Deer in Headlights
Well another CIMA blogger titled her recent post "Only 72 days until my first Operational Level exam!".
This is just one of the many reminders that the examination dates are closing in on me, and increasingly I'm starting to feel like a deer in headlights.
You see, I started worrying about the exams early enough, I just haven't started any real preparation.
I was busy:
1. Worrying about when the CIMA site will be updated with information that is still 'to be published' shortly before I decided to try other sources for study material
2. Finally getting the texts and fretting about the number of kilos I have to digest
3. Deciding on which exams to go in for - one level with 3 papers at a time seems less likely
4. Understanding the program requirements e.g. learning outcomes and verbs
5. Reading through the introductory sections and memorizing course contents before taking the plunge (basically just procrastinating)
6. Drawing up a schedule that I know is more or less beyond me (with a job, side-business, demanding social life, wife and kid, as well as full-time family guy status on weekends and holidays)
7. Checking if my debit card works to settle my account by paying online for exemptions (it does, once I processed the internet activation form at my bank and activated a session)
I've tried studying at work. But I couldn't do so much as take the text book out of my bag (lugging it around is tiring enough).
Tried studying at home, but that really kills my sleep and/ or makes me a wet blanket. Even tried reading on the bus - but turns better to catch a nap.
Now I keep the text open in front of me while keeping shop in the evenings, and spend the day contemplating in breaks what a good learning program for my type would be.
Not surprisingly, as I stated earlier, I'm not getting very far.
But I do have a better idea of what to do (or where to run) when I finally get moving:
Here's my idea of an ideal preparation schedule:
Ideal preparation schedule
---------------------------
From the time exam results are announced and the examination dates, there are four months of study available, which includes study, revision and final exam preparation.
Subject matter should be divided into digests, with scheduled coverage every week. Targets should be set for the end of each month, with full coverage of the syllabus a month from the exams, to allow for revision, mock ups and reviews.
A variety of techniques should also be employed to ensure that the subject matter is adequately covered, keeping in mind the scarcity of dedicated study time and short attention span.
The curriculum should help the student:
* Orient the student to the syllabus
o Understand the scope of the subject matter to be covered
o Understand study components (definitions, formulae, exam strategy)
* Cover the syllabus in small digests (through daily digests)
o Understand concepts and their relative importance in the syllabus
o Understand practical applications of the concepts
o Build familiarity with exam-type questions
* Revision material (e.g. using revision cards made using PowerPoint)
o Structure and highlight topics in each chapter
o Provide visual aids to memorize and digest information
* Monthly review tests
o Review covered material
o Solidify subject matter and application
o Gain confidence in being able to attempt examination questions
* Mock exams
o Test competence in attempting examination questions
o Provide feedback on how to improve exam strategy
There's a number of ways that I can study based on this line of thought:
1. I could open my own school and employ suitable faculty that would be instrumental in shaping the curriculum (I have a tendency to go over the top, this should be interpreted more realistically of course, i.e. find a teacher who can help me) - none of the listed schools has a suitable program for the May exams this year.
2. Fortunately for me, I could purchase a course from CIMAstudy.com
As you can see from their website:
* CIMAstudy.com delivers the only complete online CIMA-approved courses direct to your computer.
* No need to buy any supplementary products or spend time travelling – everything you need online!
* 24 hour web–based training doesn’t tie you down! Flexibly manage your study time to suit you.
* Interactive cases, tools and exercises provide a dynamic way to learn – reinforcing learning to help you remember more and make exam preparation easier.
At GBP 45 - 50 per course, it may be pricey to us Pakistanis, but isn't unaffordable and compares with other programs that do not have this level of flexibility. And it wasn't part of my budget either.
So now I have two options, with the exam date getting closer like a fast moving car:
1. Save around Rs. 20k (almost a third of my current monthly income) on each level and try to digest pounds of black and white text (with a bright red stripe running down the middle of each page to prevent further copies from being made)
2. Add another 100k to the existing budget for learning aids
Hopefully the text and/ or the online program should get me through to the exam, as it has all of the components of a successful program, except that I will have to manage the schedule myself. Some of the color combination in the visuals aren't as nice as I would like it, but it's still relatively better than the alternative.
Hopefully too, I will have uninterrupted access to the internet and will ingrain the program into my daily schedule, accessing the course from work, shop and home, with texts for backup.
Mainly, I need to get my act together and make up for lost time with a serious attitude and no more procrastinating.
By the middle of next month, I will have to register for examinations.
Here goes another hard-earned 20k. Hopefully, it will be worth it and pay rich dividends in the long term.
This is just one of the many reminders that the examination dates are closing in on me, and increasingly I'm starting to feel like a deer in headlights.
You see, I started worrying about the exams early enough, I just haven't started any real preparation.
I was busy:
1. Worrying about when the CIMA site will be updated with information that is still 'to be published' shortly before I decided to try other sources for study material
2. Finally getting the texts and fretting about the number of kilos I have to digest
3. Deciding on which exams to go in for - one level with 3 papers at a time seems less likely
4. Understanding the program requirements e.g. learning outcomes and verbs
5. Reading through the introductory sections and memorizing course contents before taking the plunge (basically just procrastinating)
6. Drawing up a schedule that I know is more or less beyond me (with a job, side-business, demanding social life, wife and kid, as well as full-time family guy status on weekends and holidays)
7. Checking if my debit card works to settle my account by paying online for exemptions (it does, once I processed the internet activation form at my bank and activated a session)
I've tried studying at work. But I couldn't do so much as take the text book out of my bag (lugging it around is tiring enough).
Tried studying at home, but that really kills my sleep and/ or makes me a wet blanket. Even tried reading on the bus - but turns better to catch a nap.
Now I keep the text open in front of me while keeping shop in the evenings, and spend the day contemplating in breaks what a good learning program for my type would be.
Not surprisingly, as I stated earlier, I'm not getting very far.
But I do have a better idea of what to do (or where to run) when I finally get moving:
Here's my idea of an ideal preparation schedule:
Ideal preparation schedule
---------------------------
From the time exam results are announced and the examination dates, there are four months of study available, which includes study, revision and final exam preparation.
Subject matter should be divided into digests, with scheduled coverage every week. Targets should be set for the end of each month, with full coverage of the syllabus a month from the exams, to allow for revision, mock ups and reviews.
A variety of techniques should also be employed to ensure that the subject matter is adequately covered, keeping in mind the scarcity of dedicated study time and short attention span.
The curriculum should help the student:
* Orient the student to the syllabus
o Understand the scope of the subject matter to be covered
o Understand study components (definitions, formulae, exam strategy)
* Cover the syllabus in small digests (through daily digests)
o Understand concepts and their relative importance in the syllabus
o Understand practical applications of the concepts
o Build familiarity with exam-type questions
* Revision material (e.g. using revision cards made using PowerPoint)
o Structure and highlight topics in each chapter
o Provide visual aids to memorize and digest information
* Monthly review tests
o Review covered material
o Solidify subject matter and application
o Gain confidence in being able to attempt examination questions
* Mock exams
o Test competence in attempting examination questions
o Provide feedback on how to improve exam strategy
There's a number of ways that I can study based on this line of thought:
1. I could open my own school and employ suitable faculty that would be instrumental in shaping the curriculum (I have a tendency to go over the top, this should be interpreted more realistically of course, i.e. find a teacher who can help me) - none of the listed schools has a suitable program for the May exams this year.
2. Fortunately for me, I could purchase a course from CIMAstudy.com
As you can see from their website:
* CIMAstudy.com delivers the only complete online CIMA-approved courses direct to your computer.
* No need to buy any supplementary products or spend time travelling – everything you need online!
* 24 hour web–based training doesn’t tie you down! Flexibly manage your study time to suit you.
* Interactive cases, tools and exercises provide a dynamic way to learn – reinforcing learning to help you remember more and make exam preparation easier.
At GBP 45 - 50 per course, it may be pricey to us Pakistanis, but isn't unaffordable and compares with other programs that do not have this level of flexibility. And it wasn't part of my budget either.
So now I have two options, with the exam date getting closer like a fast moving car:
1. Save around Rs. 20k (almost a third of my current monthly income) on each level and try to digest pounds of black and white text (with a bright red stripe running down the middle of each page to prevent further copies from being made)
2. Add another 100k to the existing budget for learning aids
Hopefully the text and/ or the online program should get me through to the exam, as it has all of the components of a successful program, except that I will have to manage the schedule myself. Some of the color combination in the visuals aren't as nice as I would like it, but it's still relatively better than the alternative.
Hopefully too, I will have uninterrupted access to the internet and will ingrain the program into my daily schedule, accessing the course from work, shop and home, with texts for backup.
Mainly, I need to get my act together and make up for lost time with a serious attitude and no more procrastinating.
By the middle of next month, I will have to register for examinations.
Here goes another hard-earned 20k. Hopefully, it will be worth it and pay rich dividends in the long term.
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