There are times in life when you find yourself treading an all-too-familiar path. While you may have thought your studying and exam days were long behind you, you discover that your career depends on your ability to pass a professional test. This is never a pleasant feeling, but it’s a familiar one for thousands of workers.

If you find yourself having to go back to school, in a sense, for the sake of career advancement, then here’s how you can make the process as easy on yourself as possible.

Choose the right professional development course

Not all courses are made equal, so do your research prior to signing up with a particular course provider. If possible, ask your employer or fellow employees for their advice on which courses might be most beneficial— at the very least, this is a sign to your boss that you’re seeking to expand your experience and knowledge in your role, which is never a bad thing.

Remember that there’s second chances

One of the great things about professional development qualifications is that there’s always a second chance, and a third, and a fourth… and so on and so forth. Unlike when you were at school or college, there’s no cut-off date to worry about; no particular point when you have to have achieved a certain level of knowledge. So go at your own pace and focus on actually learning the skills you need to learn to develop your career, rather than just learning when you need to pass the exam.

Use the help available to you

Now you’re learning as an adult, you have far more choice over the assistance you are able to use. It’s completely acceptable to turn to professional coaches when studying for a professional development exam; just do your research to ensure you find the right coach for your chosen field.

Some coaching can even be done online; if you’re looking to certify your clinical skills, then you can find out more about your online options, and the same applies to clerical or web-related qualifications. For more practical qualifications — such as health and safety or those in the construction industry — you will probably need to look for offline coaching, so browse your local listings for advice.

Don’t try and “cram” prior to your test

Cramming didn’t work when you were in high school and college, and it’s not going to work now you’re an adult. There are good reasons why cramming doesn’t work, so there’s little point in trying to overcome these. Instead, create a schedule that allows you to dedicate your time to studying in small, but beneficial, chunks on a daily basis. This is far more likely to be able to produce the results you’re hoping for than pulling an “all-nighter” prior to the test itself.

In conclusion

If you can keep the above in mind, then your progress through your professional development should be as smooth as it can possibly be— and you’ll be able to achieve the changes you need to advance your career in the future.