Exam Technique - please the examiner
- 1. Real Life Examination Techniques - How to please the examiner David Harris www.cimaguru.com
- 2. Who am I? CIMA member Ex-training manager (manufacturing) Ex-tutor (private sector) Management consultant (SME strategy etc.) Technical consultant to CIMA Examiner (Paper P6) 2005-2009 Author of CIMA: Pass First Time!
- 3. Overview Why students fail What examiners want How we write questions Spend more time on the questions Plan your answers more carefully Make sure you attempt everything Conclusions
- 4. Why students fail Answering the question they expected (or hoped for), not the one that was asked Answering only part of the question Writing ‘everything I know about…’ Answering a previous exam question, on the same topic Getting the verb ‘wrong’
- 5. What examiners want An easy life Everyone (or, at least, most of you) to pass Clear, concise answers… … to exactly the questions they ask
- 6. How we write questions Which learning outcomes and topics? Which verb(s)? Sequence the requirements (into a storyline?) Scenario: Where would these issues… Context for examples Facts and clues (to fit the requirements)
- 9. Verbs 5 Evaluation 4 Analysis 3 Application 2 Comprehension 1 Knowledge
- 10. Verbs… Level 1 – “Define the term ‘mission statement’.” Level 2 – “Explain what is meant by the term ‘mission statement’, illustrating your answer with an example.” Level 3 – “Prepare a mission statement that would be appropriate for an organisation with the following objectives.” Level 4 – “Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the mission statement currently used by X Ltd.” Level 5 – “Advise X Ltd why a mission statement might assist them in achieving their objectives, and recommend an appropriate statement.”
- 11. Skills map
- 12. How we write questions Which learning outcomes and topics? Which verb(s)? Sequence the requirements (into a storyline?) Scenario: Where would these issues… Context for examples Facts and clues (to fit the requirements)
- 13. Spend more time on the questions Read each question carefully (twice!) Topic, verb(s), tasks, mark allocation Ask ‘why is this question here?’ Look for a ‘storyline’ Find, understand and use the facts from the scenario (if there is one)
- 14. Plan your answers more carefully Your plan (and your answer based on it) must ‘match’ the question precisely Make sure you add value (theory, application, argument, examples) Try to get ‘enough’ points/arguments Re-order your ‘points’ into the ‘best’ order Think more, write less, get a higher mark!
- 15. Make sure you attempt everything Getting 50 out of 100 is difficult enough, but… Write nothing – get no marks Assume and move on (particularly after calculations) There’s no harm in guessing (particularly in OTQs)
- 16. Conclusions Read the question Understand the question Answer the question
- 17. Any Questions?
- 18. Real Life Examination Techniques - How to please the examiner David Harris www.cimaguru.com