How much do you think actually benefited from the study material? Is it a must have like other 3 hour written papers?
As Steve says, it's not obligatory and perhaps it is possible to pass without the notes. However the pass rate isn't brilliant and I doubt that is because people read the notes! My guess could be that most attack the exam on the misguided idea that they do model in the office day in day out. True enough but it's not a test of modelling prowess alone. Indeed it's about building something in a way that is easy to follow and is well documented. It tends to be the latter on which office practise falls short and I've seen some pretty horrendous models that are impenetrable except to the creator. Hopefully the notes explain these pitfalls well. And if you don't get the notes, what are you going to do to prepare. There aren't endless past papers out there and will only show answers specific to the question. Notes are there to give you the concepts to apply to whatever question you face. Finally think of money - which I'm guessing you self fund or have a very small support pot. To this consider how you would feel facing say 2 exam fees rather than 1 + course notes and passing. The choice as they say, is yours. Good luck with whichever strategy you adopt.
I sat it with the online classroom and I don't think you actually learn anything new, but they break down exactly what the markers are looking for with a checklist of things to include for each part of the exam. I would say its invaluable just for that checklist, with which you can pick up a lot of easy marks just by running through in the exam. For me though i could have printed the checklist from each section and not watched any of the videos and it wouldn't have changed much, so its a shame thats not available on its own!
Are you saying these people are not competent in their jobs? Or is the exam testing a different competence standard from that required to hold down their jobs? Do you have a copy of the competence standards for this exam, bystander, so that we can all check what the standard is to meet?
