50% of students found the exam to be more difficult than they expected. See the results from our survey...

Learning from the experience of past CIMA Operational Case Study students can be the recipe for success!

So it's been a couple of weeks since we launched our OCS Experience Survey, and the results beginning to emerge are very interesting.

Learning lessons from CIMA students who have been through the exam can really help you to achieve success. Find out below how difficult students found they exam, their most common mistakes, and where they felt they should have spent more time during their revision.

Don't take it lightly

We asked students how difficult the exam was compared to their expectations:

Much More Difficult - 20%    More Difficult - 33.3%    As Expected - 40%    Easier - 6.7%    Much Easier - 0%

The most important thing to note from this result is that over 50% of students found the exam to be at least more difficult than they expected. 

With only 7% of students stating they found the exam easier than anticipated!

This should leave you in no doubt about how seriously you should be taking this exam, and how much preparation will be required.

Planning your answers

Many students fall into the trap of trying to get straight into answering a question as quickly as possible. 

This is a natural response to working under time constraints. 

However spending a bit of time to plan your answer really could make all the difference to how many marks you get. 

Here are some quotes from the survey:

"I still could of planned the answers better"

"Plan the answer in headings onscreen, then explain the headings referring back to the pre-seen"

"Practise answer planning as much as you can"

Simple techniques such as using headings can add structure to your answer and allow you the freedom to hit the requirements of the question. 

Learn the theory

One of the earliest trends to come out the survey was that students wished they had spent more time revising the theory. 

You can see that this was the one topic most students wished they had spent more time on. 

The examiners will not be afraid to test you on any part of the syllabus so you need to make sure you have a sound understanding of everything from F1, P1 and E1. 

When creating your revision plan, ensure you dedicate enough time to revision of the thoery, as this really will enable you to pass the exam. 

Help is on hand

We have a number of resources, such as our Study Text which cover all of the topics listed above, from Time Management to key theory. 

Why not take a look at all of the resources we offer for the OCS exam?- Click here