Feeling confused about this dua

It is kind of hard to explain,

Describe in a way or something similar and hopefully we should be able to help

IT is hard to explain.
The dua is quite personal, It is not impossible, if God wills it can happen. But the problem is, when i see the people who have gone through the same, i feel like it is a pattern and dua can't change it, Here is an example of what i mean by a pattern. For instance, there are two students who did not study for an exam, and attend it, Afterwards, one of them B starts making dua to Allah to help him pass, while the other doesnt. So do you think B might pass the exam because he made endless dua? or should he understand that since those people who do not study are bound to fail, so making a dua is of no use, and instead he should start making dua for something else,
It is not related to exam or anything, but the problem i am going through is a test and ive seen people who are not prepared usually, do not get affable results, but like i sd, by dua the kid might miraculously pass, even though it might make him lazy when it comes to studying and more reliant on making dua

Sister i explain something. Remember when a bedouin man told Rasool SAW should tie my camel or is tawkkal enough? Rasool SAW said tie ur camel then have faith in God. Meaning do your efforts then Allah will facilitate the rest. Simply praying isn't enough. So you have to do both. And make sure to thank Allah at the end. And if you don't do well, either it was because you didn't work hard enough or Allah didn't decree it. But that should not stop you from not trying again. Keep trying and Inshallah Allah will make it easier. Maybe some failures are decreed in order to make us more wiser and smarter for the next test. So hope this helps. May Allah make easy ur situation

But doesn't the dua have the ability to change the decree/qadr?
and what about events in which your hands are tied, ad you can't make any effort?

format_quote Originally Posted by wayfarer91

But doesn't the dua have the ability to change the decree/qadr?
and what about events in which your hands are tied, ad you can't make any effort?

Assalamualaikum. A girl in 4th grade was making dua to top the exam without making any effort. She had full trust on Allah SWT but she didn't work hard for the exam. The result was obvious then. She didn't get what she wanted. Next time in her entrance examination of uni, she worked hard and made dua. She put all the efforts and then left it to Allah SWT. She made dua at tahajjud crying for it. Guess what? She got 3rd rank in the whole country. From this example, we may conclude that dua as well as efforts are necessary which is very nicely discussed in this and your other thread. Coming to dua changing qadr, if the girl had just worked hard but didn't make dua, it could have happened that she might have gotten sick before exam or she couldn't complete the exam in the given time or she might have gotten nervous before it that she wouldn't have given the exam. BUT because she made dua,all this didn't happen. This is how dua can change qadr. And if she had put efforts plus made dua,still she didn't get it,then know that it wasn't good for her. She might have gotten arrogant after securing top rank which was indeed bad for her so Allah SWT wouldn't have allowed her to gain top rank.
If you think you really cannot make any effort for the thing you want,then just make dua. And if it's in your best interest,you will get it inshaallah but if it is causing you any harm, then Allah SWT will replace it with something better.

you said it aptly, i guess shetan's waswas and my hastiness are the problems that i need to address. Just pray sister, i get what i want. i don't have much time, and everyone keeps saying how it will be too late