cima strategic case study examiners report

CIMA Case Study Feb 2023: The Examiners Report

The February 2023 CIMA case study exams are just around the corner.

Students sitting a case study exam this month should be primed and (almost) ready for exam day! Your pre seen analysis is done, the industry analysis has been ticked off and you should have taken at least one mock exam by the stage.

So now is the ideal time to learn from other students mistakes as CIMA released The Examiners Report from the November case study sitting.

It’s a resource that goes under the radar, but you’d be a fool to over look it as CIMA are essentially giving you free advice on WHAT NOT TO DO on exam day!!

I’ve gone through the OCS, MCS and SCS examiners reports and picked out my key takeaways.

OCS: Fireworks Nov 22 Examiner Feedback

Significant number of candidates gave very poor answers, mainly due to;

• Lack of application to the scenario, leading to generic, text-book type answers.
• Lack of clarity and depth in explanations: a focus on identification rather than explanation.
• Candidates answering the task that they wish they had been asked rather than what had been asked or misreading the task given.
• Gaps in technical knowledge and understanding in some of the P1 and F1 areas, meaning that some tasks were answered well and others poorly.

You can read the full OCS November 2022 examiners report here.

MCS: Happy Playz Nov 22 Examiner Feedback

The examiner gave feedback around the quality of answers provided by students and stated that basic level 1 answers were summary of content from the syllabus with no real insight or application to the scenario, while at the other end of the spectrum, the advanced level 3 answers were evaluated and applied to the scenario with justification.

While another common pitfall was students not answering the requirement OR students were reluctant to commit themselves to solution/proposal in the fear of a “wrong” answer.

The examiner gives a nice one pager at the end of the report with a list of advice on what to do BEFORE and DURING the exam, you can find the full MCS November 2002 examiners report here.

SCS: Hottayr Nov 22 Examiner Feedback

The SCS report was in a similar format to the MCS report, illustrating the differences between a weak (level 1) and strong (level 3) answer.

• Recalling syllabus content is helpful, BUT YOU MUST apply it to solving problems presented in the exam.
• There is no substitute to mock exam practice.
• If asked for a recommendation, you must justify it. Even if your recommendation is different from the examiner, you will still gain credit for the quality of the justification.
• Be sure to include real-world examples – low carbon products are discussed widely in the press, so it’s possible to research this easily before exam day.

You can read the full SCS November 2022 examiners report here.

Good Luck with your upcoming case study exam!

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Exam Resource

Study guide case study examination - strategic level.

What is this? A calendar of articles and recorded learning support resources that will assist your Strategic Case Study exam preparation.

Why do I need it? The resources in the guide cover a range of themes and can be broadly split into two main categories: Study support — Motivation, confidence, time, strategic and memory recall. Exam support — Question-answering techniques and exam day planning.

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CIMA Strategic Case Study

‘How to pass the case study’ mini-course

“The main reason people fail their CIMA case study exams is not lack of theoretical knowledge, not lack of pre-seen preparation – it’s poor exam technique. People just don’t know how to write answers in a way that scores marks, how to plan to focus what they say and how to manage their time across the exam to maximise marks in each section.” – Nick Best, Astranti CEO

The case studies are difficult to pass, with around 40-50% of people typically failing each sitting , and for most, it’s because they don’t fully understand what it takes to score highly in the exam.

They don’t know how to:

• Produce answers that meet the examiner’s needs
• Play the role assigned in the exam
• Plan effectively
• Manage their time to create balanced answers
• Write answers that score high marks

Having helped thousands of students pass the case study, Peter Stiff, Astranti’s case study expert, has pooled his years of experience teaching CIMA case studies and produced over 10 hours of video content to show you exactly what you need to pass your CIMA case study exam .

We’ve also written a comprehensive study guide for you to work through alongside the video series , so that you can cement your understanding and begin to apply it to your exam.

“Everything I needed was included and it helped me untangle what my priorities should be in revising, as well as teaching me the best exam techniques. Passed first time which I put down to the excellent course structure, materials, and very communicative and helpful staff.”

CIMA Case Study Student , January 2022

“I purchased the full course and it was brilliant; the preseen analysis was very useful, the exam technique was absolutely vital, and I was really grateful for the marked mocks and support from tutors (and other students on Yammer).”

CIMA Qualified , July 2022

Learn what it takes to pass

Understand what the examiner says you need to do to pass

Learn why people fail and how to avoid the same mistakes

Learn how to play your role in the exam to score highly

Perfect your exam technique

Learn the skills to master your time management

Develop your writing style to make clear focused points

Learn how to create effective answer plans

Maximise your marks

Review past students’ scripts and see how to improve yours

Learn what it really takes to pass from the examiner’s reports

See how to review your mocks to improve your answers

Take a look for yourself…

Part 1 – What does it take to pass the exam?

Part 1 - What's covered?

Chapter 1 – the keys to passing the SCS

What are the most important factors in passing the CIMA Strategic Case Study exam and what do you need to do to achieve that? Our first video answers these key questions as well as providing a general introduction to the exam.

Chapter 2 – the exam

In order to pass the exam you need to understand what it looks like! We review the nature of the exam and run you through what you will be faced with on exam day.

Chapter 3 – your role

CIMA provide you with a ‘role to play’ for your exam. What is that role and what does this mean for the way you answer the questions in the exam? The examiner has commented that people playing the role well score more marks, so this is critical to you passing.

Chapter 4 – how to analyse the pre-seen

The CIMA examiners regularly comment that people do not use the pre-seen information enough in their exam. We provide a step by step approach to analysing the pre-seen to get the most from it which is useful to those people who don’t use the Astranti Case Study analysis.

Chapter 5 – answering the question

The examiner’s most common criticism of student scripts is ‘not answering the question asked’. The problem is people not properly identifying the requirements – it’s harder than it sounds! This video shows you how to avoid this most common of errors.

Total video running time: over 3 hours

Part 2 – Exam planning and writing

Part 2 - What's covered?

Chapter 6 – why you must plan your answers

Planning is one of the keys to passing the CIMA Strategic Case Study, yet most people don’t plan. In this video, we outline why planning is so important and why it is key to passing.

Chapter 7 – the 9 stages of exam planning

Our 9 step planning approach ensures you create answers that meet all the key requirements the examiner requires from a script. Follow these steps as the first stage in producing an excellent answer.

Chapter 8 – planning practice

You will only excel at planning through practice. Having been shown how to plan, it’s now your turn!  We provide a question for you to plan, run through the solution and show you what an excellent plan for that question would look like.

Chapter 9 – writing approach

Using the right writing style makes a significant difference to the mark you score. So what is the style you should use that will enable you to score the most marks from the ideas you generate? This video demonstrates the style that markers say helps them give you the most marks.

Chapter 10 – writing practice

Can you produce a script like the good scripts you’ve just been shown? You will be given a question and will be shown how to evaluate that script to ensure you are writing your answer in a way that is scoring the most marks from the points made.

Additional content – lessons from student scripts

We examine a range of student Case Study scripts. You will see the good scripts, so you’ve got a clear idea what to produce in the exam, and the bad scripts, so you can learn what not to do!

Total video running time: over 4 hours

Part 3 – Scoring high marks on the pre-seen

Part 3 - What's covered?

Chapter 11 – how is the SCS marked?

By understanding how the Strategic Case Study exam is marked, you can tailor your answer to ensure you pick up all the key marks and miss out things that aren’t scoring well.

Chapter 12 – time management

The most important skill to master to pass this exam is time management. That’s not just us saying that it’s the top answer to the regular post exam poll we conduct of our students. Why is this so important and how do you master your own time management in the exam? This video will show you.

Chapter 13 – the optimum approach to preparing for the SCS exam

As you approach the exam what do you need to do to prepare in the best way? We will guide you through the steps you need to take to ensure you pass.

Chapter 14 – application to the SCS

Having the ability to apply your knowledge of the theory to the pre-seen scenario is crucial when preparing for the SCS exam. This section provides a series of templates and guides for you to do just this, linking in with some of the key theory and models from operational level.

Additional content – the examiner’s analysis of a real student script  

There’s nothing better than hearing what the CIMA examiner wants from your Case Study exam. Luckily the examiner has provided us with an analysis of a real exam script with her commentary on what’s good and how it can be improved. We analyse this script and her comments and pick out the key learning points so you can produce a script which meets her needs.

Additional content – the marking grid

Our marking grid is tailored to give you feedback on the key areas of exam technique required to pass the SCS exam. In this video, we review each of these key areas and show you how to use the feedback given from your marked mocks to improve.

Additional content – review of examiner post exam reports

At the end of each exam, the examiner provides guidance on the key strengths and weaknesses in that set of exams. By examining a range of reports over a number of years we learn what she is looking for from your script, what you need to do to score well and what traps you need to avoid. We also examine how her feedback has changed over the years so you understand her current thinking.

Total video running time: over 3 hours

What our students have to say…

Please see our  testimonials page  for our latest student reviews. Here are a couple of examples:

“I’ve just passed my SCS and couldn’t have done it without Astranti.

I purchased the full course and it was brilliant; the preseen analysis was very useful, the exam technique was absolutely vital, and I was really grateful for the marked mocks and support from tutors (and other students).

This was my first case study having completed the other levels many moons ago before they introduced case studies at every level. I’d self studied the Strategic OTs and scraped through but there’s no way I could have passed the case study on my own.”

“Fantastic course for the Operational Case Study CIMA exam. I normally study for my exams with textbooks, but as I didn’t know where to start with the first case study exam, I purchased the full Astranti OCS course, which was well worth it.

Everything I needed was included and it helped me untangle what my priorities should be in revising, as well as teaching me the best exam techniques.

Passed first time which I put down to the excellent course structure, materials, and very communicative and helpful staff.”

Passed CIMA OCS , January 2022

Purchase the ‘how to pass the case study’ mini-course

The ‘How To Pass The Case Study’ Mini-Course is also part of our SCS Premium and Essentials Courses. Head to the course page to find out more.

SCS ‘How To Pass The Case Study’ Mini-Course £165

To qualify for the pass guarantee you need to ensure you complete ALL of the following steps. Failure to complete all of these steps will mean you will not qualify.

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CIMA Student Series: Strategic Case Study (SCS)

The Strategic Case Study represents the final hurdle for CIMA students. In this article, Angelo Koukios demonstrates the importance of the right attitude. His never-say-die attitude and ability to identify and improve his weaknesses saw him improve his score by 25 marks between his first and second attempts.

Angelo Koukios currently works as a financial advisor at Grant Thornton (see LinkedIn profile here ). Angelo enjoys a versatile working experience in two different countries (England & Greece) within a variety of industries and roles. His main areas of interest are predominantly financial planning and analysis in the context of financial modelling, along with the application of advanced data analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) techniques. During his free time, Angelo loves to hang out with friends, exploring the beauty of Greece as well as watching and playing sports. ‍

The Strategic Case Study represents the final hurdle for CIMA students. In this article, Angelo demonstrates the importance of the right attitude. His never-say-die attitude and ability to identify and improve his weaknesses saw him improve his score by 25 marks between his first and second attempts. ‍

When did you take the SCS exam and how did you get on? Was it your first attempt?

I successfully passed the SCS exam in May 2019 and that was my second attempt. As the saying goes, “you are allowed to fall, but you must get back up”. I failed with my first attempt with a scaled score of 78 (just 2 marks below the passing grade), and I am sure that you can imagine how devastated I was. I had to go down the same road over again, in the context of a new case study scenario, only because I got a result slightly lower than the pass mark. By being persistent, paying more attention to those small things that make the difference and having the unlimited support of VIVA, I eventually got the desired pass mark, this time 103.      

How long did you spend preparing for the SCS paper?

My preparation for the SCS paper lasted approximately 6 weeks. Believe me, time flies! On average, I was studying approximately 4 hours per working day and approximately 10 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.  

Did you take a course or did you opt for self-study?

As you can imagine, self-study and commitment are the most important parts in this journey. However, VIVA’s SCS Genius Study Pack paved the way for succeeding in the exam. The case study preparation videos, professional marking of my mock exams with detailed comments and the one-to-one session helped me to familiarise myself with exam requirements and conditions. In the SCS exam it is not just a test of what you know, but also a test of how you manage to express that knowledge in a specific scenario. This is exactly where VIVA’s terrific contribution makes the difference and equips you with confidence during the actual exam.

What (if anything), did you find especially difficult with the SCS in relation to your preparation?

Definitely, balancing work, personal and study life is the toughest part of this process. As time is probably the most valuable asset that we have as individuals, the CIMA qualification requires substantial amounts of it, if you want to reap the benefits of this accreditation. Getting inspiration from the virtue of learning more and envisioning a better future are key incentives to push yourself forward and never give up.

What (if anything), did you find especially difficult with the SCS in relation to the exam day?

I believe that time management is key on the exam day. However, more often than not, good time management is highly correlated with good preparation. The more you know, the more efficient you become when you express that knowhow either verbally or on paper.

Was there an area of the Strategic syllabus that you liked more than others?

Most students struggle with hedge accounting or currency and interest hedges. I was one of those to be honest. However, this gradually became one of my favourites along with valuations, Big Data and the Balance Scorecard.

Was there an area of the Strategic syllabus that you liked less than others?

Probably the areas of Integrated Reporting and GRI were not “my cup of tea”. However, I grasp the main attributes of those two areas and I was prepared to implement them in the case scenario.

Do you have any tips for other students about to sit the SCS?

Stay focused, be confident, aim for the best but also be prepared for the worst. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. SCS is a “once in a lifetime” experience and as such, presents particular challenges that are unique to it.

Were there any study techniques you used that were particularly helpful?

Reviewing weak areas again and again with a fresh view and continuous familiarisation with the industry and the scenario itself are critical success factors for exam success.  

Do you have any final comments/recommendations/feelings/thoughts about your SCS experience?

Have fun! The learning process and exams are tough. However, the whole experience makes you stronger and better. As the song says: “At the end of a storm, there's a golden sky”!

‍ You might want to explore and learn more about our CIMA Strategic Case Study Course . You can also check our webinar for Introduction to the SCS, register here .

Like to explore how VIVA can help you with your CIMA studies?

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