Is your exam preparation blurring your VISION, let alone your revision?
Do you have your fingers crossed hoping that your current approach will work?
The hard truth is, merely wishing to pass your CIMA exam is not enough.
If you don’t have concrete steps to take it can be frustrating and won’t actually help you get the results you want.
You need to take massive action and be determined if you want to reach exam success. Stop doing the things that are a waste of time, and start focusing your efforts on what does work.
Today, I’m going to make it easier for you to take action by providing you with 7 quick actions that will set you up for exam success.
Are you ready?
Action #1: Review the Most Recent Past Paper
In order to pass your CIMA exam, you need to be familiar with the volume of material contained in the question paper (particularly for higher level papers) how questions are asked, and the suggested approach to answering them (note you’re not expected to replicate the model answers).
It is also worth spending time reading through the most recent Post Exam Guide to see what the most common mistakes were. Write them down and use them as a checklist of what to avoid in both your exam practice and the real thing. Imagine if you don’t do this and you end up falling for the usual pitfalls and ultimately fail? You will have to take the exam again and spend even more time and perhaps money.
Action #2: Purchase a Decent Calculator for your CIMA Exam
The right calculator will become your best friend for your CIMA exam. It’ll help you move from one calculation to the next faster than a faulty calculator. Practice using it and become familiar with the functions.
Time is the essence in nearly every exam.
Action #3: Mark on Your Calendar the Days that you’ll Study per Week
If you are not intentional about studying, it’ll be difficult to pass your exam. The only way that worked for me was to mark on my calendar the days that I’d be studying each week for the build up to the exam day. Start off with the exam day/s and work your way backwards to present day.
By seeing study sessions on my calendar as appointments, it helped me commit to studying. I studied almost every day. It helped with the load and also helped me become more familiar with the content as I went on.
Cramming on weekends may seem to work for some, but I discourage this method. After all, you are not studying to only pass the exam, but to become an ACMA. If you learn only to pass, what will happen at work when you are required to apply your CIMA knowledge? You guessed it right; it won’t take you very far.
Mark your calendar. Stick to your schedule. Study as often as possible.
Action #4: Tell Family & Friends of Your CIMA Goal
Although this action may not seem important, believe me, it is! Your family and friends play a huge role in helping you reach your ACMA credential.
Imagine that you marked your calendar and plan to study each day for 2 hours. If your friends and family don’t know about your goal, they may ask you to do something else instead and stop you in your tracks. This can often lead to arguments and frustration.
It’d be very easy to push studying to the side and spend time with them, but that won’t help you reach your goal of passing your exam. However, if they know what you are up to, they will be understanding and won’t distract you as much or at all. Wouldn’t that help you stick to your schedule and increase the likelihood of passing the exam?
I’m not advocating to cut-off relationships with your loved ones. I’m simply suggesting you share with them that you will be preparing for your exams, and that you’ll need to block certain hours and days to study.
The easiest way to do this is to send a mass email to your friends and family. They will be excited for you, and don’t be surprised of all the encouragement you’ll receive from them.
Action #5: Select the Questions you’ll focus on most in your Exam Practice
Sometimes it’s exhausting and demotivating to sit full exams. I know that was true for me.
It can be particularly challenging when we know we have particular topics, question types or exam formats that we have struggled with previously.
We all have weaknesses. It’s okay to admit to that.
However, what we can do is tackle those areas of weakness early on so that we can improve our technique well before the exam. I suggest selecting as many past paper questions on those weaker areas as possible and focusing in on them until you are more confident you can deal with them.
This action helped me because I knew that if I ignored the tougher questions and procrastinated it was only going to make life twice as hard come exam time. It worked because I was disciplined and ultimately passed my exams.
This method may or may not motivate you. But if you think it could work, it’s worth a try.
Action #6: Have a Time Plan
A time plan for your exam is crucial. You need to know how long to spend on each section and each question to maximise your marks but also know when to move on and ensure you complete the paper. There is nothing more frustrating than missing out on valuable marks in the exam hall because you didn’t finish or even attempt a question.
Draw up a time plan and practice implementing it in your question practice. You want to use it as a checklist and refer to it regularly as you go through the paper.
I had this etched in my brain before my exams so I knew at certain points during the exam when I needed to move on. Don’t ignore this step.
Action #7: Pre-Determine Your Study Breaks
Taking breaks is very important. If you get burnt out, it’ll be more difficult to stay on track.
However, taking breaks is a double-edge sword. Taking too many breaks can derail you but not taking enough can zap your energy level and concentration.
What’s the solution? Determine ahead of time when you’ll take breaks each week. Why? Because you’ll be committed to studying and also committed to relaxing.
Knowing when it’s OK to relax will actually help you enjoy it more. If you take breaks without order, you may feel stressed out during your breaks because it’ll feel like you are wasting time. We’ve all had those feelings of guilt right?
Pre-determine when you’ll take breaks and mark it on your calendar. For me, it was always Sundays. I spent the whole day watching sport with friends and family.
Final Thoughts
These are all quick actions you can take today. These actions will set you up for exam success, which is my ultimate goal.
Don’t procrastinate any longer! Becoming an ACMA will open many doors for you in your career that will ultimately bring more wealth and happiness to you and your loved ones.
As your CIMA mentor, I’m here to guide you to the best of my ability. My only goal is to see you pass your exams on your first try.
Share this post with others who may benefit from it. All the social icons are right below this post.
If you have any quick actions that have worked for you and that are not listed here, feel free to drop them in the comments section. Good Karma awaits you!
Talk soon,
Matt
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