The Plan

I have always been a planner. Give me something to plan, organize, or coordinate, and I’m in my happy place. As an adolescent, I learned how to balance my schoolwork while playing competitive soccer. It taught me early on that with discipline comes success. While in our twenties, my now-husband and I decided to enter graduate school together. My goal was to complete a Master of Business Administration and then take the CAE exam shortly after. I wanted to check these professional goals off my list before getting married and having children.

After two years of working full time and attending grad school classes in the evenings, I successfully completed the MBA program at Elmhurst University. Then, it was onto the CAE exam — but things didn’t go according to my neatly organized plan.

The Attempt

I did everything to prepare: I read the recommended textbooks, joined a study group and took practice exams. I stayed in a hotel in Chicago the night before the exam so I wouldn’t have to travel that morning (Chicago + winter = say no more). After taking the exam, I headed home and checked the mail relentlessly, waiting for the results. I was devastated when I found out I had failed. I had missed the passing score by six questions.

Shortly after receiving that news, I signed up to take the exam the following year. I wanted to give my brain a break after completing grad school and taking the exam a few months later.

The Second Attempt

In the fall of 2019, I joined another study group and found different ways to study. The exam was in December, and I decided again to stay in a hotel the night before. After taking the exam, I headed home and checked the mail relentlessly waiting for the results. Sound familiar? I was devastated when I found out I had failed. This time, I had missed the passing score by one question.

By now, I was ready to throw in the towel. How could I fail this exam not once but twice? What was wrong with me? What would I tell my coworkers, family, and anyone else who knew I was taking this exam for the second time? I had spent endless hours studying, re-reading the recommended textbooks, and taking practice exams.

Is the Third Time a Charm?

After feeling incredibly disappointed, I turned my frustration into hunger to face the exam again. My husband — who is a teacher and is much more “glass half full” than me — helped me see that I was improving my knowledge; I had answered more questions correctly the second time I took the exam. I was also scoring higher on my practice exams.

I decided to try to take the exam again that spring. Coincidentally, this was the first time that the exam could be taken online at a testing center. I signed up to take it a few minutes from my house in June of 2020. Weeks later, I received my results in the mail. I had finally passed! I felt such joy, such relief. I couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone and finally add CAE to my name.

The Wrap-Up

Some of you might be wondering, why is she admitting that she took the CAE three times? How embarrassing! I thought that too at one point, but what I learned through all of this is how resilient (and maybe stubborn) I was in sticking with it and taking the exam three times. I had wanted to prove that I could do it despite my test anxiety, the pressure I was putting on myself and any judgement from others.

In our industry, you hear about people who take the CAE exam one time and pass — and that’s incredible. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, you have to take an exam more than once, and that’s okay.

What I Learned

Plan ahead for the day of the exam. Take time to think through the days leading up to the exam and the day of the exam. Will you be less stressed if you take it at a learning testing center or in the comfort of your home with a live remote proctor?

Understand your study options. Do you study better alone or in a group? Would a mentor help you with areas you aren’t as familiar with? Consider various options available to you through ASAE and on Collaborate.

Be open to change. Setting professional goals is great, but there may be reasons you have to adjust them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Try not to compare your experience with the CAE exam to someone else’s. Establish a timeline for the exam that fits best into your schedule and that will offer you the least amount of stress.

This article is part of ASAE’s Young Professionals Series. Read stories that reflect your experiences and offer guidance for building a fulfilling and successful career in association management.