E7: Listen to This if You FAILED Your Exam AND BOUNCE BACK

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Welcome to episode 7 of FTCE Seminar, the Florida Teacher Certification Exam Podcast, where we talk about testing tips, study strategies, and how to pass the FTCE so you can launch from the campus to the classroom. I'm your host, Mercedes Musto. For more FTCE study materials, videos, and resources, visit our website at ftceseminar.com. In today's episode, I'll be talking about the very real and the not so great NOT PASS. You heard me correctly. What if I do not pass the FTCE General Knowledge Test or any other FTCE exam? Listen, we need to talk. experiencing a fear of failure or the anxiety of not passing an FTCE test,

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then keep listening because today we're going to talk about what to do if the not pass happens to you. You know, it's normal to experience some negative emotions when you fail a test. Oftentimes these negative emotions can be linked with like a loss of confidence, negative self-talk, panic of the future, or just a complete loss of perspective. If you're experiencing a fear or anxiety about taking the test, then please listen to episode 2 titled Test Anxiety so you can develop some confidence to improve your test performance. Now if you actually factually have indeed received a not pass when you took the FTCE then keep listening because I promise that it's not the end of the world. First

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things first you're like Mercedes I'm crushed I did not pass the test. Here are four steps to help you regain your confidence and perspective so you can the FTCE. Step 1 don't panic according to bachelorstudies.com panicking after receiving your test results may lead to impulsive decisions instead take a deep breath you can't change your past test performance but you can change your future test performance

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take a deep breath to calm your mind. This works for me when I you know things don't go my way and when I get really bent I Take a pen and paper out and I make a gratitude list. Sure things didn't go as planned Okay, so you didn't get a pass today But it's not the end of the world and there are still seven things to be grateful for So get out a pen and paper write down seven things. You're like why seven? Why not seven? Develop an attitude of gratitude. After all, like Marcus Aurelius said, when you arise in the morning think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to love. Step two. Be honest with yourself. We all handle adversity differently, but sometimes blame seeps into our thoughts as we move through

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the negative emotions of failure. Hey, feel your feelings, but be honest with yourself. The academic experts at TutorNerds.com suggest taking responsibility for your learning and making a commitment to improving your study strategy so you can improve your test performance. Whether this means creating a study schedule, getting help from a tutor, or using the anti-procrastination Pomodoro technique, which you can check out on ftceseminar.com. Remember, shout out Kate made that Pomodoro video for you to study with. Your next step is to get back up, kiddo, brush yourself off, bounce back, and come up with a plan for your own success. Step 3, bounce back.

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There's a lot of helpful advice out there but sticking to TutorNerds.com and that attitude of gratitude stuff in step 1, ditch that all-or-nothing perspective and begin a I will bounce back mind shift. I call this the academic academic athlete. How do you get to the Super Bowl? You practice. There is so much to learn from sports athletes' mindsets and the discipline. Do the athletes, do they quit when they lose a game or when the going gets tough? No. In fact, they use that adversity as a sort of motivating energy to bounce back. So I encourage you to muster up your best inner academic athlete and re-register for that FTCE test and bounce back. Step 4. Keeping a positive perspective.

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Back to bachelorstudies.com who suggests looking at the dilemma of failure to gain some honest perspective. There are some external factors that influence your test taking performance, like traffic on the way to the test site, and maybe you didn't sleep well the night before, or you totally didn't eat lunch, and you drank too much coffee. Well, that's something I would do. But what bachelorstudies.com is saying is that the questions you missed on your exam are indicators of areas you still need to master. Meaning, meaning this, this is where you need to focus your attention. See, tests don't define you. You are not the test. You're taking the test. And how you react to taking the test and gaining the results ultimately helps you build character.

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Let's review. Here are four steps to helping you regain your confidence and perspective so you can bounce back and pass the FTCE. Step 1. Don't panic. Panicking may lead to impulsive decisions. Instead, find reasons to be thankful. There's a lot one can learn through adversity. Step 2. Be honest with yourself. Hey, feel your feelings, man. But be honest with yourself and take responsibility for your learning by making a commitment to your own self-improvement. Step 3. Bounce back.

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Develop an academic athlete mindset. Re-register for the FTCE test and bounce back. Step 4. Keep a positive perspective. Keep a positive perspective and work on what you need to improve so you can bounce back like that academic athlete that you are. Now, just breathe.

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There. Feel better yet?

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I hope you don't have to use these four steps, but if you do, remember that you can become an academic athlete, you can bounce back, and you can prep to pass the FTCE. I'd like to thank Kate and Samantha on tech. What would I do without you? Thank you for producing the Student-Made Podcast, for students, by students. This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio in Access at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. This is your host Mercedes Musto. Join me again for another test-taking tip or study strategy on FTCE Seminar

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a Florida teacher certification exam podcast. For more information or study resources visit our website For more information or study resources visit our website at ftceseminar.com so you can prep to pass the FTCE.

Transcribed with Cockatoo