CIMA have released the pre-seen materials for the upcoming MCS exam in February next year, this gives students the chances to prepare themselves to pass the exam firs time.

The MCS exam combines the theory you have learnt from the E2, P2 and F2 objective tests and pulls it together in the form of a practical case study to give you an example of what to expect in the role of Financial Manager. The MCS exam is challenging given the depth of the knowledge and skills required to pass but they are much more interesting from a students point of view.

You can find the official pre-seen materials from CIMA here.

Likewise, I posted an article earlier this month with some general advice on the case study exams for all levels for the February 2017 sitting here.

I’d also recommend looking at the CIMA connect site for the MCS exam to find other students discussion and practical advice from CIMA.

Menteen: Who are they?

You have around 6 to 8 weeks to analyse and really get to grips with the pre-seen materials so you will be ready on exam day. But who are xxx? Here are some of the key facts taken from the pre-seen materials.

• The company was founded in 1936 and is currently listed on the stock exchange.
• Your role is financial manager of Menteen Studios.
• They are the largest film maker in Europe.
• The company has grown organically and acquired other film studios.
• Operating profit fell to $306m in 2016 from $389m in 2015.
• Investment in films $1429m. makes up half of their Balance Sheet

Menteen: Pre-seen video analysis

As always, the guys at Astranti released their set of pre-seen video analysis and you can watch a preview below. It’s always a good idea to analyse the materials by yourself first – as it gets you thinking independently – before watching the full videos.

With some must information to analyse it’s crucial you don’t miss out of the key information or perhaps focus too much on the irrelevant parts – the pre-seen video analysis will help you do that.

You can find the full set of videos on the Febraury 2017 MCS here.

Menteen: Strategic Analysis

Understanding the strengths, weaknesses and strategic direction of the company will give you more depth to your answers on exam day and will help you pull of the information together. Think back to the E2 exam and SWOT analysis

What are the companies strengths? What are their core competencies? These kind of questions are discussed and answered in the strategic analysis video.

You can find the full set of videos on the February 2017 MCS here.

Menteen: Top 10 Issues

This video is brilliant for giving you a clear focus on what topics could come up in the exam. Some of them you should have discovered by yourself i.e. Identifying the company needs to improve their marketing or distribution channels – but it’s a great way to understand what you could be facing on the exam day itself.

You can find the full set of videos on the February 2017 MCS here.

MCS: Astranti Full Course

If you found the pre-seen videos helpful then the MCS course from Astranti is worth looking into as they provide a clear study plan with LOTS of materials, mock exams and support to help you pass the MCS.