Tag Archives: CIMA OCS November 2017

CIMA OCS November 2017: Struans

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CIMA released the pre-seen materials for the upcoming November OCS exam, so OCS students can start with their exam preparations.

You can find the pre-seen materials foe the Struans of Newland case study here.

Nov 2017 OCS pre-seen materials

I hope the OCS students already have a study plan created, as you will need to co-ordinate your time carefully between now and the exam date.

Here is my advice on what steps to take between now and the 7th November.

Create a Study Plan

It’s the starting point for all of CIMA studies, creating a plan is crucial in ensuring you cover the topics and areas you need – especially when it comes to the case studies.

Refresh your memory with E1/F1/P1 syllabus material

Hopefully the topics from your objective tests are still relatively fresh in your mind, and you’ve already been looking back through your notes before the pre-seen materials were released.

*I would suggest to focus on the pre-seen materials as soon as they released, then you can come back to syllabus refresh once you have an idea of what to expect on exam day.

Analyse the pre-seen materials

An obvious but very crucial point to note, the pre-seen materials should be analysed and not memorised!! There will be no marks for remembering the pre-seen material word by word, in fact you even get the pre-seen material on exam day.

So you need to understand the implications of what the pre-seen materials are telling you.

  • Do they have a poor advertising and marketing mix?
  • Is their machinery beginning to age and need new invest?
  • Is there a conflict of interests in the board room?

Join a study group or speak to other OCS students

Hearing other peoples point of view on the OCS pre-seen materials can be a great eye opener, check out the CIMA connect site to speak with other students in the same boat. Join a whatsapp group, or create one for yourself.

It’s a great way to learn, bounce ideas off others and gives your another view point as well as morale support for the exam.

Mock Exams

Taking a mock exam on the case study in exam conditions really goes a long way to passing the OCS. I done this with Astranti as they base their mock exams on the actual pre-seen materials, it’s the best learning curve you can have and will give you confidence.

One note though, sit more than if you can and give yourself time to understand your weaknesses do you can work on them!

OCS: Watch Analysis on Struans of Newland

The below video from Astranti gives through the Top 10 Issues based on the pre-seen materials for the November 2017 OCS.

However, before watching I would recommend you make your own notes on the pre-seen materials so already have the background and some ideas of your own where the issues are with Struans. 

 

You can find the full set of videos on the November OCS here.

For those interested in the complete Astranti OCS course for Struans of Newland you can find it here.

CIMA Case Study Tips: November 2017

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The final case study session of 2017 is almost here, in fact it’s only a couple of weeks until the OCS Pre-Seen materials are released.

So, with this in mind, getting organised and prepared for the November case study NOW will only help your chances of passing first time.

CIMA November Case Study

In these articles I try to vary the content and focus and for this session of the exams I want to take a look back at the May MCS exam and the examiners report from CIMA

These resources are available from the CIMA connect site and can be a vital source of information in understanding what the examiner is looking for and how to approach the November exams.

May 2017 MCS – Examiners Report

I’ve highlighted two key points taken from the May MCS examiners report below.

CIMA MCS

Pre-Seen Materials

There are still a couple of weeks (as the time of publishing this article) until the pre-seen materials are released, so NOW is the time to get prepared and the first comment here about how to tackle the pre-seen materials is a great piece of advice in my opinion.

Don’t get caught up trying to memorise the pre-seen material word by word – you should be thinking about the wider picture and imagine how the business would operate and what the strengths and weaknesses.

Anyway, you get the pre-seen materials again on exam day to check through so memorising it is pointless!

Answer the Requirements Appropriately

The second point I’ve highlighted is the fact students tend to miss out on easy marks by mis-reading of the requirements of a question.

It’s a common pitfall we can be guilty of is answering what we want to answer rather than what the question is asking us.

My suggestion to avoid this is to carefully plan your answer with simple headings before diving into writing your answer. You will find it keeps your answers relevant and to the point, furthermore you should manage to answer all of the requirements in the correct time rather than spending 80% of your time answering in great detail on a question that only makes up 20% of the marks.

CIMA connect

You can find the examiners report for all past case study exams on the CIMA connect site here. By searching for the subject in question and look under “Study Resources.”

I’d also recommend you look at the OCS, MCS and SCS Post-Exam kits that are available on the CIMA connect site. You can find all kinds of resources ranging from past papers to suggested answers and marking guidance. 

Astranti Case Study Course

In my opinion, the Astranti case study courses are unrivalled when it comes to the CIMA case studies as my first hand experience with the OCS exam a couple of years ago.

But to take full advantage and guarantee yourself a pass mark (see the Astranti Pass Guarantee), their full OCS, MCS and SCS courses cover everything you need to pass the November 2017 CIMA case study.

CIMA SCS Course

  • Study Text 1: how to approach the case study
  • Study Text 2: syllabus content from the previous objective tests
  • Pre-Seen Analysis: video analysis of the pre-seen from astranti tutor
  • Strategic Analysis: strategy based on the case study scenario
  • Top 10 Issues: the most likely issues to be tested on exam day
  • Industry Analysis: the case
  • Masterclass 1: live session with CIMA tutor on how to pass the case study.
  • Masterclass 2: another live session focusing on CIMA syllabus revision.
  • 3 Mock Exams: based on the actual case study (with marking and feedback).
  • Personal Advice and Guidance – via private forums and progress reviews.
  • Ethics Pack – a favourite CIMA topic that should never be overlooked.

OCS Course – November 2017

MCS Course – November 2017

SCS Course – November 2017

Important Dates – November Case Studies

Below is the schedule of important dates to remember – don’t forget you still have plenty of time to get prepared before the pre-seen materials are released!

2017-09-08 16_12_39-CIMA - Exam timetable.png

CIMA Case Studies: Pass Guarantee

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OCS, MCS, SCS Feb 2017 CIMA Exam Tips

OCS, MCS, SCS Feb 2017 CIMA Exam Tips

The pre-seen materials for the November 2017 CIMA case studies will start being released from the 22nd September so it’s the ideal opportunity to get prepared and have a plan of action ready to ensure you pass your CIMA case study first time.

I would thoroughly recommended using Astranti for their full case study packages and here is what you can expect (applies to all levels OCS, MCS and SCS).

Case Study: Full Course Contents

  • Study Text 1 – focuses on what you need to pass the case study.
  • Study Text 2 – summaries the key areas from the whole syllabus.
  • Pre-Seen Analysis – tutors detailed analysis of the pre-seen material.
  • Strategic Analysis – uses models & key theories and how to apply them in the exam.
  • Top 10 Issues – identifies the top 10 issues that could come up on exam day.
  • Industry Analysis – gives you the current industry trends for your case study.
  • Masterclass 1 – live session with tutor on keys to pass the case study exam.
  • Masterclass 2 – live session with tutor on revision of case study scenario.
  • 3 Mock Exams – with detailed feedback based on the actual case study scenario.
  • Personal Advice and Guidance – via private forums and progress reviews.
  • Ethics Pack – often overlooked but this comprehensive guide covers Ethics and how to apply it to the CIMA case studies.

Moreover, and perhaps the biggest confidence booster in the materials, is the Pass Guarantee that comes with the course.

Astranti believe the above materials and resources will guarantee a pass when sitting the case study exam, if it doesn’t then you can sit the course for the next sitting of the case study FREE OF CHARGE!

You can find full details of their courses for all levels below and dates when the pre-seen material is released for the November 2017 exams:

OCS Course – November 2017 – the pre-seen material for the OCS exam is released on 22nd September 2017.

MCS Course – November 2017 – the pre-seen material for the MCS exam is released on 29th September 2017

SCS Course – November 2017 – the pre-seen material for the SCS exam is released on 6th October 2017.

CIMA Case Study Exam Tips

I would recommend preparing for the case study early and using the Study Text 1 and 2 before the pre-seen material is released.

Laying the foundations is key to passing the CIMA case study exams.

This way you will already have a head start and extra time to focus your attention completely on the pre-seen material when it’s released by CIMA.

Watch the video’s again and again and make notes linking all aspects together – so think of the industry and strategic analysis when looking at the top 10 issues for example. The more rounded and connected your answers are on exam day, the more chance you will achieve a pass.

Don’t neglect ETHICS!!! Apply it where possible in the case study exam – think about any ethical dilemmas when digesting the pre-seen material too.

Astranti Video Previews

For those not familiar with the Astranti learning videos here is a sample from one of their How to Pass CIMA Case Study videos.

I’ve used Astranti myself to pass CIMA case studies and feedback from other students on this site have also used the above resources to pass first time. And don’t forget the full case study course comes with the pass guarantee!

So whether your tackling the OCS, MCS or SCS in November 2017 you will find that the materials mentioned above will set you on the way to achieving the pass mark you need!

Good Luck and Happy Studying!

[this blog post was updated on 24th September to reflect the current November 2017 exam sittings]