3 exams in one sitting

Hi. I was thinking of sitting 3 exams in April 2015, perhaps CT1, CT4 and CT5. I covered the material in college (although i suspect the institute material is slightly different). Do many people take 3 in one sitting and does anyone think it is manageable? (when would I need to start my study etc)

Any advice appreciated!

 

With background knowledge from college you should have an advantage and be on the lower end of the advised time-scale (so something like 100 hours per CT).

If you're starting early and go for it you should be fine. Probably be open to the idea of not sitting one of them should you find it taking more work than expected.

 

Thanks, very helpful. How many hours in a week should I be studying for then do you think? I will be starting a job too. And what do people find best when studying: go through notes first then do questions for each subject or mix it up?

 

I sat CT3, CT4(repeat) and CT5 one April and passed them all, but i started early. I'm quite straight down the line and had to do everything in order Notes->QA banks->x series ->revision booklets/papers. And I usually had 2 or 3 weeks at the end to do whatever crossed my mind, or learn some formula that just wouldnt stick in my brain.
I think it's def do-able but you will need time and lots of question practice.

 

Thanks for the advice. Do you mind me asking what time you started your study, probably october time? And did you focus on one CT per week or mix it up? Did you find doing your study in that order good?

 

yeah i started in October/November time.
I usually did a bit here and there, trying to even it out as best I could, i'd swap subject as soon as I was sick of one, expecially for revision. I think early on I tried to get through the notes initally 1 subject at a time and then do maybe one QA each, then 1 paper each etc. I also think I had CT4 one evening and then CT the following morning (or the other way around) so there wasn't any scope to leave some revision until after one of the exams.

 

Did you receive study leave and from when did it kick in and i guess you studied a lot on weekends aswell?

 

From memory, I think the IFOA estimate 120-150 hrs per CT, so potentially a lot of work. Depends on how much study leave you have and how much you have already covered the material.
If these are your first IFOA exams, then it might be better to be less ambitious.
The road to qualification is a marathon not a sprint, I would say passing (vs. sitting...) 2 CTs per session would be good progress.
Good luck!