Off to Africa (again)

Well, I'm off to Africa on Monday. Another packed trip, visiting five cities in four countries.

Here's my list of public events. My African friends - I hope to see you at one or more of my events. Don't forget, the member breakfast is (once again) on a topic relevant to the syllabus (E1, E2, E3, P3, T4B). Contact your local CIMA office to book a place.

Going up the verbs

CAUTION - THIS POST RELATES TO THE CIMA 2010 SYLLABUS, SO IS NO LONGER VALID


Anonymous said:

"what about verbs that go up the hierarchy level. e.g. if it asks you to discuss something, would that mean you have to define, explain and write down pros and cons with a conclusion at the end?"

Good question, as it shows that you're really thinking about the verbs.

The simple answer is 'no' - if the question asks you to 'Discuss...', and you can answer it well, then it's obvious that you could have defined or explained, had the question asked you to. Your job, in the exam, is to answer the question asked. Any time you spend at a lower verb level is probably wasted. In exam terms, that means you get no marks, despite the fact that what you write is 'correct'.

There's one exception - if you get a question that says 'Advise...', and there haven't been previous requirements to 'explain...', 'discuss...', etc. Advice is a process, the last step in which is to recommend.

Take a look at the verbs article, and it should become clear.

Saving time by using abbreviations

K asked:
I have a question relating to time saving. I'm also worried that my English and grammar will let me down and I don't want to compound this by not meeting the examiner's expectations.

As an example, in the exam, is it better to refer to Non-executive Directors as NED's, or do the examiners prefer to see something written in full, or is a statement such as 'Non-executive Director's hereafter referred to as NED's' preferred?

Well, K, this is an easy one. There's no problem at all in using common abbreviations (NEDs, ABC, BPR, NPV...) in your answers. The correct form is to write the term in full, the first time you use it, followed by the abbreviation in brackets. From then on, just use the abbreviation.

For example, "If you are learning about Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), you might consider the number of NEDs on the board, their independence, their appointment, and their responsibilities. NEDs should..." You get the idea?

Please DO NOT 'invent' your own abbreviations. Don't refer to the organisation as 'the org', or to variances as 'vars'. This just makes your written work look unprofessional.

In general terms, your English only needs to be good enough so the reader (the marker) understands clearly what you mean. The CIMA exams are NOT a test of written English.

I hope this helps.

Strategic Level resits on PC

CAUTION - THIS POST RELATES TO THE CIMA 2010 SYLLABUS, SO IS NO LONGER VALID


Well, the time has come for the 'first ever' Strategic Level exams on PC. Today (and tomorrow, and Saturday) students in the UK (resits only) will be doing E3, P3 and F3 using Word and Excel. Good luck!

Let me know - how was it for you? Any issues? Is this the future?

Repeated failure

Well, The Guru is just back from a trip to Malaysia and Singapore, where he enjoyed meeting new friends.

Some students were asking why, despite having done lots of work, they were repeatedly failing the same CIMA exam(s) and their marks were going down, rather than up. Does CIMA penalise students who have failed?

The answer is 'no'. CIMA doesn't discriminate - if you get 50 or more marks, you will pass. The problem is that, by 'doing lots of work', you are making things worse. The more time you spend reading (and remembering) the textbook, the more likely you are to try to squeeze too much textbook knowledge into your answers, rather than just answering the questions.

Take a look at the exam techniques video - there's a section in it about this very problem.

If you're in this position, go back to basics. Look at the exam, and the skills needed to pass it (more than just knowledge). Stick to answering the questions, and the knowledge will appear on its own. Don't try to force knowledge into your answers, as this won't help.