Planning study: organisation and techniquesMandy Garnham, 26 February 2019, 12:30 pm.

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Planning study: organisation and techniquesMandy Garnham, 26 February 2019, 12:30 pm

Today’s aim

1. To help students on the current ICSA programme with:

• Organising study and time management

• Reading, note taking and writing skills

2. Provide guidance on:

• How to use past exam papers when preparing to study and pass the exam

• Using examiners’ comments to help you prepare

Agenda

For students studying on the ICSA current programme

• Study planning and motivation

• Study techniques: reading, note taking and writing skills

• Exam questions: what you can learn from past exam papers

Mandy Garnham, Learning Support Manager

• Student experience, guidance and advice

• Delivery of study support and webinars

• Online learning

The study text

Things to remember:

• Check the ICSA bookshop online

to make sure you have the most

recent edition.

• Plan out your study so you cover

all the chapters up to the exam.

CSQS study support

Study planner up to June 2019

Sample study planner

The purpose of a study planner is to help you:

• Follow a structure at every study session

• Test yourself at frequent intervals and track progress

• Make notes and study aids as you go along

• Break down the study text into manageable sections

Making time for study

Which days?

Tuition Providers

A tuition provider can offer support and guidance right up to the exam and increase

your chances of passing.

• Look at the list of registered tuition providers on our website.

• Link on the ICSA website

Tuition options

• Face to face classes - Options for face-to-face tuition (mainly London, Jersey,

Guernsey and Isle of Man) Online classroom and distance learning wherever

you are located.

• Distance learning with notes, online lectures etc.

• Online classroom live

• Marking of mock exams/questions

Apps to help you study

Making time for study

Which days? Time of day?

Making time for study

Which days? Time of day?

How long?

Making time for study

Which days? Time of day?

How long? Fit more in?

Making it happen

Setting study goals

Overall aim:

• How many exams do I attempt this year?

• Last exam for the current programme is June!

• What is a realistic number of hours to study per week?

• What resources do I need to achieve this?

Setting reminders

Use reminders to prompt you about:

• Important tasks to do today to ensure that you achieve this week’s goals

• Study sessions that you have scheduled

• Revision times

• Face to face tuition

Your checklist

• Enter for your exam (1 April for June exam)

• Buy your ICSA study text

• Draw up your study plan

• Get to know the exam you are sitting

Study techniques

Approaches to study

Study techniques

A common pitfall of getting back into study is

spending too much time on each subject/chapter in

the study text. Many students who mistakenly go

down this route, feel like they are not making

progress.

Making the most of your time

The syllabus can help you plan out your route of study

Divide your time into ‘critical’ material and ‘chronological’ material. In some study

periods, you will want to focus on very important material so you are memorising

key information such as the UK Corporate Governance Code. In other periods of

study time, you will need to go through the chapters, make clear notes and revise

concepts.

Approaches to study

Action plan: the little and often method

• Start with an overview of the topic

• Go back to details later on once you have grasped

the main components of the topic

• Set specific goals for each session: if you don’t you

end up wasting time recapping unnecessarily

• At regular intervals, spend a few minutes checking

what you have learnt

Reading techniques

Speed reading:

Common problem: finding it hard to concentrate

Tips:

1. Read faster to focus (speed reading). Don’t take

time to pause or regress.

2. Build up your reading time gradually

Reading techniques

Skimming:

• Skimming the text to get an overview or the main argument

• Look for the main point in each paragraph

• Look for key words and check meaning

Reading techniques

Scanning:

• Consider a question you would like answered

• Scan the text for key words or items related to your search

• Make a note of what you find/where you can find it again.

Reading techniques

Detailed reading:

• Develop questions to explore

• Practice recalling the main points of what you have read

• Re-read the text and make notes

Approaches to study

Note taking

• Organise and structure your notes – saved on computer or notebook

• Separate the information using headings/different documents

• Keep a record of your information source – note page number of study text

• Leave space to add information later, use short sentences and abbreviations

• Use postcards as a glossary

Note taking

Types of notes you may take:

• Outline notes: basic overview of what you have read

• Summary notes: more in depth and detailed

• Flow diagrams: to help you show developments of

processes

• Mind maps: linking topics and arguments, making

connections

Write in your own words!

Note taking

End of topic/chapter conclusion

• Write a chapter summary in your own words

• Bring together and simplify essential pints

• Taking out the ‘padding’

• Explain how this applies to your subject area

Writing skills

Think about the rubric you may see in the exam which may

give you ideas about how to prepare. Some examples:

• Evaluate: look at the validity of a claim and look at its

effectiveness

• Discuss: Write about in detail, taking into account different

issues or points of view. (e.g. Corporate Governance: discuss

the factors that can affect decision-making and board

effectiveness)

• Advise: Provide recommendations and offer solutions (e.g.

Corporate Law: advise X on any other legal petitions he may be

able to make and the remedy he might expect to secure)

Writing skills

Writing a report is quite common in ICSA exams. But what is expected?

• You will normally be writing in response to a request for information

• You will most likely be informing the reader

• You may be identifying options and recommending a solution/route to take

Sticking to your plan

• Use the syllabus as a checklist, plan your ‘route’

through the study text

• What are your ‘tasks’ as you go through the

study text? Reading? Creating an outline of a

specific process or framework? Reviewing

notes? Memorising concepts?

Sticking to your plan

• Choose a good time and location to study.

• Survey the time available and don’t discount smaller pockets of time

• Follow your checklist and stay on task. If you get stuck on a concept or problem,

make a note on your checklist, ask for help if you need to (check the list of RTPs

on the ICSA website). If you do fall behind, try to schedule an extra hour to catch

up. But don't panic: your study plan is a guideline, not an absolute.

• Take sample problems from past papers, noting how and why techniques are

implemented.

Sticking to your plan

• Note similarities and differences among problems. This helps to cultivate the skill

of thinking flexibly. How and why does a solution work? How else could a

problem be solved? How does the knowledge you are acquiring relate with other

concepts?

• Keep a list of key principles/theories/legislation and major concepts. As you

study, jot down items that you need to memorise. Review this material whenever

you a few minutes spare.

Review of past exam sessions

What the examiner has said…

Financial Decision Making:

• Not all candidates were fully prepared to competently tackle the more challenging

computational elements of certain questions. For example … some candidates struggled

with the calculations and techniques required for investment appraisal …not all candidates

were able to perform calculations using sensitivity analysis … there were errors in terms of

the timing of cash flows and computing the present value of an annuity.

• It is also difficult to achieve a pass grade if entire sections of a question or entire questions

are not being answered. There are still a number of cases where entire parts of questions

are not attempted.

• Some candidates may assume that a very good answer to one question (often compulsory

question 1) will lead to a pass. However, candidates are advised that one very good

answer does not guarantee an overall pass grade

What the examiner has said…

Corporate Governance:

• As in past sessions, some candidates included information in answers which did not

address the actual question set. This wastes time during the exam and limits the marks

awarded, as marks can only be given to content which is relevant to the question set.

• The higher-scoring candidates were those that could demonstrate a wide range of

governance knowledge and had a good working knowledge of the UK Corporate

Governance Code and who answered the questions as set. There were some excellent

scripts overall.

What the examiner has said…

Corporate Law

• A large majority of scripts not reaching the required standard for a pass evidenced one or more of the

following:

• candidates not reading the facts given in scenarios accurately; candidates not reading the

question requirements accurately; incompleteness, in that not all parts or aspects of a question

were dealt with; absence of sufficient legal detail/limited knowledge of the law; and absence of

explicitly reasoned application of legal rules and principles to the facts.

• Detailed legal knowledge is needed to pass the examination and the ICSA Corporate Law study text

contains the legal knowledge needed to answer all questions on the examination well.

• Candidates also need to exhibit legal skills and are encouraged to develop those skills by attempting

to answer past examination questions available on the ICSA website. Candidates should attempt

questions before consulting the answers as skills are developed by working out the answers.

Exam Preparation

• Know the requirements of the exam – look at past papers

• Practice an exam question – write up answers in timed conditions

(handwritten)

• Attend the examiner webinars – early May

Connecting with ICSA

Talk to other ICSA students via:

The ICSA LinkedIn student group

Facebook

Twitter

Things to be considering now…

1• Log on to MyICSA, look at syllabus and past papers

2 • Plan when you’re going to study in each week/manage commitments

3 • Identify times when you can read the study text/make notes/revise

4• Register for June exam by 1 April

5• Options for tuition or revision classes

Contacts

If you have questions about payments, registering for exams, your exam centre or

accessing any online details and logging into MyICSA, please contact our

Members and Students team at:

enquiries@icsa.org.uk or 020 7580 4741

My contact details for webinars: mgarnham@icsa.org.uk

Thank you