I completed my articleship in June 2024 and wished to become a full time student until I cleared professional. So I was motivated by the fact that my professional career could commence only after the exams and hence was determined to complete both the groups together. Additionally, I had written few attempts during my articleship period and had studied chunks of the syllabus over the period. Hence I had the confidence that I could pull this off upon consistent effort.
Your paperwise tips…
Module – 1
Paper 1- ESG:
ESG is purely a theory based subject and only thorough understanding of the lessons and reciprocation of similar language in answer sheet can help us get through. So I started by preparing ‘Risk management’ lesson as it single handedly holds 20 marks. I would write all the important concepts and questions on sticky notes and stick them near my bed so that I subconsciously keep revising them. For the remaining 80 marks I used short notes provided by online academy which gave me a gist of the concepts while also sticking to the textbook language.
Paper 2- Drafting & Pleading
Practical experience as a trainee helped me a lot to prepare for drafting. I would go through the drafts prepared by me for office purpose and simultaneously concentrate on theory portion in drafting. Pleadings and Appearances required special attention for which handwritten notes and thorough reading of ICSI study material helped a lot.
Paper 3- Compliance management, Audit & DD
Personally, I found CMADD to be a challenging subject because we’re expected to provide proper answers which are in-line with the ICSI study material and the concepts themselves are mostly similar with only minor differences. So I started preparing early for the same by thorough study of the ICSI study material and made hand written notes accordingly. It was a month long process which was very tiering. However it was worth it as it provided a fruitful result in the end.
Paper 4- Open book
I chose CSR because I personally found it easier compared to the other subjects as it contains only CSR for 50 marks and other general mercantile law for another 50 marks. Apart from intensively going through the study material, I prepared a separate customised index containing title of each and every concept with relevant page numbers. This helped me understand the material better and also saved a lot of time during the exam.
Module -2
Paper 5- Strategic Management & Corporate finance
In this subject, Strategic Management holds 40 marks while Corporate Finance holds 60 marks. So, I figured that if I put my maximum effort in Strategic Management, because personally, it is the easiest of all subjects. I aimed on scoring 35+ here so that I can face the remaining 60 marks with ease, and compensate any loss of marks in this area.
Paper 6- Corporate restructuring and insolvency
I gave special attention to valuation sums and aimed on scoring full marks in this. Both Corporate restructuring and Insolvency holds equal weightage and frankly there is no shortcut or tricks in this area. Diligently attending online classes and subsequently taking notes helps a lot during revision just before exams.
Paper 7- Open book
Labour law was an interesting subject for me but it took extra efforts as I do not have any legal background and also I had to self-study. So I would spend around 10-15 minutes on a single page to get hold of the concept. I have also written down some of the difficult concepts in my native language in sticky notes for easy understanding. Sometimes I even use personal anecdotes and internet meme references for a quick recall.
Did you attend any classes – also suggest books and reference materials if any for the papers..
I attended online classes for SMCF and CRVI. They provided study materials and dictated notes during online class. They also provide revision flash cards. I also used their notes for ESG which was available for free in their telegram channel. These materials eased my preparation and helped a lot during last minute revision.
Open book exams – there is one paper each in both groups – students struggle to get more marks in open book- how to write open book exams
Open book exams often test your ability to locate the answers in the vast study material within a limited period of time. It is also a test towards conceptual clarity and application skills. So for those exams, I started by completely going through the ICSI study material and highlighting the important concepts. For concepts where the textbook language is difficult to understand, I have utilized AI tools to provide simplified summaries and pasted them on sticky notes in the relevant pages.
I did not attend any online class or use any reference books for open book. Rather, for case laws, I had created a separate excel sheet summarising each and every case law in the study material along with the page number. I also prepared a notebook where titles and page numbers of all important concepts are mentioned in simple language customised for my understanding.
I also took separate print out of the index page so that it saves time during exam by avoiding back and forth page turning for every single question.
Any general suggestions on how to prepare/ present?
Usually we receive many suggestions and feedback about the number of hours one must study. However, I strongly believe that your concentration and method of study is more important than the time spent. I personally do not study for more than 5 hours per day. But I try to maximise my productivity in the limited time which helped me study thoroughly while not going through burn-out.
Interview by: CS Mohankumar
*****
Paper 5- Strategic Management & Corporate finance
In this subject, Strategic Management holds 40 marks while Corporate Finance holds 60 marks. So, I figured that if I put my maximum effort in Strategic Management, because personally, it is the easiest of all subjects. I aimed on scoring 35+ here so that I can face the remaining 60 marks with ease, and compensate any loss of marks in this area.
Paper 6- Corporate restructuring and insolvency
I gave special attention to valuation sums and aimed on scoring full marks in this. Both Corporate restructuring and Insolvency holds equal weightage and frankly there is no shortcut or tricks in this area. Diligently attending online classes and subsequently taking notes helps a lot during revision just before exams.
Paper 7- Open book
Labour law was an interesting subject for me but it took extra efforts as I do not have any legal background and also I had to self-study. So I would spend around 10-15 minutes on a single page to get hold of the concept. I have also written down some of the difficult concepts in my native language in sticky notes for easy understanding. Sometimes I even use personal anecdotes and internet meme references for a quick recall.
Did you attend any classes – also suggest books and reference materials if any for the papers..
I attended online classes for SMCF and CRVI. They provided study materials and dictated notes during online class. They also provide revision flash cards. I also used their notes for ESG which was available for free in their telegram channel. These materials eased my preparation and helped a lot during last minute revision.
Open book exams – there is one paper each in both groups – students struggle to get more marks in open book- how to write open book exams
Open book exams often test your ability to locate the answers in the vast study material within a limited period of time. It is also a test towards conceptual clarity and application skills. So for those exams, I started by completely going through the ICSI study material and highlighting the important concepts. For concepts where the textbook language is difficult to understand, I have utilized AI tools to provide simplified summaries and pasted them on sticky notes in the relevant pages.
I did not attend any online class or use any reference books for open book. Rather, for case laws, I had created a separate excel sheet summarising each and every case law in the study material along with the page number. I also prepared a notebook where titles and page numbers of all important concepts are mentioned in simple language customised for my understanding.
I also took separate print out of the index page so that it saves time during exam by avoiding back and forth page turning for every single question.
Any general suggestions on how to prepare/ present?
Usually we receive many suggestions and feedback about the number of hours one must study. However, I strongly believe that your concentration and method of study is more important than the time spent. I personally do not study for more than 5 hours per day. But I try to maximise my productivity in the limited time which helped me study thoroughly while not going through burn-out.
Interview by: CS Mohankumar
*****
No comments:
Post a Comment