Earlier this week, the results of the May 2024 OCS exam were released. Results days for the MCS and SCS will follow soon.
To those who’ve passed – congratulations. You’re a big step closer to CGMA so take some time to celebrate and enjoy the news.
But what if you didn’t pass?
Don’t panic.
For most case study sittings, the pass rate is around 60%. Failing the exam always hurts, but you’re not alone if it happens to you. It doesn’t mean your CIMA journey is over, or that you’ve messed up.
The first step is to come to terms with the result. That might mean taking a few days’ break. It might mean revisiting your notes, or mock exams. It might even mean getting straight back onto a revision schedule. Find whatever works for you.
The only advice I’d give here is that if you do want to take a break, don’t take too long. You’ll want as much time as you can to revise before your resit, and waiting more than a few days will only make starting again harder.
Analyse your performance
To understand how to improve you need to understand where things went wrong. So think back to the exam and ask yourself a few key questions.
- Did you understand the question being asked?
- Did you make a plan and stick to it?
- Did you manage your time effectively?
- Did you understand the relevant theory?
- Did you relate all of your answers back to the pre-seen?
To be clear, this isn’t an exhaustive list of things that can go wrong. And it’s possible to do all of these things right without passing.
But these are the most common reasons why scripts fail. If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, this is likely a contributing factor to your result.
What next?
Practise.
Once you have an idea of what could have gone wrong, you know what you need to work on to improve. For most students, that means getting as much practise as possible.
Mock exams are the best way to prepare for the real thing. They test every skill needed in the real exam, and help you get comfortable with the format. Students who sit mocks are less likely to panic and typically score higher.
Before your resit, do as many practise questions as possible. Mock exams based on the current pre-seen are ideal, but if you have time you should always consider things like Astranti’s questions pack, which is a great way of building key skills like planning, concise writing and time management.
The CIMA Student 
Leave a comment