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Examination Notice
April 2023 Examinations

The CPA Ireland April 2023 Examination diet was completed using Cirrus online examination software and Proctorio Artificial Intelligence remote invigilation.

The results of these examinations were published on Friday 9 June 2023. Congratulations to all students who were successful in their examinations.

August 2023 Examinations

The August 2023 examinations will be held between 24 August and 1 September. These examinations will also be online and remotely invigilated. Registration for these exams will be through the MyCPA portal and will open in early July and close on 2 August 2023.

The detailed timetable for the August 2023 examination can be found on the CPA Ireland website, along with information about the online exam platform (Cirrus/Proctorio).

Application to Membership Notice
This year’s conferring ceremony will be held on Saturday 9 December, and the admission to membership process for 2023 is now underway.

Cohort 1

This Cohort includes all students who completed their final exams from 2020 up to and including the April 2023 exam sitting.

Invitations to apply for membership have been issued to Cohort 1 applicants and the closing date for Application to Membership for students in Cohort 1 will be 5 August 2023.

If you believe you are eligible to apply for membership in Cohort 1, but have not received a formal invitation, please contact the Institute (rniaonghusa@cpaireland.ie).

Cohort 2

This Cohort includes only students who complete their final exams in August 2023.

Invitations to apply for membership will be issued after the results in August 2023 have been released on 13 October 2023. Closing date for Application to Membership for students in Cohort 2 will be 3 November 2023.

The following must be submitted as part of the Application to Membership.

  1. Application Form (online)
  2. Two Employer References on headed paper
  3. 4 Competency Statements (online)
  4. Behavioural Attribute Statements (online)
  5. Admission Fee: €650

Students who are eligible to apply for membership are encouraged to begin the process as early as possible.

Information about the application to membership process can be found on the CPA Ireland website.

This includes a detailed webinar outlining the process in full.

If you have any questions regarding completing the process, particularly in relation to the completing the Competency and Behavioural Records, we are more than happy to discuss and offer guidance on any aspect with you.

For queries regarding the admission to membership process, please contact Réidín Ní Aonghusa at rniaonghusa@cpaireland.ie or 01 425 1022.

Student Profile (MyCPA)
Students are reminded of the importance of keeping their MyCPA Profile up to date. In particular you should look at, and update as appropriate, your employment history and email address. This will ensure that your training records can be signed off in a timely manner and that you receive all important communications from the Institute (including examination login details).

Your CPA Profile can be viewed on your dashboard when you log in to your MyCPA account.

a group of four men work in an office, three are seated with laptops looking on while one stands at a whiteboard holding a dry erase marker in one hand and a coffee mug in the other

Bouncing Back After Exam Failure

Introduction
“I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” Michael Jordan.

Failing exams is difficult but it is what you learn from the experience and what you do next that counts! This article will provide you with guidance on the next steps.

Your intial reaction
There is no doubt that you will experience a range of emotions when you hear you have failed an exam. You may be shocked, angry, resigned, or sad. It is important to sit with these feelings as opposed to denying them. We all have different ways of coping with adverse events. Think about the strategies or techniques that have worked for you in the past when faced with difficulties. Try using these again. It is always helpful to talk with someone, a family member, a close friend, or a colleague. Share how you are feeling.
Negative Self-Talk
Be aware of how you talk to yourself after failing an exam. What is your internal dialogue? What are you telling yourself? This can often be quite negative. Negative self-talk is often referred to as thinking traps.

For example, “I am not intelligent enough” or “everyone else is better than me”, “I will never pass these exams”. While our brains are extremely sophisticated organs, but if we are telling it something like “I am not intelligent enough”, our brain has no option but to believe that. It is your words that steer your thinking process.

The opposite is also true. When you tell yourself you can do something and you are smart enough, your brain will also start believing this.

Thinking traps can be re-framed into positive prompts. Once you notice the negative self-talk or thinking trap, a good idea is to write it down and then look at re-framing it.

For example: “Everyone else is better than me” can be re-framed to “what can I learn from students who passed these exams”. “I am not intelligent enough” can be re-framed to “what are my strengths that will help me succeed in these exams the next time”. “I will never pass these exams” can be re-framed into “what have I done in the past to achieve success in my exams”.

Control, Influence and Accept
It is useful to consider what can you control, influence, and accept having failed your exams. It may take some time and can be very difficult, but a good place to start is to accept what has happened. There is no changing the past.

Next consider what is in your control. As a student you can control your attitude and behaviours. What you do next is within your control. How you approach your repeat exams is within your control. How you study for your repeat exams is within your control.

Some self-reflecting questions to ask yourself are:

  • What are the issues or elements of the situation you can control?
  • What can you do about this?
  • Who can support you with this?

Consider what or who you can influence to support you with repeating your exams.

  • What influence do you have?
  • What are the elements of this situation you can’t control but you can influence?
  • If you have control and or influence, what action can you take?
Be open to changing your approach.
Once the dust has settled and you are ready to start preparing for your repeat exams, take some time to reflect on your past exam preparation and performance. Self-reflecting helps you consider what worked well for you in the exam process and what needs to be changed.

Consider changing your approach to study rather than using the same approach again and expecting different results. When I ask students what are the reasons they think they failed their exams, more often than not they say they did not practice enough exam questions or they left practicing past exam questions and past papers too late.

Consider changing your approach for the repeat exams. Start practicing exam questions from the outset. By practicing questions, you will get a good understanding of what you know well and what subjects or topics require more learning mastery.

When you close your mind to alternative approaches, you can get stuck in the failure loop.

Reflecting on your Goals
Failing exams is no doubt a difficult experience, but you will learn and grow from this experience. Consider the goals you set for yourself when you started out on the journey to becoming a CPA? Why is this goal so important to you? What are your unique strengths that will help you reach your goal?

To summarise, be aware of negative self-talk and re-frame this dialogue into positive prompts. Think about what you can control, influence, and accept about the situation and be open to changing your approach.

Edel Walsh is student and exam coach. She supports her clients with their studies and exams using a holistic approach of focusing on academic success, personal development and looking after their well-being.

For more information, email edel, edel@edelwalsh.ie