How to Study & Revise for your CII Exams

1. Insurance Institute of London Revision Lecture Xchanging Building 1.15pm, Monday 18th January 2010 How to Study & Revise for your CII Exams Len Wilkins FCII, Consultant & Chris Paine Dip CII, Consultant Chairman : Alex Booth Partner, Elborne Mitchell - Solicitors IIL Revision Lectures are kindly sponsored by Xchanging

2. Health Warning • Imperative you obtain copy of new 2010 Cert/Dip/ACII Brochure • Modernisation of General Insurance (GI) syllabus ‘Changes at a Glance 2010 – 2011’ • Evolutionary not an immediate explosion • Many changes to some ‘old favourites’ • Please contact CII Face-to-Face Training for further information on 0207 283 3117 • After all, it’s only in Fenchurch Street • Please go and talk to the team there

3. Enhanced CII Exam Process • CII placing greater focus on testing practical application of knowledge levels • Certificate : fundamental level • Diploma : technical & supervisory • Advanced : sophisticated knowledge application • CII will achieve this by offering enhanced subjects, realignment of units, study pathways, modified completion criteria, streamlined content and improved learning & revision materials & other tools

4. Planning your CII Route • April 2010 will be last sitting for : • PO1 Insurance Practice & Regulation • PO4 Business Practice – Dip compulsory • October 2010 will be last sitting for : • P10 Commercial Insurance Practice • 745 Principles of Property Insurance • 785 Principles of Reinsurance • More subjects will be removed after October 2011 sitting – 510, 770, 815 & CITIP

5. Planning your CII Route • 7 new subjects already introduced in 2009 • April 2010 will be first sitting for : • P91 Aviation and Space Insurance • P97 Reinsurance • 990 Insurance Corporate Management • Then in October 2010 : • P90 Cargo and Goods in Transit Insurance • Plus 7 more new subjects from April 2011

6. New CII General Designation System • CII introduced important changes tostructure of obtaining CII qualifications • Award in Insurance (FIT) • Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) • Diploma in Insurance (Dip CII) • Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) • Beyond that is CII Fellowship • CII constantly reviews syllabuscontent • Please check CII ‘Latest Editions’

7. Further General Opportunities • MSc in Insurance and Risk Management at Cass Business School • Chartered Status & Chartered Firm Titles • New CII Faculties – Underwriting, Claims, Insurance Broking, London Market • CITIP (up to October 2011) • Certificate in Contract Wording • Diplomas in Life & Disability Underwriting and Life & Disability Claims • Lloyd’s & London Market Introductory Test (LLMIT)

8. CII is working for you • Ongoing CII intiatives include : • ‘RevisonMate’ facility – free e-learning revision aid now part of many textbooks • New ‘How to Study’ courses at Fountain House & elsewhere – useful for those who have returned to study after long break • Improved access to past exam guides as an aid to help you structure & write answers • Access to copies of recommended reading textbooks

9. 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 !

10. 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

11. 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’ At Xchanging 1.15pmMonday15th February

12. 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 8 weeks to revise

13. 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 (we call this ‘learning styles’) and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, • Rule Five - promise yourself you will study NOW and NOT day before exams

14. Step One • Decide on correct examination route : • Award • Certificate • Diploma • Advanced Diploma • Decide number of study subjects - no more than 2 at any one sitting, please • Establish how long it will take to study various subject levels

15. Study Time & CII Credits Required • Cert CII Average 50 hours ( 40 credits) • Dip CII Average 100 hours (110 credits) * • ACII Average 120 hours (290 credits) • * Dip CII increases to 120 credits in 2011 • CII has changed credit requirements • Please see CII website for full information

16. 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 !

17. Step Three • Start with copy of syllabus - CII identifies its learning outcomes, so please 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 – please see Latest Text Editions

18. Step Three • Look at previous exam guides for past 2 years (last 4 exam sessions) • Look at topics that have been used for compulsoryquestions, essay questions and short answer questions • Produce list, grid or ‘matrix’ of what comes up regularly and what never seems to be examined

19. Exam Grid or Matrix • CII Examiners sent grid showing syllabus points and when topics were last examined • Great idea to do similar exercise, so obtain examination guides for last 4 sessions (we have prepared short example for 530) • £11.00 from CII website or CII e-mail for members (£12.00 for non-members) • www.cii.co.uk or customer.serv@cii.co.uk • CII Customer Services 0208 989 8464

20. 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

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

22. Weekly Time Plan • Weekly Study Time for each Subject Level • Cert CII - 3 to 4 hours a week • Dip CII - 6 to 8 hours a week • ACII - 8 to 10 hours a week • In today’s society, this is a‘big ask’ • You will have to make some sacrifices

23. How to Plan • Start studying early in November for April exam session (yes, immediately after October exams – sorry) • Mid-November to mid-February = 13 weeks • Revision should begin around 1 March • Gives you 8 weeks for revision • Maximum2exams per sitting(once again, this is soundCII advice)

24. Step Four • Assess syllabus and course textbook to see what study time required – try not to allow set time for each chapter • GRADEsubjects into degrees of difficulty : • HARD – much thought & concentration • DIFFICULT - some hard work • EASY - needs revising, simple background reading

25. 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 • Please allow sufficient time to complete and send in your ContinuousAssessments (CA) & Final Assessment in good time – 10% of your marks if successful • Cut-off date for April 2010 exams is 12th March and not more than 2CA papers to tutor at any one time, please

26. Study Suggestion • Try to get face-to-face tuition - if not, try to arrange your own study groupat work (‘peer or group pressure’) • Time to start studying – scan read book, ignore bits you don’t need - take text you consider important and rephrase into your own style (‘judges notes’) • Summarise or highlight text passages • Please try to practise writing essays under exam conditions – when was the last time you put pen to paper for so long ?

27. 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

28. 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 • Play Insurance ‘Mastermind’ or ‘Trivial Pursuit’ • Hopefully before you contemplate revision, you will have read through textbook at least twice, if not more for certain sections

29. Notes give your brain something to retain when it gets DIFFICULT • MOVEMENT • EXAGGERATION • Make them INTERESTING • Make them FUNNY • Use MNEMONICS (system for improving memory)

30. 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

31. 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

32. Now to 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 ! • Create associations in your mind

33. Revision • Use continuous assessment facilities, correspondence or on-line courses • Study texts with on-line support • ed.LEARN, CD-RoMs & Interactive Learning • Key Facts Booklets, Distance Learning, CII Revision Days & Workshops, Evening Classes and CII Knowledge Services • Examination guides, case study workbooks • Please contact CII Face-to-Face Training or your HR Department for help

34. Revision • 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

35. 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

36. 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 !

37. Attitude • ThinkPOSITIVELY • KNOW your subject (and be able towrite long tractsabout it – another mention, so it is very important) • BeCONFIDENT • You are aiming for aDISTINCTION !

38. 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 !!!!!

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