November OCS - Key points from the examiner's report

Reading the examiner's report can help by giving you an understanding of what the examiner will be looking out for in your own exam.

This way you can build a better structure to your revision, ensuring that the key points are covered by the time the exam comes along next week.

1. Application to the pre-seen = Good

The examiner seemed happy to see that the majority of students were able to apply their knowledge of the theory well to the pre-seen case study itself. This is an important thing to get right, as it shows that you can apply a theory within a worked example, something that will eventually be an everyday part of most of your careers. The examiner also emphasised that there was a good knowledge of the pre-seen company, meaning that students had put in the right amount of time and effort into developing an overall understanding of the pre-seen company, the industry and the potential threats and opportunities that the company may face.

2. Time management = Generally Good

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 Results - 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 Operational 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

History

• How old is the industry?
• How did it originate?
• What’s the history from that start point to now?
• Industry life cycle