Before starting to learn each unit, I created an Excel Spreadsheet to plan out how long each Unit would take. In the spreadsheet I would list everything that I needed to do to finish the unit and an estimate on how long that would all take. Once that was all known I would go through and plan when I would do each section. This would allow me to get a rough date for when I would expect to sit my exam and would give me something to work towards. For me I aimed to do a 2 to 3 Hours each night after work. I would also try to avoid doing any work on weekends to ensure I had reasonable breaks and wouldn’t get burnt out. I would only do work on weekends if I was falling behind on my planned dates or if I had the exam upcoming.
Learning the Content
When it comes to learning the content, I used the First Intuition Books. I also used the Online Videos from First Intuition as well. Firstly, I would use the First Intuition Books and Videos to learn the unit. I did this by doing the book first to try and learn it by myself and then using the videos to try and help clear up anything I didn’t understand. After going through that I would then use more questions for some more practice questions as well as to flag any areas that I felt I needed to do some more work on. I was also able to ask my Tutor any questions if they were needed to try and clear up any worries I had. Depending on the unit this would take me a couple of weeks to about a month.
After I have learned the content, I would go through and write up my notes. I would use Word to write up my notes. The reason I used Word was because it had a read aloud feature which I felt helped me a lot. I am not a fast reader, so I fell this helped me get through my notes a lot faster. It also allowed me to play my notes while at work which I think saved me some time in the long run. I feel like the repetition helped a lot for the written questions and Tick Box style questions as it allowed the wordier information to stick in my head better. It took me no more than a week to write up my notes.
Assignments and Practice Tests
Next, I would do the assignments on the First Intuition Portal as well as a practice test. These gave me a good indication if I was test ready and what areas I should do some extra revision on before my exam. I always found that the assignments where checked quickly and the feedback given helped me prepare for my exam.
Booking and Preparing for the Exam
Finally, I would book my exam. I would usually give myself 2 Weeks between booking my exam and sitting my exam. In this time I would sit all the practice exams I had available to me. I would also play my notes most days in order to retain as much information as possible. To me I felt like the first Intuition exams where the most useful especially those marked by my Tutor. The feedback given was always useful and helped me tidy up any areas that I might have lost easy marks to get. I also felt that having someone else mark the exam was useful for the written questions as I was never fully sure if I was being too lenient or too harsh when marking my own so having someone else check felt reassuring. I did all five of my exams at home using the remote invigilator option. I felt this was the best option for me as making it to a close assessment venue was not easy. It also allowed me to do the test at any time that felt best for me. It also took away any additional panic of having to travel on the day of the exam and worrying about being late. For me I would aim to do my exams early in the morning to avoid stressing myself out all day thinking about it.
Reflections and Future Plans
Overall, I would say my journey while stressful at times was worth it in the end. I achieved 95% overall and feel proud of myself for achieving it. I am also thankful to my Tutor Louise Grant who helped me along my journey as I don’t think I would have done this well with out her. I hope to move on to do CIMA in the future and will likely choose First Intuition again in future.
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