In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods, or notations held by one or more people or groups of people. So the short answer is no. In finance work mindset can be an obstacle to study mindset.
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Why Self Study is so hard
“The biggest reason for failure in the CFA exams is the difficulty of self-study”, says Mark Meldrum. He’s in a position to know. For most of his career he had the benefit of teaching in a structured educational setting. Students left their rooms, entered the building then crossed the threshold of the classroom. Through that series of tasks, almost a ritual, students prepped their brain to be ready to learn.
Sitting alone in a room after or before a long day at demanding work, with no structure leaves the candidate who already has a career at a disadvantage. Ah for the good old days when that mindset shift that preps the brain to learn was automatic. Ah for the good old days with syllabuses and quizzes and assignments and midterms; all testing midpoints that the instructor was going to grade to tell you how you were doing before the big exam.
Shifting Gears — Work Mindset to Study Mindset
Success at work = knowing a lot, being an expert.
Success in study prep = learning a lot of new things you don’t already know.
The successful student mindset is one that is open to learn and able to focus on new concepts. The successful student mindset is one of growth not expertise.
So what’s the magic formula to get into the winning mindset? We see 3 inputs that add up to success.
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Acceptance of the needed shift. Not knowing is the precedent to learning.
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Carving out specific times with a beginning and an end to learning time.
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Practicing a ritual that takes you away from work mindset to study and then back again.
You can set these steps up on your own.
(Candidates who study together pass together. Try our free matching service to find your passing partner.)
(Want to know how effective your current study approach is? Take a 2-minute survey and get your score.)
