Top 10 tips for CIMA SCS exam from Nadia Head of internal audit - MJL Bangladesh

Nadia Zaman - Head of internal audit - MJL Bangladesh

Lot of students have a question in their mind is how to pass CIMA strategic case study exam (SCS) here is the answer from the successful SCS candidate 

Nadia Zaman Head of internal audit ,MJL Bangladesh limited who recently passed the SCS case study exam shared her SCS experience with Explore Accountancy.

We thanked her for the time prepare this useful amazing tips and wished her very good luck with her carrier goals and ambition.

Introductory Remarks:

The journey of CIMA Strategic Case Study (SCS) was very interesting yet challenging for me. This is the only exam where the skills relevant and related to the practical life is being tested i.e people, leadership, business and technical. The exam is all about dealing with real life challenges raised by your reporting boss. Behind every success there are some key ways that helps to reach to the ultimate destination. The role of the management accountant is changing to provide better support for decision making and performance management. To be an ideal management accountant and match with the challenging environment one has to reach to a certain level. To gain the competitive advantage prior planning is a must.

The tips and key techniques regarding the SCS exam that should be followed by the candidates may be summarized as below:

1. Believe in yourself:

We should always believe in our self that whatever we are doing is very much achievable. Self motivation is a big tool to succeed in the SCS level. We always should keep in mind that nothing is impossible. As a SCS candidate, we always should behave like a professional of today's world. At the same time, due to the competitive environment, demand is growing for management accountants. To grab the opportunity, nothing can help except dedication and hard work.

2. Time Management:

Time management in CIMA SCS exam

The most important and crucial aspect of SCS exam is managing time. This is a computer based 3 hour exam with 3 sections, where there will not be even a breathing space. The main challenge is we have to think, plan and write at the same time, which is quite difficult for anyone. Hence, proper allocation of time is a must for this exam. Students should allocate the time for the 3 parts accordingly and then should sit for the exam.

Tip from us - Read here useful guide on how to save you time in CIMA case study revision 

3. Study on Daily Basis:

Students should study on daily basis to be successful in the SCS exam. Most of the candidates of SCS are working in different sectors. It is very difficult to manage time for study, however daily basis study is a must. It will be very good if a student can study at least 4 hours in a day. Regular study is needed to pass the SCS exam.

4. Effective Study Materials:

Effective study materials are needed to clear the hurdle. There are some very useful materials such as Kaplan, Learn CIMA that students should follow. The study text of Kaplan is really good. Moreover, there are pre-seen analysis, industry analysis, mocks, suggested answers which are very helpful. Students can also have a glimpse of Astranti materials as their analysis are very detailed and thorough.

5. Typing Speed:

SCS exam is a computer based exam where the students have to write the exam in a desktop. Most of the people now a days are used to laptops for their everyday work. It is very difficult to change the habit overnight. Students should practice prior to two to three months of exam in desktops to get a feel of the keyboard. Also there are several software's for increasing the typing speed. A good number of word per minute should be achieved by the students before sitting the exam.

Tip from us - Read here great article regarding typing speed in CIMA case study exam

6. Professional Development:

The candidates of SCS are considered as the Senior Finance Manager of an organization. To gain the professional expertise the candidates should uphold their real life experience by going over different articles relating to the skills tested in the exam such as people, leadership, technical and business.

7. Pre-Seen Analysis:

The pre seen is released 4 to 6 weeks prior to exam. All the candidates should analyze the pre seen critically as if they are the employee of the company. The analysis should be done in different angles in terms of decision making ability. The analysis of Kaplan & Astranti are very useful. Because they go for line by line analysis, being a SCS candidate we have to think differently and out of the box.


Tip from us - Find here some great pre-seen analysis & articles for the latest case study exam 

8.  Revision of all 3 Strategic level papers:

The candidates must revise all the strategic level papers as SCS exam is the practical execution of all the concepts. The best way will be to download the summary of all 3 papers and go over them. The summary will be good enough to refresh the previous papers.

9.  Relate with Practical life experience:

The best and most important part of the SCS exam is to relate the experience of practical life with the paper. There are several situations that we face in our professional life these are the learning's that can be used as a tool in the exam.

10. Mocks:

Finally most important is to sit for mocks prior to the actual exam. All the candidates should sit for at least four mocks before the actual exam. The mocks of Kaplan and their suggested answers are very helpful to give a feeling of actual exam. They are also helpful to give an insight about examiners answers and way of thinking.


Tip from us  - You can find some useful free and premium mocks here 

These are some of the tips and techniques for passing the CIMA Strategic Case Study. I am sure these will be helpful for the candidates.

Best of Luck!

From 

Ms.Nadia Zaman

Please feel free to comment below with your thoughts