emotional CFA
results…
this forum has made such a big deal out of the cfa result…its just an exam, failing it doesnt mean that our world would end.
Take 15-20 mins and excuse yourself to freak out. Then pull yourself together and back to work!
Tell yourself that you’re going to memorize every little f^#@ing word in those CFA provided books - even the footnotes - and sign back up. It’s just a test and others have passed - you can do it too!
BTW - this is not sarcasm… this is from past experience. Just know that the exam contains tricks to make you think and next time you’ll be prepared to find those dirty little things…
I will blame the pencil.
Let’s face it, finding out bad news tomorrow is going to suck no matter how you slice it. Nobody is welcoming the thought of having to do it again next year, and the anticipation you and yours have been going through.
I’d say just take the time to think about it, think how hard you tried, how much you did learn (because its impossible not to learn something when preparing), celebrate that in some way, then give yourself some time to mentally relax before you decide on what your next plans will be. That is how I plan to handle any bad news.
I would go with calculated pessimism. Really convince yourself that you failed. Get the idea in your head and deal with it. Then when the results come you are either pleasantly suprised or you just get a confirmation for what you already know.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate
That’s tough w all non CFAers being like “im sure u passed” " i dont see u failing" … But ya good strategy
Already convinced about it there is no doubt I will fail in the range of band 5 to band 8. Doesn’t help at all!
Thinking it is a different feeling from living it. When thinking it, there’s usually a glimmer of hope somewhere…
“I’m sure i failed, pretty damn sure it’s a band 10 fail, but…just, well, but…what if…what if i actually did better in derivatives than i had thought?..No, i am sure i failed, pretty damn sure it’s a band 10 fail.”.
I know what you mean, hope is a bitch. You need to fight that thought! Just focus on the areas where you really sucked. Think about the tiny share of people who will pass. You really think you are one of them? Remember how everybody in that room looked super prepared and ready. Those people should fail while I pass? Impossible!
And afterwards I will try to get back to being positive. I might not have made it all the way but maybe I am 50% or 60% there. For next time I will only have to study a little bit more to make it. - That kinda stuff.
Most of us have this shame of telling others that I failed and confuse this with fear of failure… Just dont have that shame at all as we are not here to take an exam which everyone clears anyway! Thats what I tell myself each time!!!
Will be getting on to the whiskey anytime soon. I need my emotions numbed for the one hour or two after the results release. When i get the results, i should feel th need to neither laugh nor cry, only stare blankly and fall asleep…hopefully to wake up and find out i earned the Charter 3 months ago.
There are no tips or advice I can offer. It’s an exam at the end of the day. I passed Level I on my second attempt and this was my second stab at Level II. I’m not sure what I would do if I failed given that this time I thought I was very well prepared, I thought that the exam was quite fair, and I thought I did well.
Lol bloodlie the king of analyst forum. Love that british humor. Its all good. Just think of tim duncan missing a layup in 2013 finals…now hes gotta wait all year hoping to get to the finals and 3 wins to try and decide the 4th game w a layup. Must be real tough…same w this my friends.