How I Passed the Board Exam Without Studying

I passed!

Last night at 11pm, my mom woke me with the news that I had passed the Licensure Exam for teachers. I screamed with pure joy and absolute disbelief.

I had not cracked a single book for that exam.

I am no genius. Hitting the books isn’t exactly my forte and my academic performance isn’t what you call stellar. Prior to the exam, studying for it got shoved aside to make way for my day job because juggling two things was more than my single task mind could cope.

So how did I pass?

Positive thinking.

Before you skeptics hurl your ferocious flames of doubts, consider this: luck plays a big factor in every exam, especially if it’s multiple choice format. The mood and mental clarity you’re in. Your health. The presiding examiner. The weather. Which questions are going to appear.

I remember thinking after watching The Secret, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could just apply this and pass the exam just relying on these principles?” Funny because the universe heard me and said, “Your wish is my command.” making me transform my words into action.

The universe wants to know if you truly want this goal. If you want to find your future mate, do you just sit around wishing for it to happen? That doesn’t exactly show somebody who’s eager to find his perfect match. You have to show the universe you mean business. So I put up signs in my home. ‘PASS THE EXAM!’, they read. Whenever a negative thought about failing this monumental test crossed my mind, I’d immediately squashed it and replaced it with a positive thought. I looked at which subjects had the highest percentage on the examination and concentrated on those. I also practiced answering test questions (on only 3 subjects out of 9). I spent time learning to shade the boxes (the standard way of answering questions in the Philippines) efficiently and quickly. I asked friends who’ve taken the exam before for some advice. Friends offered their prayers (thanks Katya and Sweet) and positive moral support. Lastly, I put out the daily intention on passing the exam.

I also had a powerful person who I suspect gave The Law of Attraction its mighty push, namely my mother who dedicated her fervent prayers on my future success in this tough endeavor.

Finally the moment of truth arrived –Exam Day. I was probably the calmest person in the room (as is the case with unprepared people) and this has helped me answer the exam in a relaxed manner. Since we could do whatever we want with our examination booklets, I wrote the word PASS in every page to remind myself to do just that during the test. This has helped a lot because there were too many times the questions looked like foreign language to me and I had to depend on sheer luck for my answer. Let me tell you, those were the most excruciating 7 hours of my life!

There were other factors involved. I had taken the test in its brand new schedule now that the PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) has split the exam into two dates. I took the exam along with those who had failed it before and those who had graduated ahead of March (graduation date). We were a much smaller crowd compared to the expected stampede of September which will be composed of the heavy hitters who will all flock to their books and review centers after they graduate on the third month of the year. The chances of my passing increased because of the smaller number of examinees involved.

After the exam, things returned to normal and I stopped with my daily intentions. I let it slide and didn’t think much of it at all and allowed myself to get wrapped up in work again preferring to let the universe take care of my wish. And three weeks later, it did.

So what have you got to lose? Put out some intentions now! Remember, the universe is always always listening.