Two Days Out

I'm finally back.

As of right now, my Oral Assessment begins in 47 hours and 23 minutes. It's Saturday morning now; my OA is on Monday. There's no more time left.

Things feel different this time around. Last year, I felt like I was walking into the great unknown. I had done a lot of studying with my group, but never knew if I was doing or had done enough. There was a certain mysticism or fog surrounding the OA, and I was walking into that fog with several other candidates, most of whom had no idea of what to expect. This sense of anxiety and dread only complicated my ability to focus as much as I could have.

This year, however, I feel much more focused. I'm on a mission. I talked myself out of success last time around, and I only have myself to blame for that. But experience is a good teacher. I no longer view the OA as HARD, but rather as simply INTENSE. I still remember that last OA quite well. I remember the mistakes I made even in the two sections that I actually passed. And of course, I remember the mistakes I made in the section I failed.

I guess there's a sense of the blind leading the blind when it comes to preparing. And maybe I could have prepared more. But I did not participate in a lot of study groups this time around. Part of that was because my schedule simply wasn't conducive to studying in a group even though passing the OA was always a priority. I did manage to find the time to at least draft one Case Management memo this week, and I got good feedback from one of candidates who has been a study buddy of sorts. I also drafted good stories from my past that I can use in the Structured Interview section of the OA. I realize that any stories given must respond directly to the question being asked. But at least having these stories available, stories I can tailor, lowers the chance of coming up empty on Monday when prompted to speak.

I've also read the 13 Dimensions carefully. Following the 6 Precepts got me through the QEP. Now I want to make sure that I demonstrate the 13 Dimensions so I can get a conditional job offer. It sounds simple, but these Dimensions often have several parts to them. Another tricky thing is remembering which Dimensions are assessed when. Reading the official study guide helped. I even took a few passages from that guide that explicitly stated what to do and what not to do and compiled a list of this information. I will take that information to heart this time.

So I am cautiously optimistic. I know I've passed two of the three components before. And I know why I failed the third component. This time should be different. I've got one practice Group Exercise later this morning and then it's a matter of studying independently for the Structured Interview again so I can max out the points there. I consider that the easiest part of the OA, so I want to max out my points there.

Let's do this.