I have been coaching a number of CIPD candidates recently as they prepare to undertake their exams. Understandably, they have varying degrees of trepidation as the exam date approaches. What is less understandable is the level of support they are given by their providers as to how to deal with exam questions. It appears to be non-existent for some of them.

Doing an exam can be a bit like taking a penalty in a football or hockey match when success depends on scoring – nothing is quite like the real thing, but practicing and having a structure, technique or model to use can give you the best chance of success.

One person described to me how when they started to read the questions, they looked difficult and as a result, “just became a jumble of words making no sense”. Not a useful state when tacking an exam. Having a structure can help a person to maintain a cognitive approach whilst they are experiencing all sorts of unhelpful emotions. And so the words start to make sense again.

To help individuals in this situation, I have created a number of questions designed to guide them through each exam question and enable them to answer them as effectively as possible. I’d be interested to hear from others as to whether they work, or whether I’m missing anything. Or do they need tweaking?

1. What is the question asking me to do / what is the product?

2. What is the subject?

3. Who is the audience?

4. What do I know about the subject (relative to the audience)? (this is where you board blast / brainstorm as many different ideas as possible – don’t judge any of them, just create ideas – however seeming useful / useless / alternative at this stage) 

5. What are the important parts from Q5 to include in my answer?

6. In what structure will I present this information?

Let me know what you think – I will be grateful for any feedback.

Paul