What’s the best way of developing a good study plan for your R0 & AF Exams? Natalie Dawes, DipPFS – Academy Support Adviser, BTS, provides some helpful suggestions.
Studying for professional exams can present challenges to even the most organised student. For many, the decision to embark on further study is part of a much bigger work / life picture. Candidates enrolled on the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning or the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, are often working alongside their studies. It’s not always easy to balance competing commitments, but the various inspiring stories shared on LinkedIn tell us that, with a good study plan, achieving exam success alongside a busy lifestyle is achievable.
Before my study journey began, looking after my family and working, was a fine balance. It took me a while to find the right rhythm with adding studies in but once I did, it became obvious that it was about structure, routine and building good habits.
Over many weeks and months, I monitored when I had the most productive study sessions and then I began to factor these times into my week, working them around my busy household. Once I had established these times, it became so much easier to plan effectively. I was able to consider how long a unit might take me to complete and then I’d book my exam, so that I had an overall goal to work towards.
Prior to this, I’d been caught out by ‘winging it’, so I learnt to understand the importance of having a good study plan in place. Without a plan, how do we know where to focus our efforts? How do we stay on track? How do we balance work, family life or other responsibilities? These are all things that having a well thought out study plan has supported me with, as well as helping to avoid that horrid feeling of ‘deferred success’.
How to approach putting a study plan together
A good plan needs some basic ground rules for it to be successful. You’ll be familiar with ‘SMART objectives’ and this is a great place to start. I tend to work backwards, which is easier when it comes to a written exam as the exam dates are set in stone versus the flexibility/frequency of the MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) exams. If you are sitting an MCQ exam, you’ll have an idea of when you would like to complete the unit by, so use this as your start point. You can then break the unit down into chunks, as well as factoring in time for exam paper practice, working with the amount of time you have on your side before your exam.
The CII include a recommended number of study hours for each unit. Use this to map out your time, bearing in mind it could take you more or less time depending on your prior experience and other commitments. You’ll realise quickly if your ideal exam date is realistic or not when you think about how many hours of study you will need to complete each week to get there!
Consider a different study plan for each unit
It’s easy to think you can apply the same plan from one unit to another and for some, this may be so. For example, my study plan looked very different for R03 when compared to R04, because my foundation knowledge on personal taxation already had a head start due to my job role. However, my exposure to retirement planning was less so and this had an impact on the amount of learning required for that particular unit.
Written exams are a whole new ball game, especially for those that have only sat MCQ exams. Exam technique is and should be a focus and be factored into your study plan. I spent a lot of time practicing exam technique, on top of the usual study processes and revision, to really get to grips with what the examiner would be looking.
It’s also good practice to write a new study plan for each unit, it almost forces you to plan more effectively. Think of it as a written exam – staring at white space, it’s definitely a BTS mantra to plan before you plough on, and the same concept can be said for planning your unit of study.
Allow a little wriggle room
Consider how you may feel if things go wrong, believe me, I have had many of life’s curveballs turn up and send me off course, but having a plan in place as my guide (not a binding contract) has allowed me the flexibility I sometimes need but also given me structure so that I can pick up where I left off.
A few SMART tips for your study plan
Specific – Break your unit of study or chapters (some of them are HUGE!) down into manageable chunks, into ‘mini topics’ to allow you to really understand and be secure in the content that you are learning.
Measurable – Set yourself checkpoints. I used to have a ‘study check-in’ once per week with my mentor when I was working towards my DipPFS. Through our conversations, we uncovered any knowledge gaps and put plans in place to remedy. Use self-test questions/practice exam papers to measure that your learning has embedded.
Achievable – Be realistic, what we want to do versus what we can do are sometimes two quite different things.
Relevant – Make sure your plan makes sense and is about YOU. Don’t base your goals on what others are doing. Get someone you know well to sense check it, to ensure that it benefits you and your needs.
Time-framed – Set yourself ‘mini goals’ along the way, with their own, manageable time level attached, what you’re doing won’t seem like such a big thing by breaking it down. Think about when you will study, it’s important to have routine as well as a desire to complete something in a specific amount of time.
AT BTS, we provide recommended study plans, tailored for each unit, to help candidates plan in the study time needed to achieve exam success. These are viewable on our Careers Zone and are free to access!
About Bespoke Training Solutions
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 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.
