How We Teach
"Every student can pass the Case Study Examination" is the philosophy which underpins our approach. However, every student is individual and your exam day strategy, tactics and approach must be tailored to you.
The quality of your tutor and the material you can access can be the difference between passing and failing. A good tutor will help develop your own approach, but will also is critical to your success.
We specialise in the Case Study exam and with over 18 years of experience working for ICAEW, writing mock exams and tutoring students, our methods are proven to work with our consistently high pass rates:
July 2020: 94% pass rate
November 2020: 96% pass rate
July 2021: 99% pass rate
November 2021: 98.5% pass rate
Our pass rates include our overseas students who tend to have a lower pass rate in the real exam. Our UK based students have a 100% pass rate across all four sittings.
Our approach is different, we give you the skills and confidence to pass the Case Study exam. We make you understand the business, how it generates profits and cash and we give you the correct style and format to score well in the exam. We also ensure your strategy and approach works.
We have marked the Case Study exam for the ICAEW, been involved in setting the marking keys, writing mock examinations and tutoring students since 2004.
Knowledge
Our method of teaching is to provide students with the correct knowledge and interpretation of the Case Study. With nearly 18 years of experience in marking the live ICAEW Case Study exams, writing mock examinations and tutoring students both in the UK and Overseas, we have a huge amount of experience to interpret the Case Study. We identify the key themes underpinning the Case Study and the likely strategic direction.
Technique
You must have the correct technique to give yourself the greatest opportunity to pass. Our course provides you with the tools for you to develop your technique and adapt based on the feedback you will receive.
Feedback
To learn you must understand where you have performed well and areas you can improve on. We provide you a huge amount of feedback and identify how you ca overcome you weaker areas. Whether this is time management, writing technique, missing Applied Judgement marks, weak recommendations or being unable to generate ideas for Requirement 3. We will identify these issues and assist with your development.
What You Receive
You will receive 7 tuition dates in order to build your knowledge over the course. The course design is structure to allow you to develop the required skill to pass the Case Study Exam and this cannot be achieved quickly or at the last minute.
In addition you will have access to:
- Our Steps To Pass In Case Case Study Book / e-course
- Advance Information pack
- All four mock examinations
- Three mock examinations marked by us with significant feedback
- Access to our forums to discuss with us and students
- Support from a highly experienced Case Study specialist with high industry high pass rates throughout the duration of the course
Key Dates & Sessions
Session 1: Understanding the Case Study Exam - 27th May 2023
- Understanding the assessment criteria
- Developing your knowledge of the marking key
- Typical points gaining credit on the marking key
- Creating a strategy to gain sufficient marks on each element
- Introduction to each requirement
Session 2: Advance Information Session - 10th June 2023
- Full review of the Advance Information
- Understanding the current financial position and trends
- Developing a picture of the expected financial position
- Key financial themes underpinning the business
- Understanding how the business generates profits and cash
- Developing ideas for potential Applied Judgement points for R1
- Issues facing the business and possible R2 scenarios
- Strategic direction and opportunities and developing R3 scenarios
Session 3: Mock Exam 1 - 11th June 2023
- Full class based walkthrough of Mock 1
- Understanding and correctly interpreting the requirements
- Development of your exam day process - where to spend your time
- Developing correct concepts and ideas for R1
- Developing Appendix 1 suitable for use in all scenarios
- Development of an R1 plan
- Understanding how to construct your R2 appendix
- Understanding how to challenge assumptions
- Development of an R2 plan
- Understanding how to construct your R3 appendix
- Methods you can use to develop R3 Financial, Operational & Strategic points
- Development of the correct technique to answer Ethical & Business Trust points
Mock 1 is self marked and peer marked as it is important for you to understand how the exam is marked as part of really understanding the Case Study Exam. Your marks and your peer's mark is then reviewed by us so that we can arbitrate. This is the same process as the real examination. Mocks 2,3,4 are marked by Pass In Training, with significant feedback
Session 4: Mock 1 Debrief & Mock Exam 2 - 17th June 2023
- Debrief of Mock 1 write up
- Learnings / technique review ahead of Mock 2
- Development of your time plan / refining ahead of Mock 2
- Requirement 1 - Student planning
- Requirement 1 - Student feedback and development of all potential points to discuss
- Requirement 1 - Determining which points to discuss
- Developing a final Applied Judgement list for R1 to use in future mocks / real exam
- Requirement 2 - Student appendix and planning
- Requirement 2 - Student feedback and development of all potential points to discuss
- Requirement 2 - Determining how to choose which points to discuss and why
- Requirement 3 - Student appendix and planning
- Requirement 3 - Student feedback and development of all potential points to discuss
- Requirement 3 - Determining how to choose which points to discuss and why
- How to write good conclusions, recommendations and executive summary
- How to organise the information you take into the examination
Student mocks will be written up at home and then submitted for full marking review. This is a detailed marking process with on average it taking markers over 2 hours to mark your script with significant comment on your performance.
Session 5: Mock 2 Debrief & Mock 3 - 24th June 2023
- Debrief of Mock 2
- Learnings / technique changes ahead of Mock 3
- Mock 3 performed solo and to time during the course
The main output from Session 5 will be detailed small group feedbacks during the following week on the no more than 3 students per group where the Course Director will go through your scripts and finalise your technique and queries ahead of the final mock. The aim of this process is to provide you with your own personalised approach, fitting with the way you think and ensuring any weak areas are mitigated via your overall examination strategy. Our aim is for these sessions to be 1:1 but this depends fully on students availability to be able to take time slots during working hours.
Session 6: Mock 4 - Students to sit their final mock by - 8th July 2023
Depending on the complexity of the Case Study, the 16th July can be used as a further tutoring session with students completing their mock exam 4 the following day.
Session 7: Mock 4 feedback and final preparation for the real exam - 15th July 2023
- Full debrief on Mock 4
- Recap on the key themes for the business
- Recap on the main areas of the marking key to concentrate
- Session on R1 queries / concerns from students
- Contingency plans for R1
- Recap of the likely R2 scenarios and any other potential areas the examiner could discuss
- Recap on challenging assumptions
- Recap on the main areas of the marking key to concentrate
- Session on R2 queries / concerns from students
- Contingency plans for R2
- Recap of the likely R3 scenarios and any other potential areas the examiner could discuss
- Recap on how to develop good Financial, Operational and Strategic discussion points
- Recap on the main areas of the marking key to concentrate
- Session on R3 queries / concerns from students
- Contingency plans for R3
- Recap on ethical and business trust issues
- What information to take into the exam
- Final thoughts