FIVE TIPS FOR CIPS LEARNING AND EXAMS (Level 4)

This is the 1st article in 2021 that I would like to write for those devoted to studying and taking CIPS exams soon. I hope it will be helpful to you ?? (This is a personal experience, just for reference)

Hereafter is the link to the CIPS website https://www.cips.org/learn/student-zone/. If you are a membership, you can access various resources following your level, such as a study guide/ advice, student books, e-learning, knowledge essays, articles, podcast, etc. Besides, there are some events, such as free webinars held by CIPS branches around the world, that you can join. Some are for everyone, and some are for a membership only. You can refer more here https://www.cips.org/events/.

Above is an introduction to a CIPS website. Now, I am glad to share some of my tips to study level 4 and my preparation before exams.

??The first is 5 tips for learning.

1/ Stay focus when reading the study guide book, everything in the book can appear in the exam questions, so it should not be passed over the case study, glossary, review questions or summary chapter. You can use a highlight pen and a sticky note to mark between your books. I left my toothmark on almost pages of my guide books, lol.

2/ Refer to the real case or your own experience or research more in other resources; it can help you understand deeper and remember longer. Not to mention that those references can be a plus mark in your answer in CR exams (M1 and M8) as examples for your understanding of the definitions or methods and how this was able to apply in reality.

3/ Use a mindmap or fish-bone chart to summarise; it also can help you remember the knowledge systematically, part by part, chapter by chapter. Since each module's content has a connection to another, it will be a useful means to approach and link the entire knowledge of level.

4/ Translate the information to your mother tongue (if English is not your 1st language). This is a personal tip; I see it's simpler to get the picture and referring to the local cases which can be dwelled into and applied to answer the exams.

5/ Arrange a suitable time to study. Although it depends on individual self-pace, I suggest not wait until the exam comes near as it can make you panic and ineffective review. Self-study seems easy to be boring, but it's essential to be patient and diligent. Success can be achieved by accumulating effort of a few hours every day. Fighting!!

??The second is 5 tips for taking the exam (CR and OR)

1/ CR (M1 & M8): Read the question carefully and understand the keyword question mark. "Discuss" and "Explain" and "Analyse" has a different way to answer, so you need to know how to answer fully and precisely to get the point as high as possible. I suggest practising to respond to the guide book's question so that you will not be anxious when taking the exam.

2/ CR (M1 & M8): Add the relevant examples to support your perspective and idea. It helps demonstrate your understanding of the topic and bring your own experience to the answer, which can get the examiner's mark. Furthermore, in case of mention the name of the theory or method, it's crucial to write the RIGHT.

3/ CR (M1 & M8): Have a strategy to settle time per the question. Typically, CR has 4 questions in 180 mins, so you will have 45 mins per question. But you may take more than it to complete one depending on however complicated the problem is. So, my suggestion is you should choose to response the easy first, then the not-easy-one later. If you see the time will end very soon (15 mins), let retake a look at your answer before submitting it.

4/ OR (M2 to M7): Think as the Buyer/ Purchaser/ Procurement in the situation of question. (This is for those who are not working as buyer or procurement staff) It's necessary to let yourself think from a buyer perspective; for example, if you're a buyer, what will you do in that case?

5/ OR (M2 to M7): Use common sense to guess if you don't know the answer :P. For example, with the question about ethics and sustainability, you can think that slavery, human trafficking of all type is prohibited, due diligence is necessary when doing outsource, etc., to guess the right choice or eliminate other options and select the most-seem-right answer.

Apart from these above tips, it'd better had a revision frequently, strategy in choosing the order of modules to take the exam (1 easy/ 1 hard) or all OR first/ CR later, etc., how many exams to attend at once (2 or 3 or all). Personally, I think 2 modules per exam are enough. You can find each exam's statistics to see the pass ratio per modules/ level; then, you can decide which and how many subjects to take. Moreover, team discussion is also useful when you study CIPS since it helps you listen to others and remember the knowledge and have diverse views on one matter. There is a group in FB about CIPS that you can join to discuss and refer to questions when exams come out. Here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/853679614670808

I hope this article is helpful for some of you on the way to conquer the CIPS journey. I'm also studying level 5 and hope to complete it within 2021.

Hard work will pay off.

Best of luck to all CIPS students ??????

*If you have any question or feedback, welcome to ping a comment ^^