Whichever source material you are going to use for your professional qualifications study, two things are pretty clear…
1. The material is going to be technical
2. It is also going to be substantial
This means that you are going to have to organise yourself to best receive and retain this information.
Hopefully the author has done a good job of chunking the material up for you, which is a great start – here’s something else you can do to make your study a little easier:
Before you pick up a pen or a highlighter take a chunk of the material (this could be a chapter or a subsection) and read through it without making notes or panicking about the level of detail involved – read it as if you were reading a book for pleasure. If you are looking for a size-guide here, it should be a chunk of the text that you can get through in 45mins to an hour – which is our prescribed study maximum before taking a break.
This allows you to get a feel for the flow of the content and also establish a framework for learning.
This framework is really important as, on your second read through, you will be able to hang the technical information on it – it will ensure your notes are ordered and helps to keep them punchy and focussed on the right areas.
(We’ll talk about notes and note making in another post but suffice to say, the process should be as active as possible).
Your brain loves order and loves to know where it’s going so make sure you play to its strengths when you sit down to a new piece of technical content.
For more tips and help with your study methods, you can download our free study guide to exam success: https://redmilladvance.com/free-study-guide/
Redmill Advance
Learn without limits
Need extra study support for your CII exams?
We’ve got you covered! At Redmill Advance, we provide study support for the CII and CISI exams, and all of our courses are CPD accredited. So, you can rest assured that you’re in good hands.
Our learning programmes have been designed to cut straight to the core material you need for exam success. We can fully support your learning and professional development needs wherever you are on your own journey.
Click here to take a look at our extensive range of courses
Need help with your study methods? Click here to download our free study guide to exam success
