Please do not make these common SCS mistakes
(cos you’ll probably fail)
If you are searching around for Strategic Case Study tips and advice, especially because the new pre-seen has come out.
📝 I wanted to write a useful SCS resource for you.
I’ve coached hundreds of CIMA students over the past 11 years (since I qualified myself)
and
I failed loads of my CIMA exams along my 6 year journey,
but
I passed my SCS 1st time! 🤓 😇
I coach SCS students and my average pass mark is 92.8 marks
I confidently know what I’m teaching when it comes to Strategic Case Study (SCS)
{I say that confidently, not arrogantly}
There are loads of techniques I can teach you – so come to my SCS Masterclass for that.
Today’s blog is teaching you what NOT to do.
My style of coaching is about being specific and structured.
So, I’m not going to ‘just’ tell you the common SCS Mistake.
🤓 I want you to know how not to make the mistake, why it’s a bad idea and what to do instead to feel smarter, more prepared and more confident.🤓
Do not under-estimate the power of confidence in yourself
Here is my list of students common SCS Mistakes – but more importantly specific coaching advice around each one.
Avoid these common SCS mistakes {please!}
-
Practicing with old questions
The common SCS mistake with using past papers questions is thinking you can easily apply the same question to your new pre-seen.
It’s not as easy as that – and you waste time trying to think of a theme or unseen style question to make it fit, which wastes your time.
What I want you to do instead is get pre-seen specific questions for your pre-seen.
Because tutors and coaches (aka me – yes I have pre-seen specific questions in my revision courses) have picked the relevant core activities for the new pre-seen (not tried to shoe horn old businesses into this one)
👉🏻 Working smarter not harder comes to mind! 💪🏻
-
Re-reading
Reading the text book is useful but re-reading and going around in circles is boring and your brain is not engaged anymore.
Yes I get that you need to refresh your learning and you need to remember ‘the balanced scorecard’ and ‘gametheory’ and ‘what NPV is’
BUT Re- reading is a common SCS mistake because you think you have to recall aaaallll of the E3 ~ P3 and F3 technical models. Which isn’t true.
You need to have a smart understanding of the core activities and then you need to demonstrate your strategic understanding to how the model impacts us – come along to my Masterclass (here) to find out HOW to do that!
But please stop reading and re-reading – okay!
-
2 weeks of cramming
Oh gosh – I’ve put my least favourite revision word into my blog!
Cramming is a big fat ugly NO – It’s not a technique you need and it does NOT work (especially for SCS)
I know that you don’t want to cram, but the idea of sitting a 3 hour exam is scary and the pre-seen is 27 pages and there is so much to learn, remember, practice and get right!
Plus work is busy, you have a family and trying to have a life in between revising and you’ve left it to the last minute cos your exam is in 2 weeks and *?!*$* argh!
Right – breathe – and trust me – what you need to do is write and use a revision plan.
{If you come live to my Masterclass – I will give you my 5 week SCS revision plan – all completely filled out and ready for you}
Yes – that’s how important NOT CRAMMING is!
To avoid making this common SCS mistake – I need you to start your revision earlier and plan your revision tasks.
The pre-seen has been released, you need to start revising – pretty please.
-
Not reading the questions
Once you have pre-seen questions and are in practice mode (well done) – if you do not read the question properly – you are sabotaging your exam success!
Firstly do not skim read the question.
Secondly do not go off on a tangent thinking the question is about project managers – without reading the question is actually about project management and reducing the costs of the project.
The common SCS mistake (which I hear and see so much) is panic reading and not reading the question properly.
You have worked too hard to do this!
You have 59 minutes to read, plan and answer the question. Please use your first 10 minutes wisely.
-
Not writing enough
You have 3 hours to answer 3 questions. Well technically you have 59 ½ minutes to answer 1 question (cos the screen disappears and you can’t go back)
And in that 59 minutes (times by 3) you have to gain 80 marks.
The common SCS mistake is to not write enough to demonstrate your strategic understanding.
If you are guilty of this please focus on firstly quantity and then secondly quality.
In my masterclass I’m going to teach you how much to write (quantity) and how to demonstrate relevantly (quality) – yes I keep wanging on about my masterclass – cos I want you to pass – here’s the link to register.
-
Being a Rabbit in headlights with technical question
Oh this is a classic and very common SCS mistake.
Many of my students come to me and say this has happened to them.
Reminder – this is a CIMA finance exam (not a business studies exam and not a marketing exam) – YES you need to demonstrate your technical understanding strategically.
But there are so many technical areas that could be tested… so what happens when you don’t know the theory!?
If you are being a rabbit in headlights – then you either need to focus on your technical recall (you have the knowledge base I know you do)
AND … more importantly … you need to focus on your self belief and the non-technical exam techniques that point in the positively strong position of writing something on your script!
Again, you haven’t worked this hard to be a rabbit – you need to write something in order to get some marks.
Summary of common SCS mistakes
There you have it, my 6 most common SCS mistakes explained so that you can avoid doing them please.
To know exactly what to do – the Masterclass is live and free for you – yes really – register and grab your space here.
It’s easy for me to say don’t do these things ….
Which I kindof have done above, but hopefully I’ve guided you away from doing them (cos they don’t work) and steered you away from getting pre-seen specific resources and coaching support to teach you what to do.
This is your last CIMA exam
You deserve to pass and qualify and finally get your life back!
You have to practice smartly – read the specific exam question and write sentences which demonstrate your strategic understanding.
Deal! 🤓 ❤️
Good Luck and I’m here to coach you when you’re ready to PASS with 100 marks!
P.S – If you have 8 minutes – feel free to read a few of my other very useful (if I do say so myself) Strategically focused Revision blogs!