by Str3tch » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:37 pm
I know exactly how you feel. I've been in your "shoes". I started taking the AREs when it was v3.1 (2010). I passed my 1st section in 2013. After passing my first three sections in quick succession I "hit a wall". Passing the 4th section seemed unattainable. I almost gave up. But with the support my family, friends and colleagues they encouraged me that quitting was/is not an option. I got back up and refocused. Passed section 4, 5 and 6 back to back. Then I made a huge sacrifice...I took a sabbatical from work for 4 months to focus on section 7 (SS). Two weeks ago after 4 yrs and 17 attempts, I finally received my final pass. My point is this...NEVER QUIT. Don't fall into the "trap" of feeling dejected because your other colleagues pass on their "first" attempt. Everyone learns at a different pace. One of the best advice I got was "study at the pace you learn". F.A.I.L. just means "First Attempt In Learning". One of the ways I studied was to focus primarily on completing Q&As (Kaplan, Ballast, Gang Chen, The Amber book, Prepare ARE, NCARB or whatever else I could get my hands on) 1 week prior to my exam date. Now, I not telling you to do what I did (I procrastinated alot). What I'm encouraging you to do is to keep at it...you know the stuff...just don't quit.