088. ARE Mentor: Course Correcting After Failure

David discusses how to course correct after failing an ARE exam. He explains why one failed division shouldn’t create a negative narrative and reminds candidates that failure simply means retaking the exam. He also covers how to review the score report, keep momentum by scheduling the next exam about eight weeks out, and use practice exams to better understand the format. The focus is simple: adjust your strategy and keep moving forward.

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Show Notes

Introduction & Purpose

• Addressing listeners who recently failed an ARE exam
• Brief on ARE Mentor vs. ARE Technical episodes
• Main goal: protect momentum and prevent derailing after a failure

Mindset: Don’t Turn One Failure Into a Story

• How we create negative narratives after failing (imposter syndrome, “I’m bad at tests,” etc.)
• Core reframe: a failed exam only means you have to take it again
• Warning against letting a single result become your identity or long-term story

Using the Score Report (But Not Overusing It)

• Look at the score report briefly to see:
  • Where you were weakest
  • Where you were strongest
• Reference to Episode 85 – ARE Technical: Analyzing the Score Report
• Emphasis that the score report:
  • Doesn’t mean as much as people think
  • Should be reviewed for a few minutes, then filed away
• Encouragement to rely on honest self-assessment of weak areas

Staying in the Exam Cycle & Avoiding the “Same Division Loop”

• Personal story: failing Programming & Analysis (3.0) and waiting two years for the next exam
• Advice:
  • Don’t take months off
  • Don’t pause studying
  • Don’t delay scheduling the next exam
• The “same division loop”:
  • Example: fail PCM, wait 60 days, insist on retaking PCM before moving on
  • Result: loss of momentum
• Strategy:
  • Schedule the next division immediately after a fail
  • Aim for about 7–8 weeks out

Momentum Analogy: Flat Tire on a Road Trip

• Failure = flat tire, not the end of the journey
• You don’t turn around and go home; you:
  • Change the tire
  • Continue the cross-country trip
• Same idea with the exam process: fix, adjust, move forward

Strategic Use of the 60-Day Retake Window

• General pattern:
  • Schedule a new division ~8 weeks out
  • Take that new-division exam
  • Fit the retake shortly after:
    • PCM, PJM, CE, PA: about 1 week
    • PPD, PDD: about 2 weeks
  • After the retake, jump into the next division
• Rationale: protect and extend momentum, avoid long study gaps

Self-Analysis: Identifying What Actually Happened

• Go beyond the score report into self-awareness:
  • Where did the exam start feeling hard?
    • Case studies?
    • Technical questions?
    • Time pressure?
    • Unfamiliar topics?
• Use these questions to pinpoint weak areas

Common Patterns & What They Mean

• Questions felt unfamiliar (even though you studied)
  • Often means you studied too narrowly
  • Usually clustered in specific modules, not the whole exam
• Running out of time / feeling rushed
  • Time management is a major hurdle, especially after long gaps
  • You don’t fix time management in theory; it requires real exam reps
• Backpacking analogy:
  • You become a better backpacker by going backpacking
  • Day hikes and training help, but can’t replace multi-night trips
  • Same for exams: practice actual NCARB exams to build timing skills

Making the Most of NCARB Practice Exams

• NCARB practice exams as:
  • A window into how NCARB thinks about questions
  • Especially crucial in the final week before the exam
• How to use them:
  • Don’t treat them just as a percentage score
  • Reverse engineer:
    • Handwrite notes and diagrams
    • Mark why wrong answers are wrong
    • Circle keywords and patterns
  • Treat them as a guide to NCARB’s logic, not a mere score predictor

Emotional Recovery & Course Correction

• Normal emotional reaction to failing:
  • Imposter feelings
  • “I’m never going to finish”
  • “I’m not ready”
• Advice:
  • Allow yourself to feel those emotions
  • Then course correct rather than stay stuck
• Reframing the episode:
  • It’s about course correcting after a failure
  • Focus on protecting your momentum

Core Process & Closing Message

• Core rhythm promoted in the coaching program:
  • Study → Test → Analyze → Repeat
• Protecting momentum:
  • Stay in a rhythm rather than stop-start cycles
• Closing encouragement:
  • Think consciously about how to protect your momentum this week
  • Keep moving through the cycle until you get your license