Tag Archives: Student

CAIB Study Tip # 11 – What to Expect When You Walk Into the Exam Room

November 29, 2013Education, Exam PreperationCAIB, Canada, Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker, Canadian Professional Insurance Broker, CPIB, Education, Exam, IBAM, Insurance, Insurance broker, Professional Exams, Student, Test Preparation, WinnipegInsurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM)

Many people are surprised when they walk into their exam room for one main reason – they are not the only ones there! With the exception of the exams held in rural and small city centers, there can be quite a few people writing at one time. This December, Winnipeg is expecting over 100 students alone that day! This includes everyone from our discussion classes as well as students who chose the self-study option and are working on rewrites. That is why we always tell people to arrive early to get their choice of seats and to help us get everyone registered by the time the exam starts. We will have the full team out from IBAM to get everyone settled in time but that number of people can definitely be a challenge.

But what is everyone writing? Many of the students are writing their CAIB exams but a few are writing their CPIB exams and even their CCIB exams. That is a lot of acronyms to keep track of!! I always would caution my students to never gauge how you are doing on your exam with how others in the room are doing. You will notice when you open the exam booklet that everyone has different colored exams – these indicate which exam everyone is writing. So do not panic when the person next to you is writing a 2 page essay while you are only answering short form questions… your book might be green and theirs yellow indicating you are taking completely different courses.

The exam will start at 9:00am with students asked not to come any later than 8:45am in order to get everyone seated in time. You will have from 9am until 12:30 to write with no extensions for time. Be sure to use the entire time given to you. Even if you finish early, check and see if everyone else around you is done, if they are not, you probably missed something, or they are checking their work!

What to do if your mind goes blank – most students fear this happening. If it does – put your pen down, take a deep breath, sit back and relax for a moment. If you’re in the middle of an answer, read through what you have written so far – what happens next? If you have to remember formulae, try associating them with pictures or music while revising. If you really can’t progress with this answer, leave a gap. It will probably come back to you once you are less anxious.

If you are running out of time – don’t panic. Look at the questions you have left to answer and divide up your remaining time to cover them all. Be very economical – make one point support it with evidence and then move on to the next point. If you really can’t finish in time, briefly list the points you wanted to make – they could pick you up a few marks.

Now there is only one thing left for you to do…

CAIB Study Tip #9 – Relax to Ensure No Silly Mistakes Are Made

November 25, 2013Education, Exam PreperationBusiness, CAIB, Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker, Canadian Professional Insurance Broker, CPIB, Education, Exam, IBAM, Insurance, Insurance broker, Manitoba, Professional Exams, Student, Study skillsInsurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM)

Silly mistakes are 100% avoidable on exams so do not become a victim of them. One of the most head shaking mistakes that I see on exams is in regards to multiple choice questions. Students are in such a rush to get through the questions, they accidentally go:

13. D
14. A
16. C
17. D
18. B
19. A
20. B

Notice anything? Like the fact that #15 was skipped?? When this happens, even though I know that the person is answering #16 as though it is #15, I have to mark it wrong. It is such a waste when the person obviously knew the material.

Next important thing to remember is NEVER leave any blank questions. Even if you do not know what the answer is, write down anything even if it is just a definition of what the question is answering or an example of when that situation may occur in real-life. Exams within a few marks of passing are remarked and it can be partial marks for these snippets of information that can make the difference between a pass and a fail. Nothing is worse than failing someone who is only a few marks shy of passing but because they didn’t write enough information down, I can’t find them any ½ marks to help boost their grade.

And if you find yourself stumped on a question, skip it, and maybe a different question will unknowingly give you information that you can use for the one you were stuck on. As exams are computer generated from a bank of premade questions, this can happen more often than you think!

Read the questions carefully. Read the questions at least twice, in case you missed something before. Underline the keywords in the question. Don’t rush. If possible, read the entire exam through before beginning to work. This will give you an idea of what is in store and will help you to manage your time better. It also prevents any nasty surprises with only a few minutes left.

Go with your first answer. Your first answer is probably correct and if you go back and change your mind several times, you are likely to make a mistake due to self-doubt.

Use logic when you’re stuck on a multiple choice question. Usually 1 or 2 of the question choices are sometimes wrong, so take those away. Now you should have two answers, so now there is a bigger chance of you getting it right. Now go over everything and find the best answer out of the 2. The key to multiple choice isn’t thinking “Which one is right?” but instead “Which of these are not right?” and using that until you have one answer left.

Simple suggestions but when it comes down to those last few marks to pass, they can make all the difference in the world!

CAIB Study Tip #8 – Read the Question Carefully

November 21, 2013Education, Exam PreperationCAIB, Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker, Canadian Professional Insurance Broker, CPIB, Education, IBAM, Insurance broker, Manitoba, Professional Exams, Student, Study skills, Test PreparationInsurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM)

Rushing though the exam and not readying questions carefully has been the downfall of many students. Don’t let it happen to you!

When you get to a question, the first thing you should look at is the point allocation. If a question is worth ½ mark, they are only looking for a simple definition. But if it is worth 2 marks, you better be writing at least 4 strong points (justifying ½ mark award for each point). Also keeping an eye out for key action words will help you know how the marker will be evaluating your answers.

Key Action Words Used in Exam Questions:

Describe: Tell or depict in writing.
List: List items or a statement of facts. No explanation is required – extra marks are not given for an explanation.
Compare: Indicate the characteristics of two or more items and point out both their differences and similarities.
Contrast: Point out the differences between two or more items.
Define: State meaning of a term in a clear, concise way.
Explain: Give an explanation. It is not enough merely to define terms.
Identify: State items or give a statement of facts and give an example to illustrate.
Illustrate: Give an example which makes the idea or concept clear.
Justify: Give convincing reasons for your decisions or conclusions.

When you are writing out your answers, be sure to keep the following in mind:

-Write legibly – even if you have to print or write on every other line.

-If appropriate, refer to specific examples from readings and lectures to support and illustrate your points.

-Stay on the topic. The marker does not want to know everything you have learned – just everything needed to answer the particular question.

-Do not ramble. Overly wordy answers may make the reader question the knowledge of the writer.

-Reread your answer before moving on to another question since the thoughts are still in your mind.

-Reread the question. Make sure your answer satisfies the question.

CAIB Study Tip #4 – Can you Say the Answer Out Loud?

November 11, 2013Education, Exam PreperationBusiness, CAIB, Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker, Education, Exam, IBAM, Insurance broker, Professional Exams, Student, Test PreparationInsurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM)

When studying for an exam, we all tend to read something and think “I totally understand that concept.” Two minutes later however, when someone asks you to explain it to them, you are struggling to find the words to get the message across.

I see this problem all the time when marking exams. In insurance, you probably know what a deductible is but can you quickly write out a proper definition of it? Sometimes it can feel like you mind is pulling an absolute blank on an easy question.

To help combat this, study while talking aloud. You may look silly to anyone around you but by needing to find the words and say them out loud, you are prompting your brain to make associations with the idea you are trying to learn as well as the words needed to write the concept down on the exam.

If you find yourself struggling with finding the words when you are writing the exam, a fallback idea is to use an example. This will allow you to explain a situation and, while it may not hit on all of the key points a marker is looking for, it can at least lead to part marks which can easily make the difference between a pass or a fail.

Ready for your Upcoming CAIB / CPIB Exam??

October 31, 2013EducationCAIB, CPIB, Education, Exam, Insurance, Insurance broker, insurance council of manitoba, License, Manitoba, Professional Exams, Student, Test Preparation, WinnipegInsurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Scary Halloween Fact for the Day – The upcoming CAIB and CPIB exams are a mere 34 days away!! Have you been on top of your studying for your exam? Don’t worry… if you are nervous about the exam, you are not alone.

IBAM wants to help ensure that you have the best possible chance at success. Are you struggling with a chapter that you missed a discussion group class for? Preparing for the exam via Self-Study and are unsure of the exam format? Working on a rewrite and want to bounce ideas off someone to ensure that you are giving yourself the best outcome? If so, you should thing about registering for one (or all) of the upcoming Study Group Sessions being held at the IBAM office located at 205-530 Kenaston Blvd in Winnipeg.

These sessions are informal group work periods where an accredited CAIB and CPIC facilitator will be on hand in a quiet environment to help you with any questions or problems that you may be encountering. The cost is $30 per session and is payable by Visa, MasterCard and Company Cheque.

The upcoming session times are:

To register for these session, select the registration form below and once it is complete you can send it to Katrina Hueging at the IBAM office. If you have any additional questions about the Study Sessions, please feel free to contact the IBAM office at 204-488-1857.

Best of luck on your exam!

IBAM (Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba)

www.ibam.mb.ca