How to study well during the holidays!

Revising during the holidays can be tricky. If you celebrate Christmas, you may find yourself reading through the CIMA pre-seen between canapés and carols, or practising a CIMA mock exam whilst tucking into a mince pie. But have no fear – there IS a way to study during the holidays and get that all important pass in the New Year!

So, read on to find out how to revise well and still keep that festive spirit!

This student qualified after years of failure. Find out his secret...

Trust me, signing up for an online course will mean the difference between you passing and failing your exam. When striving to succeed in a CIMA exam, going it alone without the support of an online tutor, is not a good idea - as one of our recent graduates will contest!

Tim*, who spent four years trying to pass the Strategic Case Study exam, managed to finally achieve  his pass on the August 2017 sitting. How did he manage this after failing for so long? Read on to find out!

Online studying guarantees CIMA success! Here's why...

Do you ever find it difficult to fit in your CIMA course around your busy working life? If you do, you should seriously consider online learning for CIMA.

All of Astranti's CIMA materials are online. This means no classrooms, no waking up at the crack of dawn for an early morning class or dashing to a late evening session after a hard days work. Online courses and materials mean you can study in your own time, at your own pace and in your own way. 

As a tutor for the CIMA qualification, I know this is THE best way to study if you want to master the CIMA syllabus and achieve that all important pass. Here's why...

Three top tips to avoid distractions!

I have been teaching students for years now and know that not every tip works for every student. Some students, for example, may find it easiest to revise through videos - whilst others hate the idea and much prefer study texts! There are a few tips, however, that apply to everyone and can simply make the world of difference when it comes to passing!

This is one of them - when you are revising, limit ALL distractions. Sounds simple, but it's easier said than done!

So, how can you limit your distractions? Here's three things that I personally do...

Part 2: Mock exams

I'm sure you know how important it is to take mocks before your real CIMA exams, however, many students fail to make the most out of their mocks, and I don't want you to be one of those students! 

In Part 1 of this blog post, I discussed the ways to make your revision questions dynamic, interesting and engaging. Well, now it's time to turn our attention to mock exams - so keep reading to find out the best techniques for using mock exams as part of your CIMA revision!

How can videos help with your CIMA revision?

When I was at school, one of my favourite subjects was physics. There was a catch, however – I only really understood the theory when the lesson included a video. This could be cars whizzing around a racetrack to demonstrate the doppler effect, dolphins communicating underwater to show the differences in their communication or, my very favourite, a simulation of a rock being thrown through space and whizzing past all of the planets in our galaxy. With videos, physics suddenly jumped out of the dull textbooks and became alive – and the same can be said for videos and your CIMA revision!

So how can videos help your revision? Here's four reasons why!

Why accountancy is a great career choice...

I'm sure you know how tough studying for CIMA exams can be. Revising in the evenings, in the early mornings, even during your lunch breaks - it seems like you're always working. What's more, some of the material can be really difficult to understand. Even the most hardworking students might sometimes question - is all this really worth it? 

Well the answer to that is 'yes it is'! Top accountancy jobs are among the highest paid jobs in the world, meaning your hard work will quite literally 'pay off' as you progress through your career. 

Check out our four fun accounting facts below - they're guaranteed to put a smile on the face of all prospective CIMA accountants! 

This great quote from Steve Jobs will make an impact on your revision!

Few people have experienced as many roller-coaster highs and lows within their career as Steve Jobs has. After being fired from his own founding company Apple, Jobs spent years trying to launch a new sleek computer called the Cube. The plans didn't take off, although Jobs did eventually return to Apple when the company was financially flailing. Instead of driving Apple into the ground, as many thought he may, Jobs instead took the company to new heights. A fantastic role model for everyone who is afraid of failing and making mistakes, Job's never ending resilience and talent for spotting opportunities ultimately carried him through to success.

So what do Steve Jobs and studying for your CIMA exam have in common? The answer lies in this quote from Jobs: “if you look really closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” The same can very much be said for your CIMA qualification! With this quote in mind, here are four things that you can be doing in order to create your own CIMA 'overnight' success.

On the move? Here's how to study...

Sometimes it feels as though students' other commitments prevent them from studying as hard as they should. Well, this doesn't have to be the case - not all CIMA revision has to be done at a desk. In fact, you can learn well no matter where you happen to be, as long as you are prepared. 

Here's how to revise when you can't get to your computer... 

Organise yourself to improve your revision!

You can’t be a good accountant if you aren’t organised. Revising for your CIMA exams is the perfect way to prepare yourself for the high levels of organisation and time management that you will need to consistently retain throughout your career as an accountant. With this in mind, what changes can you make to help yourself stay organised ahead of your CIMA exams?

Can I cram for an exam and still pass?

Working life can be stressful enough without the burden of CIMA exams. While trying to juggle other responsibilities, it’s incredibly easy for working CIMA students to think ‘I can always do my revision another time’. But can you leave your revision until the last minute and still get the results you want from your CIMA exams?

Four tips to help change your revision...forever!

Have you ever walked into the self help section of a book store? If you have, then you may have noticed that there are a good number of books claiming to perform near miracles in a very short amount of time. Become happier in six days? Sounds good! Stop smoking after one session with a hypnotist? Sign me up! Learn how to grow your own money tree? This book comes with free saplings to get you started!

Okay, so maybe some of these aren't exactly the real deal – but it doesn't stop a lot of books from claiming to change your life in under a week. As great (and easy) as it sounds, the effects are unlikely to last long term. In order to see real results, you must keep working on your goals consistently. How can we do this? We have some great tips from one of the most successful self help gurus - no money trees included!

This memory trick will help you ace your CIMA exams…

When revising for CIMA exams, memory power is very important. In many ways, exams are like sophisticated memory tests – if you can remember all the material from the CIMA syllabus and apply it correctly in your CIMA exams, you are on the path to success! 

The following technique will help you to unleash your full memory potential, including the power to remember everything you need for your CIMA exams! 

Prepare for your CIMA OT exam with this handy guide.

Are you preparing for your CIMA OT exam? It can be easy to feel overwhelmed, with so many different topics and possible questions! If you are feeling like you are not sure which route to take, have no fear. I was speaking to an examiner the other day and they told me about a route through the exam that will navigate you towards success!

Humming to the tune of success...how music can help with revision!

Flashcards, pens every colour of the rainbow, chunky neon yellow highlighters….there are many tools that we use when revising for the CIMA exams. Some of you may prefer to write in plain black and on snow white paper, whilst others will pin notes all over the house to remind themselves of the key areas of the syllabus.

A trio of materials to combat the CIMA exam!

It's not long until the CIMA pre-seen is released! How is your revision going? Do you feel like your mind is blossoming with knowledge or do you currently feel like a stick in the mud who is feeling a little overwhelmed? Have no fear, we are here to help!

Our very first piece of advice would be to start your revision now. Yes, right now, before you start reading that 900-page book, begin studying origami or planning a walk that will take you as far away from the CIMA exam as possible. But without a pre-seen available from CIMA yet, how can you start revising? Well, we may have the materials just for you! The answer is in our Ethics pack, Course Videos and Study Texts. With these three, we have a trio to combat CIMA!

Do you get distracted? I know I do! Four tips to minimise distractions

Don't let distraction lead to CIMA failure! 

Sometimes, the temptation to get distracted and lose focus during CIMA exam periods can be almost irresistible. Going through the same or similar things over and over can be so frustrating that you spend your time staring at a wall, flicking through your phone or doing anything that isn't revising!

To overcome this, I have devised a few useful tips to help you become productive even when things get tough:

Learn from best. Hear what Olympians have to say...

Stay on track… you're coming up to the last hurdle and soon you'll reach the finish line!

"There’s always a positive spin you can put on things... no matter how bad things are.” Jessica Ennis, Heptathlete and Olympics Gold Medalist. 

Jessica Ennis knows the importance of keeping upbeat in the face of pressure. Whether you are competing in Rio or studying for an exam, stress can impact your performance and can put in a negative frame of mind.

Must know tips from the MCS examiners!

The May 2016 CIMA Management Case Study Examiner's Report has just been released – as always it contains valuable information for students about to take their CIMA exams. 

It amazes me that so many CIMA students don't pay attention to the Examiners' Reports. After all, they are the people you need to impress on the big day!

These reports highlight the same old issues that come up time and time again. They summarise the mistakes students are making in the exams and give important and helpful advice on areas they should improve.


Make sure you don't ignore these! To help you out we've captured the key points from the May report here:

Why starting now can maximise your chances of passing!

It can be tempting to wait until the pre-seen is released, before starting revision for a CIMA Case Study exam.

But are there things you could be doing before-hand? Of course, the answer is always yes!

The earlier you can start your CIMA preparation, the more flexibility you will have with your revision and the more chance you will have of covering all of the required areas.

I know from the experience of working with many CIMA students over the years, that the ones that start early, have the better chance of passing their exam!

With this in mind, here are a few things you could be doing before the pre-seen is released: