This article is just a generalisation of mistakes and relatable to most of the students
#M-1: COMPARISON WITH OTHERS
This is the biggest mistake that stops a student at different stages of preparation and examination. Never compare with others. You are never gonna put his hall ticket no. on your exam sheet anyway. Don't make any false judgements on others preparation. Discussion and taking opinions are fine. But be reasonable enough to make decisions on your own.
#M-2 BLIND ADOPTION
Never blindly adapt someone's success story. If you want to make your own success story, follow your own rules and choose timings that are appropriate for you.
#M-3: IMPORTANCE FOR HOURS STUDIED RATHER THAN CONTENT LEARNT
This is also a bigger mistake. ICAI is a platform where a student is evaluated on the content he/she learnt not by the hours they might have spent.
Be productive, cut all the thoughts and be focused on the subject. Time matters but productive utilisation of it is only key to success.
#M-4: NOT HAVING PROPER PLAN
Most students do have plan. But it's just so simple that a small disturbance or deviation from the plan affects the complete preparation. Have something like alternative or escape plan which can bring back the preparation to good form in case of any unavoidable circumstances.
#M-5: IGNORING THEORY
It has been a common practice or saying that theory is boring. In comparison with practical, theory might have looked boring but it is as important as pratical. Because exams evaluate your both individual and aggregate strength, missing or escaping from theory will cost you an attempt.
#M-6: LESS WRITTEN EXERCISE
While preparation,try to put concepts on paper, it gives you the habit of writing patiently. sitting straight 3 hours in the exam where every second is important and you facing the problem of writing concepts is definitely worst case scenario.
#M-7: REFERRING OTHER BOOKS AND IGNORING ICAI CONTENT
ICAI content which includes study material,practise manual, RTP'S and many other things is definitely above all other books. No offense to other authors or publishers but no content can outdone ICAI content. Properly utilise the help extended from ICAI.
#M-8: NOT ATTENDING MOCK EXAM
Be it any mock exam either ICAI's or some institute's, try to write atleast 1-2 mocks before you attempt the main exam. It gives you the ability to analyse what to attempt first and what not. Don't take mock results as a parameter for evaluating your preparation but judge your attempting skills out of it and try to improve.
#M-9: NOT UTILIZING TIME IN THE EXAM
Don't be in a hurry to move out of the hall. Sit through the complete time allotted for the exam. Write something that makes sense and then move out of the hall. Getting out early and later regretting the fact that you've written nothing proves nothing but your impatience. Write clearly and also carefully go through the guidelines of ICAI exam. Utilise the 15 min. question paper reading time and make proper decision regarding the order of questions to be attempted.
#M-10: WASTING TIME ON A SINGLE QUESTION
Exam questions are tricky, they first make you feel that they are easy to attempt and when you actually attempt them, you face the problem. If a question is taking much time and you can't figure out anything, just move onto other questions and return back to this at the end of exam. Never carry the mood of a bad exam to the next exams. It really affects the aggregate.
There are other mistakes too which are not as common as above. But you are the better evaluator of your skills. Try to identify the mistakes and correct them before the time runs out.
Thank you... Best of luck for your exam.
It is always said that make mistakes but learn from those mistakes. This is very important when you are preparing for one of the most prestigious exam in the country. These are some of the common mistakes which CA students make while preparing for exam-
1. Not following a proper plan
Many CA student prepare a detailed plan for your studies but fail to execute them. Study plans will help you to finish the vast syllabus in time and you can revise the syllabus before the exam. So strictly follow the study plan.
2. Studying from multiple books
Students usually tend to study from many sources which make them confused. Stick to only one book per subject. Also do selective study. Suppose an intermediate student has studied accounting standards 21 and 22 pretty well as they appeared in the previous paper. But, what if he gets 15 mark questions each from depreciation accounting, investment accounting or any other lessons.
3. Disregarding the ICAI study material
Many students just rely on study material provided by coaching institute. Mind it well that the study material provided by them is a summary of entire syllabus. Ignoring the study material and practice manual of the ICAI is not a good choice. ICAI study materials include questions that are examination based.
4. Neglect mock test paper
According to ICAI’s report, only 5% CA students take mock test and out of that 3.5% students pass the exam. Mock test papers are very important as they teaches you how to write perfect answers and fetch good marks. They also teaches you how to manage time and finish the paper in 3 hours.
5. Not having enough sleep and food
Before the exam, students skip their sleep and study at night. This is one of the biggest mistake which students make. Healthy also food leads to healthy mind. Food plays a vital role in keeping you mind fresh and it well help your mind to retained more facts. Don’t skip your food while studying for the exam. Have at least 8 hours of sleep before the exam. Talk to your parents if you are feeling isolated. They will surely motivate you.
So if you want the best mock test series, I would recommend you Prepca mock test series. Prepca mock test series can help you to write brilliant answers and fetch good marks. It provides mock test series for each and every subject and each and every stage of CA curriculum. Evaluation of your answers is also done in few days and you will get answers. It is also giving answer wise detail assessment report which will show you why you are losing marks on a particular answer, how you can improve the answers. The bird’s eye view gives you an added benefit and helps to identify your dark and grey areas so that you can work on your grey areas.
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