Monday 22 May 2017

Pass your CIMA OT exam with these handy tips!

Are you preparing for your CIMA OT exam? It can be easy to feel overwhelmed, with so many different topics and possible questions! If you are feeling like you are not sure which route to take, have no fear. I was speaking to an examiner the other day and they told me about a route through the exam that will navigate you towards success!

The FIRST step you should take in your CIMA OT exam: Skim read through all of the questions.
This step should only take you around 10 - 15 minutes. The key is to give each question a brief scan, which will give yourself an idea of each question type and its topic. If you can answer one of the shorter questions off the bat, we would definitely recommend doing so! By the end of this first scan, you will probably have answered around 10 to 15 questions with ease - not a bad start! I have spoken to a number of students who have tried this technique and it really works wonders for their confidence. Knowing that you can answer some of the questions so easily will definitely help you to feel calmer.

The second step: Revisit your unanswered questions.
This is easy to do - simply click on 'Review incomplete items' in the review screen to see all of the questions that you now need to focus on. There is a particular type of question here that you need to look for: slightly longer questions that you feel confident answering. It depends on the topic that the questions are focused on, but this technique could get you up to 30 questions answered! Don't forget to keep an eye on the time, however, as there are still more questions to be answered!

The third step: Take on the tricky questions!
One of the final steps is something that my students often find the most difficult - answering the questions that they find the most difficult. These questions often involve complex data and consideration of approach. Other questions may be very short, but you are simply unsure of the answer! The key here is to not panic - you are halfway there. Make sure you do not lose any precious time by giving yourself around 3 minutes for each question - and be strict on this! Reached the end of this time and still not sure? One of my students recommended a great approach - 'Flag' up the question and come back to it after you have answered all of the other questions.

The fourth (and last) step.

By this time, you should be around 85 minutes into the exam. Once you reach this time, a window will pop up and inform you that there are five minutes to go. Use this time wisely - it will go much quicker than you think. Go back to any questions that you have flagged up and try to answer them as best as you can. Remember - any that have not been completed at all will get NO marks, so if in serious doubt, trying going with your instinct or which answer may seem the most logical. 

You can find all the materials you need for your OT test on our Astranti website, including our full courses available here: http://www.astranti.com/cima/operational/otcourses.html

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