Today’s post is written by Jeff, one of our Ambassadors! Jeff wrote and passed all three exams in Ontario in 2013. Check it out!

As a writer of last years’ January CKE I can assure you that the memories/wounds are still very fresh. I remember a variety of different emotions surrounding the preparations, the Holliday schedule and the days leading up to the exam. My goal is to pass along that knowledge to this years’ candidates, not to scare you, instead to let you know that this is a very passible exam.

Candidates are likely getting to the point where they are thinking of (or already are) taking the next few weeks off of work to study. So the question becomes what should I be doing and how should I expect to be scoring?

What should I be doing with the next couple of weeks including Holidays’ such as Christmas/ New Years?

If you haven’t already I would advise to make a study plan for the next couple of weeks, and stick to it! This studying plan should consist of days that you are planning to study, and days that you are expecting to take off (yes days off!). The days that you study is a full 8 hour day including several hours of writing and debriefing practice multiple choice questions. If you are going to get through all of the exams, CKE included, you MUST learn to debrief. No question will ever be asked in the same manner, so make sure you understand the technical behind the questions you didn’t get right or got lucky on.

It is also very important that you learn the importance of a day off. This allows your mind to get away from the exam for a day so that you do not burnout. Take the days off that you have scheduled, enjoy them guilt free, but be smart! Going for a nice walk or drive is a good idea but scaring at your computer screen and playing computer games is not! You have earned these days and will be better off by taking them.

How should I be scoring?

The toughest part of the CKE for me was not knowing what was needed to pass. I wrote a variety of different exams from all of the mocks available, but never quite felt confident that how I was scoring good enough to pass. This is a normal feeling, and despite hours of preparation I still was not overly confident heading into the exam.  On average I was scoring between 52-58/100 in the last exams leading up to the New Year, however these marks would vary depending on which author created the exam and I know people who were in the 40’s who got through with no troubles. Although pass rates are not disclosed deciles 1-7 normally get through and some of decile 8. You cannot worry about what you cannot control. Your goal is to work hard, stay discipline, and perform your best when the day comes.

Words of advice

Pretend that every exam that you write from this point forward is the real CKE. This means items such as wearing similar clothing, starting each exam at 9AM, using a stop watch to monitor your time, using a similar CPA type calculator and writing each exam in the same order that you are going to write the exam on the actual day. This will allow you to get a feel for how long each section normally takes you so that the day of you have a good idea on how you are doing for time. It is very easy to panic the day of so this is a great way to ensure that you have prepared to know where you should be at all times and how you will be feeling as you go through the exam. Many students lack this discipline and end up having to guess on the last handful on questions, which can be critical to your result.

You are going to be nervous the day of, but if you can honestly say that you have worked hard and stay disciplined the day of you should be just fine!

Best of Luck!

Jeff