It's vital you make the most of these last few weeks before the exams start.
With this in mind, I am going to share with you the key points from the latest
MCS
Examiner's Report.
Learning lessons
from those who mark and assess the exam themselves could be all the difference
between a pass and a fail this November. For every sitting I
analyse the report and to share the key findings, and there is almost always one
or two points which resonate with a lot of students.
The examiners get
tired of having to repeat themselves on where students are going wrong, so here
are the top three key themes
from the latest MCS report so you do not make the same mistakes
as past students:
1. Always apply
to the scenario
An early point made
in the report was about candidates being able to apply their knowledge:
“There were
many very short and incomplete solutions. As with previous case studies, the
strongest answers were properly applied to the
scenario".
Having the
knowledge is very important - but it is how you use it that is more
important. Make sure you always answer the question directly and are
always referring back to the industry and the scenario you are placed in, the
examiner's want you to go into detail in explaining your solution - so make sure
you do not miss anything out!
2. Know the
pre-seen!
This is a point that we
have raised on numerous occasions, and it is one which the examiners also VERY
frustrated by:
“Candidates must make
better use of the opportunity to gain familiarity with the pre-seen material. It
is not necessary to memorise the material or to become an expert in the
industry, but candidates should develop an understanding of the
business."
It's simple - know the
pre-seen. You should NOT be still studying it during the short amount of time
you have in the exam, your time should be focused on the unseen material and
writing your answers. If do not know it well already, make sure you are reading
and re-reading it in the run-up to the exam.
3. Focus your
time
Much like the advice we
give, the examiner's also stress the importance of time
management:
“With the time
constraints in place, candidates can only spend a limited amount of time on each
task. Therefore it is essential that candidates focus on making the points that
they are most confident of before they run out of time".
Do not get sidetracked,
examiner's only want what is relevant. You know by now that you do not have much
time, so make sure you make your points the best as they can be. Make them clear
and in depth without wasting time on subsidiary points that will not get you many
marks.
As already you may have gathered, it
is VITAL that you look at what the examiners have found in
previous sittings as you can then ensure you have considered these issues before
your own exam.
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