Hints and Tips about taking exams
Once you have taken on board what you can do to help yourself to study, there are some additional hints and tips that should be useful for anyone taking CIM examinations.
Since the CIM qualification portfolio has been updated, there are now fewer examinations to sit compared to before. This is because CIM selected assessment methods that were considered to be the optimal way of testing the learning outcomes of each unit, and for most this was considered to be through assignments rather than examinations. However, some employers and our regulatory authority favour an element of external assessment, which is why at least one unit at each level is assessed by examination.
Exam Technique
It may seem obvious, but when sitting exams, you need to answer the questions set – all too often, students spot key words in an exam question and then write all they know about that topic without first taking the time to understand what the examiner is asking them to do with this information.
Before you write anything in the exam, read the questions carefully and plan your answers; it is always apparent who has spent a few minutes planning their work as these answers are presented in a more coherent and professional manner – imagine you are getting paid for what you write – would someone be prepared to pay for your answers? This might seem strange, but I have often heard examiners say that the acid test they apply for deciding whether or not to pass a paper is “would I employ this person?” This being the case, whatever you present must be legible, credible and it must answer the question set.
Mock Examinations
Not many people like exams, but if there is chance to do a mock exam, take it! View it as a learning exercise and take heed of your tutor’s feedback. You may not fare as well as you would like, but even the opportunity to write for three hours is good practice, and feedback will highlight the areas where you need to do further revision!
It is very common that people write impressive answers when given unlimited time, but answers look very different and often lack elements that are awarded high marks when written under pressure of time.
Beware of ‘theory dumping’ – writing all you know about something – without any application. At higher levels, you need to show critical analysis and support your assessment of a situation with relevant models and any recommendations need to be well justified. All CIM examinations are now based on case studies so be sure that you refer to these in your answers and not just as an afterthought – the scenario needs to be an integral part of your answer. If someone can take what you have written and apply it to virtually any other case, then it is too generic and not sufficiently applied.
Maximise Your Marks
It is important that you attempt the total number of questions that you are required to do; most students gain the majority of their marks in the first half of the answers they write, so spending too much time on any one question is likely to gain you fewer marks than if you make a start on all the questions that you need to do. This also applies to all the different elements of Question 1 in Part A – if you miss out the last part of the question, this could lose you as many marks as omitting a question from Part B.
If most people get the equivalent of a ‘C’ grade for a pass paper, which equates to 10-11/20 or 12-14/25, then if you miss out a question, this could affect your overall mark by a grade! Consequently, make sure you do all the questions you need to!