Work smarter not harder

Published in PSMG Magazine

It’s that time again! Students studying for the PSMG Cambridge Marketing College CIM rofessional Diploma are approaching the ‘crunch’ as assignment first drafts are completed for discussion with tutors.

Requests for study leave have been lodged and social events cancelled. But life need not be this difficult!

There are a few guiding principles which, if followed, make the passage to qualification much more straightforward.

The first of these is to make sensible choices. Consider the range of assignments before deciding which to attempt (aside from the compulsory task). Your choice will often be a major contributor to the final mark achieved. Given time to reflect, some tasks are patently more straightforward than others.

The CIM provides some very clear guidance as to suggested structure in the marking scheme and the guidance notes. Put simply, follow it!

Obfuscation does not gain marks. Clarity of thought is important – if you can demonstrate a clear line of sight between the task and your answer, you will score highly.

This is, after all, an academic qualification so you need to demonstrate a good knowledge of relevant theory – with an emphasis on the word relevant.

However, it is also a qualification which requires you to demonstrate the application of the theory – being a boffin alone will not be enough. You need to show that you can use the thinking in real life
situations.

Adopting these straightforward principles will ensure that, in the final analysis, own-goals do not feature in the final score!

This article was published in March 2009 by the PSMG Magazine. To read the original article click here.