Ran out of time
Warning to all first time 5.0 test takers: TIME IS TIGHTER THAN 4.0!
I thought I was making pretty good time but made it to the case studies (having answered ~90% of multiple choice on the main exam) with about 1 hour left. The first case study (harder of the 2) had a ton of reference material and calculations to digest and I rushed to get through it in about 40 minutes leaving me only 20 minutes to answer the remaining 8-9 questions and review/finish answering the main body. Needless to say, I don't feel I was able to give too many well educated guesses/answers over the last hour of the exam as I began to eye the clock and fidget nervously. I could've easily used another half hour.
This never happened to me on 4.0 -- I'm not sure why it feels they've sped up decision-making. Is this a useful metric to really prove whether we know the material? I'm pretty frustrated at the moment. I hope the score breakdown is able to illustrate which areas need some more focus. Starting with the case studies seems like a great strategy for next time.
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Alex,
Sorry to hear you didn't pass PA! The 5.0 exams are definitely different (I never took any under 4.0 but I've heard plenty about them), and I'm sure the transition takes some adjusting and a new way of preparation. Hopefully you can get some good advice looking through this forum - it was one of the greatest benefits for me when studying and I contribute a great deal of my success to the people on this forum that provided insight and advice.
If you look through this forum, there are a lot of people that struggle with time for PA, but not many that struggle the same way with the other exams. I'm not sure if you spent much time on this forum before the exam since you just "joined" today, but if you haven't I would definitely encourage you to take some time and read through previous posts. That's what made me aware of the time issue for this exam. I wouldn't stress too much about time for the other exams, but PA is definitely one that you need to move through quickly and plan accordingly for time. I also know that the first time dealing with the case studies is a challenge, understanding how much time it takes to look through the material (and how long it takes the material to load).
I also want to remind you that each question is worth the same value. Technically (last I looked at the passing percentages) you can miss all the case study questions and still pass (if you get all or most of the other questions right). I always saved the case studies for last, because I knew I could get through 3-5 questions as quickly as I could get through a single case study question. There are different approaches and opinions of course, but that was my thinking...
It's difficult to move through the case studies quickly, but familiarize yourself with the interface so you can navigate through the content more efficiently. Use bookmarks, try not to flip back and forth between references if you can help it since they have to reload each time. Things like that will help you save a little bit of time and headache.
I hope my thoughts are helpful! Keep it up, these exams are difficult but you'll get through them I'm sure! This forum is full of good advice, so be sure to use it as a resource along the way as well. Best of luck!
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