Monday 9 February 2015

Study methods

Wayne asked:
My name is Wayne from S. Africa, I enrolled for CIMA starting at Operational level. I just want to ask the Guru, is it more wise to study via a tuition provider or distance learning using cimastudy website or perhaps will the cima publishing books offer me the best chance to succeed?


Hi Wayne
OK, let's start at the beginning, as this will be relevant to lots of students.


1. College, CIMAStudy.com, or just buy the books? In order of preference, and also of cost (probably); attend a good college, attend any college, use CIMAStudy.com, just buy the books. Passing CIMA exams needs more than just knowledge and understanding of the syllabus material, which is what you'll find in the books. The more advice you can get on your approach to studying, and how to do what's required in the exams, the better. This particularly applies as you progress up the qualification, as the skill levels increase and what you need to do moves further away from what you can read in the study text. Anything you can do to mitigate the risk of failure is a good investment. It's a personal decision, of course. If you've studied a particular subject at University, for example, you might get away with just the Text.


2. How do I find a 'good' college? Well, step 1 is to check the college finder on CIMA's website. It's on the menu on the right of the page I've linked to, but the college finder seems to be unavailable as I post. Only consider an accredited provider, as they meet quality standards. Next, speak to the college, and see if they impress you. Finally, get recommendations from other students via social media of CIMAConnect (CIMA's online community). Ask about the tutors for the courses you're interested in. Even good colleges have stronger or weaker tutors.


I hope that helps.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you a lot Mr. Harris that did help. I found a good college and will be taking classes on line together with self study. . . your word of advice is much appreciated

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