3 lessons from the Bollywood movie ‘12th Fail’ that helped me clear the ICF CKA Examination

It was opportune to watch ‘12th Fail’ about a couple of weeks before my ICF CKA examination. I was already hearing stories of the difficulty level and the repeat attempts which coaches have to give to clear the exam and get their certification.

‘12th fail’ is based on a true story of a candidate from Chambal who despite limited means clears the examination and becomes an Indian Police Service officer (IPS) after several attempts.

The new ICF Coach Knowledge Assessment (CKA) exam is more secure, allowing each candidate to have a fair, equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skill in coaching while being monitored by an online proctor. ICF has partnered with Pearson VUE to deliver the new ICF Credentialing Exam.

Here is what inspired me and helped me to clear my ICF CKA examination in the first attempt.

I practiced studying for long hours

The protagonist in the movie, Manoj, studies for long hours, while simultaneously working the balance available hours in a library or flour mill.

The movie motivated me and was a reminder to put consistent efforts behind my examination.

In this age of Netflix and reels, attention spans are already dwindling. As I was grappling to focus my attention, I reminded myself to devote fixed hours to studying and practiced reading case studies, material on ethics and competencies by the ICF.

Devised my strategy for the exam

Manoj consulted many people who either cleared the exam or had failed and then build a strategy based on his strengths.

Finding the strategy which works for me involved learning from YouTube videos and other coaches who have already cleared the exam to get some valuable inputs.

The ICF CKA examination requires the best and the worst answer to 81 questions and the completion time is about 3 hours. I also gave many mock tests, some of them 3-4 times so that I had a strategy in place to make the best and the worst choice from the options.

Did not let thoughts of failure affect me

In the movie, Manoj fails an attempt because he incorrectly reads terrorism instead of tourism. Instead of brooding over it, he got back to studying with sheer grit and determination.

As a coach I acknowledge my clients for what is working well and build from there. Each time a thought of not clearing or having a difficult question surfaced, I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I have got it.

Many questions were situations which I had faced in my coaching clients. It was easier for me to answer when I placed myself in the shoes of a coach who would face this situation live.

Sometimes art imitates real life and at other times art inspires one.

For me, the movie came at the right time and reminded me of my capabilities and the memory of clearing a difficult examination of chartered accountancy at 21 years of age.

Dear reader, I am a proud ICF-PCC certified coach after clearing the exam. In gratitude, I am planning to watch the movie again at a nearby theatre.

What movies have inspired you to give your best?

Sunny is founder at Sunny Connect, a firm specialising in curating programs for Conscious Leadership Development and can be reached at coach@sunnyconnect.in