Revision tip - Getting help from each other

One of the issues with self-study is the risk of students becoming isolated with their revision.

Whilst revising online offers fantastic flexibility, it's important that students make use of the support networks available to them. 

Otherwise it becomes increasingly difficult to highlight any areas that are being missed out and it can cause the revision to become too narrow.

With this in mind, here are three benefits of not studying alone.

SCS February 2016 examiner's report- what can we learn?

One of the best ways to prepare for a future exam is to look at what the examiners have to say about a previous sitting.

After each Case Study sitting the examiners write a report of what they noticed and what tips they would give to future students.

Here is a summary of some of the key themes from the February report:

Pre-seen Preparation

A simple tip to help make your revision sink in...

Sometimes it's easy to spend hours revising, revising and revising for your CIMA exams, to find that at the end of it all it feels like you can't remember a single thing.

This is obviously not ideal!

In my 15 years of teaching accountancy exams, I have found a number of ways to overcome this such as effective note-taking and having a structured revision plan.

However, there is an even more obvious way to make your CIMA revision more effective with minimal effort. It may seem simple but is often ignored by many students!

Revision tips- There's no standard formula for success!

With the amount of effort we invest in our revision, it's only natural to question if we are making the most of our time.

It can be tempting to look at what other people are doing and base our revision plan on that. 

But who is to say that what works for someone else is going to work for you?

Many academics have published theory on how we fit into different types of learning styles.

Some suggest there are as many as seven types of learning styles with others simplifying it down to three. 

It all essentially comes down to how you work best - Do you enjoy reading through the text? Do you respond better to the visual aids in a video? Do you prefer to get hands-on and practice for yourself?

Find what suits you...

SCS Student Experience Survey- Learn From the Past!

If you have yet to take your Case Study exam, what better preparation than to learn from those who have?

It has been a couple of weeks since we launched a survey for SCS students taking the February sitting of the exam- and there has been some interesting results!

A really useful start to revising for a future exam is to look at what past students have said- to ensure you learn from their mistakes and take tips from their successes.

So with that in mind, here are some of the key themes to come from the February SCS survey results:

Preparation

We asked the students how difficult they found the exam in relation to their expectations:

Strategic Pass Rates 2015

2015 was expected to be a difficult year with the introduction of the new syllabus. 

However, many students performed well considering the change. There were those who might have been a little apprehensive or not as accepting at the start, with some students having studied with CIMA (and the old syllabus) for a long time.

Objective Test Pass Rates

As you can see though, the official CIMA results below give a good indication of how management OT students have performed between January and December 2015:

SCS - Overview of the November Examiner's Report

During the build up to the February exam, we thought we'd take this opportunity to share with you some vital comments from the November SCS Examiner's Report.

This will give you a valuable insight as it will help you to understand what the Examiner will be looking out for in your own exam.

Top case study tips from student ranked 5th in the world!

Earlier this month thousands of students got their results from the November case study exams. Having spoken to a number of these students, there was a rather mixed set of results, with some unfortunately just missing out and others excelling in the final exam.

Last week CIMA released the list of top performers in each of the November case study exams.

Among these lists, there was once again a familiar name.

Student survey - What does it take to pass the Objective Tests?

You may remember a post back in June where we brought you the results from our student survey asking what it takes to pass the OT exams..

Well if not, then I'd like to share with you the latest results from that same survey, which has now had over a hundred responses from OT students from all levels, Operational, Management and Strategic.

The Key Points

The first results are based on the hours spent on revision per week: 

Industry Research Checklist - CIMA Strategic Case Study Exam

One of the key areas where you can gain extra marks in the case study exam is having a deep understanding of the company and the industry in which it operates.

We find many students are unsure where to begin when it comes to researching the industry and often there is just too much information available! It can be hard for them to distinguish what is relevant, distill the key points, how they relate to the case study and how they can be applied in the exam to gain vital marks.

So, to ensure you are on the right track we have produced a list of key topics for you to focus on. We recommend that you use this as a checklist when researching the industry. 

Industry Topics

The Products and their History