How succesful have CIMA Operational students been in 2017?

One thing I know is that finding out how other students have handled exams is a great way to help you build your own tailored study plan. Statistics don't lie - if lots of other students struggle to pass an exam, the likelihood is you will also need to study extra hard for it.

As we enter into the final months of 2017, now is the perfect time to look back at how students have performed with CIMA this year . The following Operational CIMA results can show you how to tailor your own revision patterns to ensure CIMA success at Operational level...

This student's story will change your revision forever...

Trust me, signing up for an online course will mean the difference between you passing and failing your exam. When striving to succeed in a CIMA exam, going it alone without the support of an online tutor, is not a good idea - as one of our recent graduates will contest!

Tim*, who spent four years trying to pass the Strategic Case Study exam, managed to finally achieve  his pass on the August 2017 sitting. How did he manage this after failing for so long? Read on to find out!

Help - it's the night before my exam!

It's the night before your CIMA exam and you're nervous and unsure how to proceed. Should you stay up and try and cram in as much extra revision as possible? Should you get an early night? Should you go for a run to try and clear your mind?

We've all been there - it can be a tricky decision. Many of us end up buckling under the pressure and trying to revise as much as possible until the early hours - but time and time again studies have shown this is not the best approach. Read on to find out how you can make the most of your pre-exam evening and set yourself up for CIMA success the next day!

Guarantee CIMA success with this time management plan!

Good time management is essential for succeeding in any occupation - but to succeed as a CIMA qualified account, excellent time management needs to become second nature to you!

Of course, you want to get qualified so that you can kick-start your career - but you should also see your CIMA revision as an opportunity to perfect the time management skills that will be so essential to you as you progress. Read on to find out how to manage your time and master your CIMA revision!

Kick-start your revision - using algorithms!

What is one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century? Computers. It seems that in the modern day the whole world is computerized - your CIMA exams will even need to be sat using a computer! We rely on computerized systems so much because they are infallible, in a way that other human-controlled systems are not.

Sometimes, when work or revision is stressful, we all wish we could perform tasks as well as computers can. But what can we learn from these devices and how can this help your CIMA revision? Read on to find out...

Part 2: Make the most of your mocks!

I'm sure you know how important it is to take mocks before your real CIMA exams, however, many students fail to make the most out of their mocks, and I don't want you to be one of those students! 

In Part 1 of this blog post, I discussed the ways to make your revision questions dynamic, interesting and engaging. Well, now it's time to turn our attention to mock exams - so keep reading to find out the best techniques for using mock exams as part of your CIMA revision!

How can the Compound Effect change my revision?

Have you ever walked into the self help section of a book store? If you have, then you may have noticed that there are a good number of books claiming to perform near miracles in a very short amount of time. Become happier in six days? Sounds good! Stop smoking after one session with a hypnotist? Sign me up! Learn how to grow your own money tree? This book comes with free saplings to get you started!

Okay, so maybe some of these aren't exactly the real deal – but it doesn't stop a lot of books from claiming to change your life in under a week. As great (and easy) as it sounds, the effects are unlikely to last long term. In order to see real results, you must keep working on your goals consistently. How can we do this? We have some great tips from one of the most successful self help gurus - no money trees included!

A revision guide just for you!

I was speaking to a student recently who narrowly failed the exam. Why was this? He had good intentions and studied the material, but unfortunately his planning let him down. With so much information needed for the Case Study exam, it can sometimes be overwhelming. It's tempting to give more attention to certain theories or texts, but you do need to have a balance!

Fear not, however, if you struggle with this – Astranti have a general study plan right here. Don't worry about sticking to the exact dates, as I know that you are all very busy, but this can be used as a helpful guide for your CIMA journey.

A trio of materials to combat the CIMA exam!

 It's not long until the CIMA pre-seen is released! How is your revision going? Do you feel like your mind is blossoming with knowledge or do you currently feel like a stick in the mud who is feeling a little overwhelmed? Have no fear, we are here to help!

Our very first piece of advice would be to start your revision now. Yes, right now, before you start reading that 900-page book, begin studying origami or planning a walk that will take you as far away from the CIMA exam as possible. But without a pre-seen available from CIMA yet, how can you start revising? Well, we may have the materials just for you! The answer is in our Ethics pack, Course Videos and Study Texts. With these three, we have a trio to combat CIMA!

Must know tips from the OCS examiners!

The May 2016 CIMA Operational Case Study Examiner's Report has just been released – as always it contains valuable information for students about to take their CIMA exams. 

It amazes me that so many CIMA students don't pay attention to the Examiners' Reports. After all, they are the people you need to impress on the big day!

These reports highlight the same old issues that come up time and time again. They summarise the mistakes students are making in the exams and give important and helpful advice on areas they should improve.



Make sure you don't ignore these! To help you out we've captured the key points from the May report here:

Why starting now can maximise your chances of passing!

It can be tempting to wait until the pre-seen is released, before starting revision for a CIMA Case Study exam.

But are there things you could be doing before-hand? Of course, the answer is always yes!

The earlier you can start your CIMA preparation, the more flexibility you will have with your revision and the more chance you will have of covering all of the required areas.

I know from the experience of working with many CIMA students over the years, that the ones that start early, have the better chance of passing their exam!

With this in mind, here are a few things you could be doing before the pre-seen is released:

Don't let stress be the reason for failing your CIMA exams!

Stress can be your biggest enemy when it comes to your CIMA exams! In my fifteen years of teaching, I've seen excellent students fail their exams due to an inability to manage their stress levels! This is such a shame as they often work long and hard to achieve success.

Remember, everyone gets nervous in the build up to important events. Whether it's starting a new job, attending an interview or making a wedding speech, it's perfectly natural to feel butterflies in your stomach before the big day.

Sportsmen often say that a little stress is a good thing as it actually improves their performance. Similarly many famous actors suffer from stage fright just before giving outstanding performances on the stage.

Like these successful people, the secret is it to control the stress not let the stress control you!

So, let's think about stress in terms of your CIMA exams. Take a look at these 5 great tips that could be key the to passing:

Model, Average or Disaster Student... Which one are you?

People regularly use the term “The Model Student” within the education industry when describing what the ideal student would do when passing their exams with top marks.

However, the idea of the model student can seem a bit out of reach for some students, as they may think that they will never get to that level.

I wanted to explore the idea of the model student therefore, in order to try and work out what really makes the perfect student within the accountancy world, with the hope of potentially inspiring a few students to reach that little bit further within their own studies to achieve the best that they possibly can.

To start off with however, we need to give the model student term a little bit more context. So let's first look at what makes an average student.

Don't make this big mistake!

I was recently approached by a worried student who was struggling to remember his theory. He was spending hours reading the CIMA Study Text but simply couldn't remember what he'd just read - nothing was going in! He talked me through his revision technique and basically we soon released that he didn't have a strategy. He simply spent hours reading through the CIMA Study Text over and over again. 

His biggest mistake was that he was not taking notes. I suggested that he should spend one hour on a specific subject annotating the text and capturing the key points as he went along. I am pleased to say that he was quickly able to take me through the CIMA subject in great detail much to his own surprise!

Sometimes it isn't enough to simply read through a piece of text - in my experience you have to take things a step further like this student did. Take notes as you go along. The process of reading a portion of text and then translating this into a written note helps your brain to consume and understand the information. It also helps you to remember it at a later date.

To help you do this really well, here are 8 simple but effective note-taking tips:

Operational Level 2015 - Pass Rates

2015 was expected to be a difficult year with the introduction of the new syllabus. 

However, many students performed well considering the change. There were those who might have been a little apprehensive or not as accepting at the start, with some students having studied with CIMA (and the old syllabus) for a long time.

Objective Test Pass Rates

As you can see though, the official results below give a good indication of how operational OT students have performed between January and December 2015:

How to plan your revision (around your life!)

Revision is inherently not meant to be enjoyable. At the same time, we all need to do it at some point or another and we can’t put it off for ever.

With the latest set of case study exams just around the corner for operational, management and strategic case study students, it is currently crunch time when it comes to swotting up on everything you need to know!

Having spoken to many students in the past regarding all levels of exams, as well as during the lead up to these particular ones, I have had a number of questions concerning how best to approach the exam and revision process in general. Although it can be different for every student individually, one common theme I have gathered from listening to these students is that the revision is not the only thing that they have had to think about during the last few weeks.