5 Tips You Can Implement Today That Will Yield Big Results Come Your Exam

As the May exams are almost upon us, I’ve been asked by a number of CIMA students for my advice on what they should be doing in the last few days before their exam. Whilst I can’t speak for everyone, there are little things you can ahead of the exam that can leave you better prepared than most, and I wanted to share those little things which worked for me.

These tips can be implemented today, and although they may seem small, they pack a huge punch.

Let’s get right to it…

1)    Self test yourself on key phrases, models, formulas

Just passively reading may seem like you’re being productive but this is nowhere near as effective as actively testing your memory so that you can recall key bits of information that you can then use the exam.

Go over key areas of the syllabus such as ratios, theoretical models, industry examples, quotes from accounting standards and key definitions and then see if you can write them down on a blank sheet of paper without looking.

 2)    Look over the most recent past paper and model answer

This will remind you of the sort of questions that can come up and how they are asked.

More specifically, look at how the questions are structured and the verbs that are used. Often questions come in multiple parts and the verbs require you to write your answer in a certain way, such as to discuss or to evaluate.

Try and produce a draft answer to these questions using headings and bullet points. Your aim here is to identify the separate requirements within each question and the sort of points you’d need to address in your answer if you were writing it in full. This will help you frame the sort of answers you should be producing in the real exam and give the examiner what they are looking for.

Review your answer plan against the model answer – were you on the right track?

 3)    Read the most recent Post Exam Guide

This is all about avoidance of common mistakes. Even the smartest students make mistakes and whilst no one is expecting you to produce a perfect exam script, you definitely want to minimise the risk of failing and instead get yourself the clear pass you’re after.

Having a greater awareness of the usual mistakes made in the exam paper into and an insight into what the examiner expressly says you should to avoid doing, will leave you less likely to fall into the same traps that other students have.

4)    Write down some key points that you can look over on the day of the exam

Here you just want no more than a side of a4 of the key things you want to remember when you are sitting the exam. You don’t want to cram in too much info as this will cloud your mind but a few key pointers that will lodge in your brain and come to you when under the pressure of the exam can be valuable

These key pointers could be key concepts that are bound to be tested on in the exam, the types of verbs commonly used in questions and what they mean, and the mistakes highlighted in the post exam guides that you want to remind yourself to avoid.

5)    Relax and take your mind off the exam/s

Don’t revise too hard.   Believe or not, taking yourself away from your studies can be benefitial at this stage. Why? Well it’s like when you are asked a quiz question by a friend and the answer is on the tip of your tongue but try as you might, you can’t recall what it is. Then a few hours later, when you’re in the shower or watching TV, boom! It comes to you.

Our minds work in mysterious ways and for some reason, the more relaxed we are and the less we try to think about something, the more chance there is of it sinking in.

A great option here is to schedule in some exercise each day before the exam to get a good flow of oxygen into your brain that will help with the clarity of your thoughts and alertness come the big day.

To Finish Up…

All of these tips may sound obvious and simple but you’d be surprised at how well they can work for you when you are sitting in that exam room. More importantly, as a former student myself, I know that having enough time to prepare for the CIMA exams is one of the biggest challenges you can face. That’s why I wanted share with you only those tips that will take up a minimal amount of your time.

I hope you implement at least one of these strategies, and if you’d like to add anything, or suggest a quick tip of your own, I’d be interested to hear it and I’m sure other students would be very thankful! Just add it to the comment section below.

If you’ve found value in this post, please click one of the buttons on this page to share it! Thanks so much, and good luck with your exams!

Cheers

 

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