I am planning to write the ST and SA exams in my practice area in April. I'd like some advice on how to do this successfully. Is this the done thing? What are the pros and cons?
I'm planning to do both... the end is in sight! Having asked around, it seems it is possible... the best advice I've recieved is to go for it, but if come that final push it seems unlikely you'll get both, to concentrate on the ST. There seems to be a fair amount of reading you can (should? must?) do around the SA subjects, so can use the next sitting to cover these papers. Good luck! And see you at the other side!
Two ST's I'm going for ST2 and ST5. Will do SA2 in September. Scary thing is that I'm still waiting for CA1's result in December but decided will do the ST's regardless...
Great! So I am not alone - but what sort of strategy are you planning to employ? (Cymro card and avanbuiten) Will you finish with the ST before starting on the SA or will you try and do them at the same time? Do you know people who have passed both at their first attempt? Kail - I wish you all the best! That' s quite a load that you will be carrying but probably not an impossible one.
I'm going to do one section of ST3 then one section of SA3...and so on. I need to do it this way if I am going to get my assignments marked on a regular basis (don't think using marking vouchers appeals to me). Also, I will have a more realistic opinion on my progress and work outstanding. Good luck.
I haven't really thought of a plan yet... I usually wing these things until it comes a bit clearer how long everything is going to take (and how productive my study is over these early months - tho' no World Cup this time to distract me!!) I'm probably gonna have to pick off chapters in SA2 as and when they become relevant to work, and then use ST1 when I have had enough of Life! (sic) Speaking to ppl it seems it's all about starting early and doing small chunks - it's eating the elephant in small pieces trick (even if that is a bit of management/psycho-babble!)
I was always advised it was sensible to study both together. Keep the ST ahead of the SA though. I wouldn't do all the ST then start the SA. With SA you are perhaps going to get wider qns than elsewhere so you may find your marks suffer on the way through. But let's face it, the assignments are part of the learning process. Its the standard you can get to on exam day that matters. If you are thinking of tutorials, I'd say regular for the ST then a block SA. Mixed experiences on whether people pass both at the same time. Ironically I know people that get the SA before the ST! I think there the issue is that perhaps they know too much and so start introducing UK specifics into the ST subject which needs a different approach. The other thing to perhaps consider is what about the practice module? The institute recommend its the PM and SA that go together. But I'd have thought it's OK to do the PM at the next session. I wouldn't take it too long after the SA. Good luck to you all.
October almost over! So how is everyone doing? Is everything going according to plan? Five more months to go!
hmm i discovered that SA3 is extremely boring...the chapters on legislation and the FSA stuff make me fall asleep... hopefully i will find the motivation to read the rest of the course.
I haven't even started SA3 yet as I am still working through the first section of ST3 - which so far has been very dull. A 60+ page chapter (Ch2) just on describing products - I hope it gets more interesting than this. The only good thing I can envisage with SA3 is that the chapters aren't very long.
Most of the chapters are quite short - except for Chapter 6 (legislation) and the 2 chapters on premium rating....
Is anyone changing their plans in the light of the results? My results were not favourable but I have decided to press on with my plan. I haven't made as much progress as I had hoped but I think that there is still enough time before April ....
I'm doing ST4 and SA4. Having sat them both before and FA'd the b***ards I feel confident given I know what's coming. My strategy will be slightly different from before though. I found that I learnt the most in last the last few weeks while doing past papers, assingments and Q&As. Thus feeling like I wasted all my time reading the really boring bits on SERPS and S2P. I see from another message that there is aload of FSA stuff in SA3. I think this material is only relevant if you are sitting the practice modules as, although handy in an exam, I feel it is not as important as the more general detail of the subject. So a quick skim of the materials and into past paper mode I go!! Hi hoooooooooooo....Hi hooooooooooooo.......
