One of the most disheartening experiences for students is if they get a “FAIL” on one of their AINS® or CPCU® exams. In this article, we’ll show you how to recover from this and prepare yourself for your next try.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
1) Immediately write down any questions/topics you remember struggling with during the exam
If you can remember any of the specific questions or topics you struggled with, immediately note them down as topics you’ll need to revisit. Write down as much of the question and potential answer choices as you can remember, and also indicate what confused you about the question.
For example, if you thought the answer was something that did not show up among the answer choices, you should note that as another concept you need to re-review, since there was clearly some kind of difference you aren’t seeing between the concept you had in mind versus the concepts offered as answer choices.
2) Wait at least a day or two after your first exam attempt before restarting your studies
Seeing a “FAIL” can be an emotional experience, and most people will need a day or two to shake that off. If you jump back into studying too soon, your recent test result might end up distracting you and affecting your focus, so give yourself a moment to build up your resolve again before diving back in.
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3) Review your grade report
The Institutes will provide you with a grade report within a few days of your exam attempt. This report will have a bar graph show you what percentage of questions you got right from each chapter and reveal which chapters you need to give extra attention to again.
Underneath the bar graph, there is a section that tells you what topics you missed questions. Make sure you spend time re-reviewing those particular subjects and chapters.
4) If you did poorly on numerous chapters, consider using a different set of study materials
If your grade report shows that you really struggled with a lot of chapters, the study materials you were using aren’t really working for you and your learning style. Consider trying study materials from a different company, such as ours. Our online study programs come with everything you need to prepare for your exams, including:
- Video lectures with searchable transcripts
- Streaming audio-only option, so you can listen on the go
- Practice chapter quizzes
- Practice exam
- Comprehensive study guides
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
5) Address any outside factors that may be affecting your performance
Sometimes, we have other stressors outside of our studies that are affecting our ability to focus on the course. If that is the case, take the necessary steps to resolve or eliminate those distractions. If they are bigger things that can’t be resolved quickly (such as a major illness or work project, for example), it may be best to postpone your studies until you are in a better position to resume pursuing your designation.
6) Register your retake ASAP once you review your grade report
Most students will find that their chances of passing their retake are much higher if they take their second attempt within 7 to 10 days of their initial attempt. This minimizes the chances that they will start to forget the content they were studying.
The two exceptions to the above rule are if you did very poorly on the exam, or 2) you have fail the exam two times in a row. In those cases, you may want to schedule your retake for the next test window and give yourself a few weeks or months to go through the entire course again from scratch.
In any case, it is best to choose your retake date and pay for your registration right after you review your grade report, even if you aren’t going to take the actual exam until however many days later. This adds more accountability and will encourage you to be diligent about hitting your study materials again. If you allow yourself to wait until after you feel prepared for your second attempt, it is easy to tell yourself that you are’t ready yet and keep pushing out your retake indefinitely.
Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!
7) Completely restudy the chapters you did poorly in or that you feel very uneasy about
For any chapter that you did very poorly on, it is best to re-read or re-watch the entire chapter as if you were learning the material for the first time. Most students will notice that their understanding of the material the second time around is actually much better because they have a context for how the material from that chapter relates to the rest of the course content.
Repeat entire your studying process for every problematic chapter. For example, if your normal process is to go through the module, take notes, and then do the practice quizzes two times, do exactly that. Recreate your notes or flashcards from scratch, and don’t just skim your old ones. You should also redo the practice questions and not skip them simply because you’ve already seen the questions before.
If you are redoing the entire course, follow the instructions from this step and skip step 8.
8) Do an abbreviated review of all remaining chapters
Even if you scored well on the remaining chapters, it is still important to do a quick review of them before your retake so that the information is fresh on your mind. Since you have a pretty good grasp on these chapters, it is okay to simply review your notes or flash cards (rather than re-reading or re-watching the entire chapter), and then redo the practice questions fewer times than you normally would.
Our IEG study guides (which are included in all of our paid online study programs) summarize all the key content from each chapter and are the perfect tool for doing a thorough but time-saving review.
9) Go for it!
Remind yourself that you have diligently prepared to put yourself in a better position than you were in the first time you took your exam, then go get that pass! You are a capable professional who is trying to get ahead, and there is no reason you can’t successfully pass this exam.
Why our study programs work
Lots of companies offer study materials too, but here is why our study programs stand out:
See the concepts in action
You will be tested on your ability to apply the concepts to different situations, so we provide plenty of examples to show you how things work.
Less is NOT always more
Some things won't make sense until you have enough background info. We give extra context where you'd need it to fully grasp the material.
Learn AND remember
Besides learning the content, you have to remember it all. Our paid study programs include our famous study guides that make it super easy to refresh your memory.
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About your instructor
Insurance Exam Guides (IEG) was founded by Stacy Trinh, CPCU®, who first started her teaching journey at the request of her co-workers who were preparing for their CPCU exams. Because of her reputation as an adept trainer and motivator, Stacy's co-workers had asked her to lead a class. The feedback on her sessions and study materials was overwhelming positive, and her students encouraged her to share what she had to offer with the rest of the CPCU community.
Since then, Stacy created a library of study materials for both CPCU® and AINS® that have helped thousands of students pass their exams. As an accounting major and former claims adjuster, her style of instruction incorporates both a financial and operational perspective that makes her study materials well-rounded. She looks forward to helping many more students continue to succeed, including you!
Disclaimers: The Institutes, CPCU®, and AINS® are trademarks of the American Institute For Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, d/b/a The Institutes. InsuranceExamGuides.com is not affiliated or associated with The Institutes in any way, and The Institutes do not endorse, approve, support, or otherwise recognize InsuranceExamGuides.com or its products or services. CPCU® and AINS® are registered trademarks of The Institutes. All rights reserved.