If you’re attending a CBCP (Certified Business Continuity Professional) course and taking the qualifying exam afterwards, then a little targeted preparation can go a long way to exam success. The BCLE2000 courses (Professional Business Continuity Management Certification) coming up in Sydney (4-7 June) and Melbourne (11-14 June) are good examples. What’s the best way then to tackle the questions?
First of all, you have to know your stuff. It sounds obvious, but other tips and tricks cannot help if you don’t know the material on which you are being examined. And knowing your stuff means not only memorising what is necessary, but also understanding how to apply it. The solution? Good note-taking goes a long way. When you re-express information, ideas or concepts in your own words, you make your brain work with that information, which is then imprinted that much better in your mind. The simple act of taking useful notes is already a step towards knowing the information on which they are based.
Exam “pre-practice” is also a good idea. The idea is to get into the swing of the exam before you take it. When the moment of the exam comes, you’ll then feel more comfortable and confident. Test yourself on the example questions during each module of the the course, to reinforce both for your knowledge and your time management for each exam question. Try also to think ahead to the answers to questions that are asked in the course, and compare it with the answer that is given. If you agree on the answer, memorise it. If the answer was different to your thinking, then be prepared to update your information if appropriate. That way, if you have to make any mistakes you’ll have a better chance of making them before the exam, rather than during it.