Say you can and you can, even if you can’t; say you can’t and you can’t, even if you can.

Taking bidding as an example, if you don’t go to the client’s office to ask the person in charge what’s really going on, and instead just read the bidding documents and assume you’ll top the scoring and win the contract, you’re almost certainly going to be disappointed. In other words, it’s far more important to privately communicate with the client and understand their real goals than to just start working blindly.

You might be weak in some areas, but that’s fine—as long as you’re strong in at least one area.

Then you can design a customized exam specifically targeting that strength of yours. You’ll score first, and just like that, you have your excuse to prove you’re the right fit.