Eliminating a (fairly) basic error that’s sadly made by numerous students will help you on the road to a pass, says Hugh Martin.
One of the most common errors that students can make in the Strategic Case Study (SCS) is so costly that it can lead to a fail result, even if you are well prepared, have extensive technical knowledge and watched or attended countless hours of lessons.
What is this mistake, you may ask?
Well, it is simply not answering the question that has been asked, easily the most common error made in the SCS exam. I’ve marked countless mock papers where high-performing students have answered a question completely different from the one being asked, thus making it nearly impossible to allocate significant marks to them, despite the answer being well written.
You don’t need to take my word for it. In the May 24-August 2024 examiner’s report, it is noted that “the key to achieving a passing mark or better is to answer the question as set… failure to do so is one of the main reasons candidates fail the case study”.
This mistake likely arises for two reasons. The first comes from the fact that the exam scenario and question are on one page, and the answer box is on another. Students often tell me that they forget the question as they start writing, and so their answer gradually drifts away from the question being asked.
The second comes from the fact that students sometimes prefer to write about what they know rather than what has been asked. For example, sometimes you will see models being applied by students that are totally irrelevant to the scenario and question, simply because the student has pre-learned these.
I have three practical solutions to this issue that my students use to improve their scores.
The first involves creating an answer plan when attempting each subtask. Answer planning involves placing a heading at the top of the answer box and a series of keywords underneath, each representing a paragraph you will be writing in your answer. This approach helps to prevent duplication and acts as a prompt to write relevant material.
The next solution involves practising questions extensively before you sit for the real exam. If you are exposed to a large number of questions and answers you’ll be better equipped to understand the type of answer you should be giving if something similar comes up in the real exam.
My final one is to read over each subtask several times and really ensure you understand it before writing your answer plan. This sounds obvious, but under exam pressure we can sometimes forget to carry out simple actions that will increase the quality of our answers.
Hopefully, you will find these solutions helpful for the upcoming February exam.
- Hugh Martin is the founder of Procountancy and is an experienced CIMA Case Study tutor. He is a former CIMA prize-winner
