In our latest R0/AF Focus, Natalie Dawes, Candidate Support, Trainer & Business Development Adviser at Bespoke Training Solutions (BTS), considers how to prepare for one of the hardest CII exams, AF5.
Yes, I know, this headline is a terrible play on words about a certain citrus juice drink from the 90s and a certain advanced exam that is coming. AF5 will be here before we know it and if there’s one thing I am certain of, it’s that you have to be prepared.
The time is now
If you haven’t got going with your prep, the time really is now. Advanced exams, no matter which one we are thinking about, are not easy and AF5 definitely has a bit of a rep for being just that. Why though? Because it’s supposedly just like R06 and if you’ve passed that one, it’ll be fine – right? Errrrr….
Yes, there are similarities but there are also huge differences as well. Something I’ve written about before for Professional Paraplanner in my ‘AF5 – it’s a meaty one’ article from 2023. I think the title tells you a lot!
My previous AF5 article was more about the exam experience itself but we’re not there yet, so I want to use this article to get prepped and I really cannot tell you enough how important that is.
Confession time
When I wrote the 2023 article, it was post my first attempt of AF5. It was an exam sitting I found really tough and for good reason. So much so, it came across in the results. I deferred my success and it was absolutely gutting.
Thing is, come results day when I saw that awful ‘fail’ on my CII dashboard, I wasn’t overly surprised. I was immediately saying to myself that I knew why. It was very much about the prep and also knowing deep down that I hadn’t done enough – for me that is.
I’m a candidate that needs to take their time with learning and I think that’s down to three things:
- My learning style – particularly with new territory and where this was my first shot at an advanced exam.
- Balance – work, three kids, life…enough said!
- Age – sadly, I’m not getting any younger. When it comes to that new territory I mentioned in point 1, age is not on my side, I’m just not a ‘spongey’ as I once was.
So on that results day, I knew I needed to quickly dust myself off and put a plan in action for the next sitting, factoring in the three things I had against me. I needed to do all I could to ensure I didn’t have a repeat performance.
Time to action
This time around, I had an advantage. Having sat the exam once already, I knew what to expect. It’s not an advantage any of us really want to have but when we do, it’s a good opportunity to use it to help us plan. – which is exactly what I did.
Here’s what I did:
- I built myself a week by week plan, leading right up until the September exam sitting. It’s recommended that candidates spend at least 150 hours on AF5 so I split the hours out over the weeks that I had ahead of me.
- Further honesty…September exams are a royal pain in the backside. Summer holidays with the kids, nice weather meaning wanting to spend as much time out and about as possible. Not exactly easy to study but all the more reason to plan to ensure it happened.
- You could also say that I didn’t need to spend 150 hours studying given I’d already spent a lot of time preparing for the first sitting. However, with recognising that I do need to spend more time studying towards an exam than perhaps others, I’ve covered my bum by factoring in more, rather than less.
- I split my time out, with going through my study guide (again!), then putting my learns into action through practise questions and answers – until the factfind was released. Then I turned my attention towards my client and I made them feel as real as possible, making it feel less like an exam and more like a client that I really wanted to help.
This weekly plan ensured I made the time I needed and made progress. I was also open about all of this with my family, which helped them to support me.
This is actually a really key point – working towards exams actually impacts others as well whether that be a partner, our children, other family or friends. Talking to others about our exam commitments can avoid those awkward moments of having to say no to a social invitation or indeed encourage support when we need it most.
My plan gave me routine, good habits and before long I was feeling a whole load better about sitting the AF5 exam for the second time. It also meant I didn’t have to say no to everything, because I planned my studies I to allow for such things – win win!
Time for five alive
Whether you are sitting AF5 for the first time this September, or find yourself in a similar position to where I was, I encourage you to get your own ‘five alive’ plan going.
So build in that time with a study plan, practise analysing the lengthy factfinds this exam is based on and absolutely hone your skills in the extra analytical layer to your answers that is required by the examiner.
AF5 is not R06, it’s got way more legs that are alive and kicking – you need to be able to deal with them all. Right now, time is (just) about on your side, so ask yourself the question – how are you going to get AF5 alive?
Bespoke Training Solutions have been supporting regulated exams for 20 years this year! Known as ‘the exam experts’ within the industry, BTS provide support for the CII regulated exams by way of study guides, e-learning resources, and workshops for the full R0 suite and many AF and J0 units.
Visit https://www.bespoketrainingsolutions.com and check out the brand-new Careers Zone for study plans, answers to exam FAQs and lots more to support your journey.
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