How to Study & Revise for your CII Exams

1. Insurance Institute of London Revision Lecture Xchanging Building 1.15pm, Monday 21st January 2008 How to Study & Revise for your CII Exams Len Wilkins FCII, Consultant & Chris Paine Dip CII, Consultant Chairman : Mr Richard King BSc (Hons) AMIMA ACIArb Senior Consultant, Helix UK Limited IIL Revision Lectures are kindly sponsored by Xchanging

2. Introduction • CII has introduced important changes tostructureof obtaining CII qualifications • CII constantly reviews syllabus content • No comments on syllabus changes today • CII has now taken over responsibility for Lloyd’s Training Centre & their courses • Please contact CII Face-to-Face Training for ACIIRevision Days on 0207 283 3117

3. New CII Designation System • Award in Insurance (FIT) • Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) • Diploma in Insurance (Dip CII) • Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) • Beyond that is CII Fellowship • MSc in Insurance and Risk Management at Cass Business School • Chartered Status & Chartered Firm Titles • New CII Faculties – Underwriting, Claims, Broking, London Market • CITIP & Certificate in Contract Wording

4. I don’t want to do this – don’t worry, nobodydoes • You’re not going to believe it, but studying can be fun • For those of you used to studying, some thoughts • For those of you who struggle, or are studying for the first time, some ideas !

5. Firstly, why people fail !! Research has show that students fail CII exams for three reasons • ONE - they did not PREPARE • TWO - they did not FINISH examination paper • THREE - they did not PRACTISE answering questions You have been warned – so you need to study properly to avoid these traps

6. How to Study • We’re going to look at : Studying Recalling Reviewing Revising Although CII exams are nottypicalacademic exams, examtechniques still vital – please attend “How to Pass Your CII Exams” here at Xchanging at 1.15pm on Monday18th February

7. Five Golden Rules to Studying • Rule One – organise yourself • Rule Two - activate your brain - find out what motivates it - if you’re bored, so is your brain ! • Rule Three - you can’t revise until you’ve learned your subject - you should allow eight weeks to revise

8. Five Golden Rules to Studying • Rule Four - if your existing study methods don’t work, perhaps it’s time to find new ways of learning and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, • Rule Five - promise yourself you will study NOW and not day before exams

9. Step One • Decide on correct examination route : • Award • Certificate • Diploma • Advanced Diploma • Decide number of study subjects - no more than two at any one sitting, please • Establish how long it will take to study various subject levels

10. Study Time & CII Credits Required • Cert CII Average 50 hours ( 40 credits) • Dip CII Average 96 hours (110 credits) • ACII Average 120 hours (290 credits)

11. Step Two • Buy stationery supplies • Pads, pens, highlighter pens • Drawing pins or ‘Bluetack’ • Sticky tape • Tape recorder • Old posters or flipchart • Now make up study plan allowing for study and play time – then STICK TO IT !

12. Step Three • Start with copy of syllabus. CII grades it, so see what's important and what extra reading is recommended • Exams set from syllabus, so make sure you know what is important and how much detail you need to know • Shame to study something CII doesn’t worry about or removed from syllabus two years ago

13. Step Four • Look at previous exam guides for past two years (last four exam sessions) • Look at topics that have been used for compulsory questions, essay questions and short answer questions • Produce list, grid or ‘matrix’ of what comes up regularly and what never seems to be examined

14. Time to make plans • Obtain copy of CII Examination Guides - provide hints, tips and answering ‘styles’ – only official source of CII questions • £9.00 + VAT from CII website or CII e-mail for members (£10.00 + VAT for non-members) • www.cii.co.uk or customer.serv@cii.co.uk • CII Customer Services 0208 989 8464 • Talk to others who have taken exam recently and pick their brains – now you know where to focus your mind !

15. Time to make plans • You need to plan your time • Work out when you are most responsive to new ideas - weekends, early mornings, late at night • How much time will you need ? • Fit studying around work, social life, holidays, study assignments, revision times

16. Time to make plans • Do this and you will accept study time more easily, realise your aims are feasible and stand chance of keeping your sense of humour (and your partner’s support) • Once you’ve made this plan, KEEP TO IT !

17. Weekly Time Plan • Weekly Study Time for each Subject Level • Cert CII –Total Study 35 to 50 Hours • 3 to 4 hours a week • Dip CII – TotalStudy100 to 150 Hours • 6 to 8 hours a week • ACII – TotalStudy120 to 150 Hours • 8 to 10 hours a week

18. How to Plan For example : • Starting in October for April Exam • Mid-September to Mid-December = 13 weeks • January to February = 8 weeks • Revision should begin on or near 1st March

19. Step Five • Assess syllabus and course text-book to see what study time required. Don’t allow set time for each chapter. GRADEthe subjects into degrees of difficulty : • HARD – much thought & concentration • DIFFICULT - some hard work • EASY - needs revising, simple background reading

20. Step Five • Now allocate your timeover these subjects on 3:2:1 ratio • 3 hours for hard • 2 hours for difficult • 1 hour for easy

21. It’s up to you • Try to get face-to-face tuition. If not, arrange own your study group at work • Continuous AssessmentAssignments • Time to start studying. Scan-read book, ignore bits you don’t need. Take text that’s important to you and rephrase words into your own style. Summarise text passages • Get friend to ask you questions, check your answers and assist your revision

22. Don’t just write notes • Don’t just write notes - use colours, pictures, boxes, rhymes - anything to help your memory and give your brain something tangible to hold on to • Use your imagination – even write your own short questions in margin • Use unrelated items – any form of thought association

23. Don’t just write notes • Put important points on “flash” cards, posters or notes suitable for you - use acronyms, phrases, triggers • Tape main points of a passage and replay them - use gags, music, sing to the text • Could you forget principles of FSMA 2000 sung to ‘I will Survive’? • Play Insurance ‘Mastermind’ or ‘Scrabble’

24. Making notes will give your brain something to retain when it gets DIFFICULT • MOVEMENT • EXAGGERATION • Make it INTERESTING • Make it FUNNY • Use MNEMONICS (system for improving memory)

25. Anyone for Tennis ? • If you have partner in life, don’t forget about them • Are they supportive - ask them to test you • Get them to use flash cards

26. Stupid, but it works !! • Before you start, say out loud : ‘I am going to pass this exam; in fact, I am going to get a distinction’ (Okay, you might have to stretch truth there) • Don’t get bored - give your brain variety • Work personalreward system

27. Revision • Passive Revision - learning, reviewing notes, re-expressing facts, concepts and ideas • Active Revision - answer questions, memory ‘joggers’ - words, rhymes, tapes, flash cards or notes for key points and legal cases - put them round house - mind maps to link things together and above all practise under exam conditions !

28. Revision • Use continuous assessment facilities or correspondence courses, On-Line help such as CII ed, CD-RoM & Interactive, Key Facts Booklets, Distance Learning, CII Revision Days and CII Knowledge Services – again please contact CII Face-to-Face Training • Plan your revision - prepare timetable that includes work and leisure, then stick to it • Remember, you need somewhere quiet, free of distractions, equipped with study space

29. The end is in sight, so keep going • Revise in attainable chunks - not whole syllabus all at once • Study for 40 minutes - revise and review for 40 minutes - 15 minute reward break - then repeat process • Lastly review key points you’ve learned for 5 minutes - technique will help put facts into your long-term memory – start all over again

30. The end is in sight, so keep going • Just before you go to bed, review key points of all facts you’ve learned during session • LASTLY, don’t forget to set alarm clock for 30 minutes earlier than usual - revisit key facts from previous day • You will be amazed how many facts you remember !

31. Remember …….. • Practise writing answers - you will find out what you don’t know! Would you have passed your driving test without driving a car first ? • Thousands of people pass CII exams every year and every year CII appoints hundreds of new ACII’s, Dip CII’s and Cert CII’s • Remember, one day this could be …………..YOU !!!!!

32. Co-Authors of this Presentation Len Wilkins FCII SICAT Training Consultancy Telephone 01451 821063 Mobile 07970 668849 E-Mail lenwilkins@btinternet.com Chris Paine Dip CII Independent Training Consultant & Advisor Telephone 01923 775049 Mobile 07770 671840 E-Mail painefamily@supanet.com