The Procurement Academy | Procurement Apprenticeships | CIPS Qualifications | Procurement Training Yorkshire

Top 5 tips to help you smash the upcoming CIPS exams!

Wednesday 10th January 2018

1) Organise your work space

This seems a simple one but many times this is the most essential.
Is there enough light? Are you warm enough? Too warm? Are all distractions out of sight? (TV, radio and mobile phone etc?)
Your study space is important, make sure everyone knows you have an exam and you need time and space to revise in a suitable area.

2) Explain your answers to others

Speaking out loud to friends, family, loved ones and even pets can help cermet the information firmly into your brain. If you can't explain it to them thoroughly then you know there are areas which you need to work on.

3) Take regular breaks

Devise a revision schedule giving yourself plenty of breaks. It is much more effective to have shorter bursts of intensive learning rather than longer less concentrated periods of revision. You know your body clock and you know when your brain is at its most responsive. Whether you're an early bird or night owl, get it right and give your brain a rest, you deserve it.

4) Organise study groups

One of the most helpful feelings, when you're stuck in revising, is knowing you're not alone. Especially if you you're the only one in the household or in your immediate circle who has exams, it can appear like everyone else is going out and having fun and you're stuck in revision hell. Invite other people into the revision hell with you and share the burden. You never know...you might make it a little bit fun.

5) Use flow charts and diagrams

Important we note, first and foremost not to get bogged down with learning style, even if you are sure you learn in a particular way, whether that be audio/visual/lists etc. Trying new ways of learning can often harbour good results. Try colourful flow charts and diagrams, it's not for everyone but using visual aids have proven with many to be useful. If you condense your notes into an A4 flow chart or visual diagram, recalling this in an exam is much easier than remembering pages and pages of notes. Combining this with past paper practice will enable you to regurgitate all the relevant information using the flow chart or diagram as the initial prompt during the exam.