At a loss on passing CA3

[abumenang]

Does anyone have any helpful comments on passing CA3 please?

I am struggling to pass this exam after several attempts and as it is my last one, I am really keen to pass it this time. I failed it in June and will be resitting it next March. My attempts have been online.

After my second attempt, I went for exam counselling and was given feedback that I did not emphasise my key points well enough but other than that, the counsellor said she saw me as a candidate who should have passed. Comforting but also disconcerting

I practiced past papers, attended the Acted tutorial and Mock Day. Not sure what more I can do. During my last attempt, I felt confident on the presentation question but was thrown by the written question, so I think this is where I went wrong.

I have been through the Acted Assignments several times, so I'm not sure if there is any value in ordering this again. The only thing extra I can think of is getting the assignments marked by Acted, which I have not done in the past. Would I have to pay for this again since my assignments are the 2014 version, and I would need to be submitting the 2015 versions?

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Pede]

Feedback, feedback, feedback, that's what it's all about.
So yes, get assignments marked. Also mocks. ActEd does personal tuition too - you could use that to get your attempts at older past papers marked.

 

[tiger]

In a similar position myself, feel your pain.
It's frustrating that the only way to get feedback is via counselling (there's no examiners report as for the written papers).
Also with the new format of exam, there are very few sample papers on the website, though they do seem to have added some more since my last attempt.

 

[David Wilmot]

Would I have to pay for this again since my assignments are the 2014 version, and I would need to be submitting the 2015 versions?

If you purchase Series Marking for the 2015 Assignments then, as you purchased the 2014 Assignments, you can obtain the 2015 Assignemnts free of charge (please include a comment to this effect when you order). Alternatively you can buy marking vouchers and request copies of the 2015 Assignments, again free of charge.

Getting high-quality independent feedback on your attempts at CA3 questions is definitely an important part of preparing for the CA3 exam as it is hard to objectively self-mark tests of communication skills.

 

[abumenang]

Thank you for the helpful comments, I have just ordered the assignments. Fingers crossed for the next attempt

 

[JayDee]

Thank you for the helpful comments, I have just ordered the assignments. Fingers crossed for the next attempt

I failed my first attempt even though I'm fairly confident about communicating. Apart from the excellent advice above I recommend you focus on taking very complex situations and practice explaining them to friends and family. Then ask them to tell you what they've understood. Sounds crazy but this helped me a lot.

Another thing that helped me is mentioned towards the end of this thread (as of 23 Dec 14) http://www.acted.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=9922

 

[bystander]

If you go to a lot of presentations, watch different approaches. What works best in your opinion? If you know someone who is a good communicator - preferably a professional who can really get a message across without jargon - talk to them and ask for pointers. There is such a wide range of scenarios that can crop up on the day, you want a technique that you can apply to any.

Its all about story-telling without being overly complex or appearing condescending. Keep it plain and simple.