10 last things to pass your SCS exams!

With the SCS exams starting next week, it's VITAL you make the most of the remaining days. However, having over-seen a number of case study exams I know how difficult it can be to know what to do between now and next week - so I have decided to share with you a plan to follow.

Through speaking with past students and using my own experience I have created a tried-and-tested list of 10 things you should be doing before your exam: 

1) Read through the August Examiner's Report - this report contains very important information! It includes VITAL advice for students sitting the November exam and identifies exactly what the examiner's will be looking for! August SCS Examiner's Report

Learn from the Examiner's on How to Pass!

It's vital you make the most of these last few weeks before the exams start. With this in mind, I am going to share with you the key points from the latest SCS Examiner's Report.

Learning lessons from those who mark and assess the exam themselves could be all the difference between a pass and a fail this November. For every sitting I analyse the report and to share the key findings, and there is almost always one or two points which resonate with a lot of students.

The sound of success: How to Listen to Music and Work

Did you know, that listening to music could actually increase your productivity and improve your memory?

Past research has proved that a quiet and calm environment is the best way to revise your CIMA exams. However, many students do actually like to have background noise. According to a recent study listening to music during revision can improve your mood which in turn increases productivity and helps students to revise for longer. This is something I certainly find when tackling a heavy Pre-seen document!

Struggling to plan for your Strategic Exam? No worries, Astranti has you covered

The pre-seen is released. Yikes! Now is the time to start hard work, it is always difficult to know how best to revise and where to start. To help you, I have written up a schedule to give you an idea how to tackle the case study. In my experience, those who have a plan and stick to it are far more likely to pass the exam!

October
Monday 3rd- Official CIMA pre-seen release date - carefully read through the pre-seen case study.
Friday 7th- Watch the Course Videos and read through Study Text Part 1 - watch these to cement your knowledge of what's needed to pass the exam. We recommend these should be watched in synchrony with the Study Text Part 1. Watch a sample of our Course Videos
Monday 10th- Official Course Start Date
Thursday 13th- Begin to work your way through our pre-seen materials - These pre-seen case study materials helps to build an excellent foundation in preparation for the exam. The videos takes you through the whole document and highlights the important areas for you to focus on.
Sunday 16th- Read through Study Text Part 2 - Study Text Part 2 should be read continuously throughout the course. The Study Text Part 2 is a condensed version of our E2, F2 and P2 texts and particularly focuses on those areas most relevant to the case study-  Read a sample chapter of our Study Text Part 2.
Monday 17th- Work through the Ethics Pack- The Ethics Pack is a combination of a video and an e-book which covers a subject that regularly appears in the exam, and which many candidates overlook.
Wednesday 19th- Marker assigned to you
Saturday 22nd- Attend Masterclass 1 - (Watch the recorded version during the week if you are unable to attend the live session).
Sunday 23rd- Mock 1 deadline - Complete mock and send to your marker
Monday 24th- Study our Mock 1 solutions
Tuesday 25th Saturday 29th- Review Mock 1 feedback when returned by marker
Sunday 30th- Mock 2 deadline - Complete mock and send to your marker
Monday 31st- Study our Mock 2 solutions

November 
Tuesday 1st-Saturday 5th- Review Mock 2 feedback when returned by marker
Sunday 6th- Mock 3 deadline - Complete mock and send to your marker
Monday 7th- Study our Mock 3 solutions
Tuesday 8th-Saturday 12th- Review Mock 3 feedback when returned by marker
Sunday 13th- Masterclass 2 - (Watch the recorded version during the week if you are unable to attend the live session)
Tuesday 15th-Saturday 19th- Real exam
Wednesday 16th- Mock 4 deadline
Saturday 19th- Masterclass 2
Sunday 20th- Mock 5 deadline
Monday 21st- Study our Mock 5 solutions
Tuesday 22nd-Saturday 26th- Real exam
Whilst this schedule may look intimidating, you can use it as a framework to create your own schedule.  

Never too soon to prepare for that November sitting!

However far away the November exam may seem, you will be surprised how quickly it will come round. In my experience, making a plan early will really help you pass your exam! 

One question that I'm regularly asked is "When should I start my case study revision?". My response every time is 6 to 8 weeks before the exam, aiming for at least 10 hours of revision per week. Time and effort are key ingredients to success.

How to skim read!

When tackling a heavy document and only needing to pick out key topics, skim reading can often be the most effective tool for you to pick up information to help you pass you become CIMA qualified!

Skim reading is quickly going through whatever materials and trying to find keywords or topics. Before starting to skim through a document, think of the keywords and terms you are looking for, that way you have direction when you go into reading the document!

The Power of a Power Nap!

A surprising idea that will help you pass your exam - have the occasional power nap!

What is it? Well a power nap is a very short and light doze, no longer than 30 minutes. During this time, find a dark room and comfortable place to relax and lie down in, but not a place to snooze. Not sleeping is important because getting up after a few hours of napping just makes you feel sluggish and unproductive, so remember set a timer at the end of the nap to avoid this!

Do you get distracted? I know I do! Four tips to minimise distractions

Don't let distraction lead to CIMA failure! 

Sometimes, the temptation to get distracted and lose focus during CIMA exam periods can be almost irresistible. Going through the same or similar things over and over can be so frustrating that you spend your time staring at a wall, flicking through your phone or doing anything that isn't revising!

To overcome this, I have devised a few useful tips to help you become productive even when things get tough:

Three must read articles on the Wind Consultancy industry!

In my experience, students who dedicate time to researching the CIMA Case Study industry usually perform better. By doing this, it gives them a broader knowledge and the insight to enhance their exam answers and impress the CIMA examiners!

Remember, these are the people marking your scripts so listen to their advice. A good answer is a happy examiner, and a happy examiner equals a pass in the CIMA Case Study exam! 

To demonstrate my point, here is a quote from the latest CIMA Strategic Case Study report: 

"The pre-seen scenario was detailed and well prepared candidates should have been able to give good answers in the context of the industry." 

This shows that a wider understanding of the Wind Consultancy industry will help you when it comes to applying your knowledge in the CIMA August Case Study exam. With this in mind, here are three interesting articles I found to help contribute to your research:

Don't make the same mistakes as past students. Find out what they are...

So there's not much longer until the start of the CIMA Strategic Case Study exams! Are you ready? 

These last few days will be absolutely vital to your CIMA success, so make the most of the limited time available. I thought I would share with you the key points from the latest CIMA Strategic Case Study Examiner's Report as I really feel this is a great source of valuable information for everyone taking the exam in the coming weeks.

What better advice can you receive than from the examiners themselves? After all not only do they write the exam, they also mark it!

I attended a conference in London where examiners fed back on the performance of CIMA students. It's a shame that you were not all in the audience with me as they gave some great advice on how students can perform better in the exams. 

It was interesting to hear in the conference that the examiners were disappointed that many CIMA students did not take the time to read their reports, as the same problems were coming up time and time again. So to overcome this, we've captured the key points across the Examiner's Reports from the most recent sitting: