CIMA Feb 2019 OCS | the cima student

CIMA Case Study: Pre-Seen Analysis

Posted on January 15, 2019 by cimastudent Leave a comment

Insight

The pre-seen analysis is the starting point of your exam preparation for the February case studies, you’ve had a month or so since they were released by CIMA but I’m sure the Christmas and New Year put your studies on hold somewhat.

Here are my tips on how to approach the pre-seen materials;

Read Through Pre-Seen and Make Notes

The obvious starting point is to read through the official pre-seen document from CIMA page by page and annotate the document. Making brief notes and highlighting the key information, doesn’t matter if it looks messy, it should be a brainstorming session.

Make a SWOT Analysis

Now you have an idea on the company and background of the case study, a SWOT analysis will help you understand the strengths, weaknesses and identify the possible examinable areas.

Are there low barriers to entry to the market?
Is there sufficient marketing?
Are the board of directors operating effectively?
Is there a potential audit or compliance risk?

Read Through Your Notes Again!

You should read the pre-seen materials and dozen or so times, each time you will either pickup new information or cement your knowledge of the materials.

Use your time wisely, read your notes on the train to work, in the doctors waiting room… there is no excuse for not finding the time to study!

Use a Mix of Resources and Videos

Watch the pre-seen materials and videos available online, visit CIMA student forums or with your tuition provider. Gauge the opinion of others on the pre-seen materials, use your colleagues as a sounding board.

Don’t just confine yourself to the 16 page document from CIMA – there is a wealth of information and informed opinion out there that could help you – find it!

Make Final Summary Notes

Use just one sheet of A4 paper and use both sides.

Summarise the key points from the pre-seen materials on both sides, make notes on the key financial numbers you will refer to in the exam.

The idea of this A4 paper is your final revision notes on the pre-seen before you tackle the mock exams.

CIMA Feb 2019 OCS: Trigg Adventure

If you are struggling for motivation of feel your pre-seen analysis has been aimless so far, then watch the Astranti video below on Trigg Adventure, over an hours discussion on the pre-seen – invaluable!

You can find the full videos on the February OCS exam here.

CIMA Feb MCS 2019: Crowncare

The upcoming CIMA MCS exam is based around a company called Crowncare, likewise if MCS students are finding the pre-seen materials a minefield to work through and want some reassurance they are on the right path, then this video below from Astranti will go someway into making sure you’re exam ready.

You can find the full videos on the February MCS exam here.

CIMA Feb SCS 2019: Vita

Astranti have also covered their pre-seen analysis of the February SCS exam – Vita. 53 minutes packed full of useful information which should complement your notes already made on the Vita case study pre-seen.

You can find the full videos on the February SCS exam here.

CIMA Official Pre-Seen Materials: Feb 2019

You can find the official pre-seen materials for the upcoming case study exams below;

Good Luck and Happy Studying!

CIMA Case Study

CIMA OCS Feb 2019: Trigg Adventure

Posted on December 3, 2018 by cimastudent Leave a comment

The February 2019 CIMA OCS exam is a great time to take a case study exam. As you’ll have 60 days in between the pre-seen materials being released and the exam day itself – usually you’ll have around 45 days if taking a case study in May/Aug/Nov – so take advantage of this extra time!!

Focus on Technical Skills

The OCS exam is heavily weighted towards the Technical Skills competency area, so in order to pass the OCS exam you’ll need to have strong technical knowledge of the syllabus content and how to apply it.

Technical Skills 64%
Business Skills 16%
People Skills 14%
Leadership Skills 6%

If we think about the role you play in the OCS exam – Finance Officer/Accounts Assistant – it makes sense that he OCS will focus less on the leadership, business and people skills. So this gives you a platform to start planning your preparation.

What Technical Skills will I be tested on?

This leads to the next question, what technical knowledge should I focus when preparing for the Feb 2019 OCS case study? Well, we posted a great article from CSSC Tuition on the hot topics that could be tested in the OCS exam here.

And to further cement those area we can see that the bedrock of the OCS exam will be the P1 syllabus.

The above chart was taken from a CIMA webinar on approaching case study exams, however, we are just concerned with the E1/P1/F1 part.

And we can see that the bulk of the technical skills around the OCS exam are based around the P1 syllabus – so brush up on cost accounting, management reporting and accounting information systems before the Feb 2019 OCS exam.

The above chart also highlights the fact that risk management and internal control are a key feature in the OCS, MCS and SCS exams.

CIMA OCS Answer Planning

I published a recent “The CIMA Student: Insight” blog post on the important of planning your answer when faced with a CIMA case study.

If you don’t think about HOW you will answer the question and brainstorm your ideas on how you will satisfy the requirement then you will produce a poor unbalanced answer.

Linking the pre-seen materials, making recommendations and drawing conclusions in your answer is a must if you want to pass the OCS exam.

You can read the full article on planning your OCS answers here – it includes a real example taken from the August 2018 OCS exam and I walk through the thought process and different stages of planning your answer.

CIMA OCS Astranti Course

The full OCS course from Astranti is really packed full of resources!

I used the Astranti OCS materials when passing the OCS exam in 2015, you can read that in more detail here.

Complete pre-seen pack (pre-seen, strategic, industry analysis and top 10 issues)

3 x Full tuition videos
2 x Study text
2 x Live Masterclasses (the keys to passing and revision masterclass)
3 x Full Mock Exams (based on Nov 18 scenario)
Detailed marking and feedback
Ethics Pack
Pass Guarantee

Pre-Seen Materials: Trigg Adventure

CIMA released the pre-seen materials for Trigg Adventure and you can take a copy from official CIMA website here.

Having had a first glance at the pre-seen materials it’s clear that the company faces challenging times given the competition with digital, electronic toys with parents preferring the often cheaper more “in demand” toys like video games.

So the company will need to be inventive with the products they offer and consider the price points at which they enter the market.

Below is the Astranti Top Ten Issues video for the Trigg Adventure case study that is part of the full OCS course for the Feb 2019 CIMA case study – it’s a great way to focus your revision for the February exam.