We all want to be the best and achieve the top results possible, and whilst receiving a perfect mark is idealised, it’s a highly unlikely feat that not many of us can reach.
Being a perfectionist can be more of a hindrance than a help, with the constant aim for the almost-impossible holding you back every time you don’t achieve 100%.
My Accounting Exam Accelerator Programme focuses heavily on academic success and there’s no doubt that I want to help you achieve excellence in your exams, but perfection is not something that is easily achievable and it shouldn’t hold you back.
Failure and defeat are inevitable parts of life, so it’s important to not get disheartened after falling short of your goals and changing your mindset away from exam perfection can provide a great mental shift that can help enhance your response to set-backs.
What Is Perfectionism?
In order to adapt the way you think, it’s crucial to assess what it is exactly that’s holding you back and what specifically needs changing.
Perfectionism is the constant strive for a flawless outcome, whether it be getting 100% on a test or achieving the highest possible standard in a non-academic environment.
Setting unrealistic targets of achieving perfection might seem like a great motivation to aim as high as possible, but by constantly referring to your target as something so far out of reach, you can leave yourself feeling deflated when you don’t get to that point.
How Does This Apply To Your Accounting Exam?
Both your goals and technique for an exam can link to perfectionism, as you can leave yourself doubting if you got the best grade and worse, you can run out of time as a result of over-thinking and trying to get full marks on a question.
In an exam setting, many students fall into the perfectionism trap and spend too much time on questions trying to gain all available marks, but managing your time and answering every question is a much stronger technique than writing what you believe to be one perfect answer and leaving several questions completely blank.
Avoiding setting yourself up to such a high standard means you won’t be devastated with the end result – if you pass the exam, think of all the people that didn’t pass and praise yourself for the work you put in to achieve the grade you got rather than focusing on the negatives.
My article “How Forming A Growth Mindset Can Lead To Exam Success” articulates the ways to prevent letting set-backs get to you, which, when combined with moving away from perfectionism, can be a recipe for mental success.
Perfectionist Tendencies To Avoid
Whether you’re already a self-proclaimed perfectionist or you want to know what to steer clear of, there are lots of recognisable perfectionist tendencies.
There are a variety of ways a perfectionist might think, so identifying these is a great step to ensure you don’t fall into the same mindset.
1. Black-And-White Thinking
Black-and-white thinking refers to the belief that any error, no matter how small or insignificant it may be, means you failed at that task.
We’re all guilty of being caught up in our emotions and thinking this at times, but it’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
2. Catastrophic Thinking
This is the belief that one wrong move is essentially the end of the world as you know it, such as thinking that you wouldn’t survive the humiliation of making a mistake in front of your co-workers.
Whilst it’s a completely irrational way of thinking, sense doesn’t apply when your brain is in overdrive, so it’s a plausible thought for any perfectionist.
3. Probability Overestimation
Also linked to self-doubt, probability overestimation means you think the worst of a situation when it’s not at all necessary.
An example of this would be spending all night preparing for a presentation but convincing yourself that you won’t do well, diminishing your efforts and hard work.
4. Should Statements
(e.g., “I should never make mistakes”, “I should never come across as nervous or anxious”, “I should always be able to predict problems before they occur.”)
Saying ‘should’ is a great way to limit your mindset, as you restrict yourself to what you believe others expect of you rather than referring to your own goals.
Thinking you should never make mistakes or should always be able to do something is a destructive way of conditioning you to think there are high expectations, when really you are the only one placing the expectations.
5. Thoroughness
Being overly cautious and thorough in tasks can result in you spending way too much time on one activity.
Taking 3 hours on a 20 minute task is an unproductive use of your time, whether it’s studying or working, just so you can try to perfect what it is you’re doing.
6. Avoiding A Task
For individuals with a high fear of messing up due to their perfectionism, avoiding a task altogether so they know they won’t fail is very common.
Procrastination is something we all experience, and my blog “How To Stop Procrastinating Whilst Studying For Your Accountancy Exams” offers great tips to beat the lack of motivation and get going with your studying again.
The key throughout all of this is to set reasonable, attainable goals that you can carry out in a workable way, as well as leaving room for seemingly inevitable setbacks.
We don’t have control over everything, however much we would like to, so preparation for unexpected events allows for room for improvement and helps with the all-important bounceback aspect of defeat.
Work towards your own goals rather than achieving what you believe the rest of the world wants you to reach, and in doing so you will be far happier with the outcome.