The CII pass rates for 2015 are published.
They make interesting reading: click here
The one that stands out is the AF3 pass rate at 31.47% for the whole of 2015 – and that’s when the April paper didn’t contain any surprises!
I knew there was an issue on the morning of Friday 11 December. I’m often reminded and I’ll never forget how sick I felt that whole weekend. It wasn’t my best weekend.
But, actually, our pass rate of 48% for October 2015 doesn’t seem too bad now. In fact, over the whole year of 2015 we are closer to a 60% pass rate. I don’t feel as bad now, I can tell you!
It still doesn’t make good reading for candidates, ourselves or the CII. It just shows you how tricky this exam is and all those who have managed to pass it should feel proud of their achievement; it takes over your whole life for (at least) 6 months….and for some, much longer….much, much longer..
We’re into week 6 of our 10 modules and a 12 week study plan for April 2016.
Week 6 in our AF3 course is CETV/TVAS, and this wasn’t answered very well in the last exam, in October.
There are normally between 30-40 marks on this module alone; there was 43 in the last exam and I reckon (based on CII examiner/reviewer feedback shared by all you good folks), most people struggled to get past 20. To give yourself a chance in this exam, that needs to be nearer 30 marks from 40 in this module.
This has to be a banker module.
This module has to be nailed; CETV, TVAS and pension transfer considerations. You MUST know your GMP from your section 92B and your critical yield from your type A yield.
Take time and spend some time on this module.
There are plenty video tutorials, there are study notes, FCA papers, TVAS reports, revaluation tables and much more – including a weekly question for this week.
You might even want to spend a couple of weeks on this.
It’s the last of the BIG modules and it’s one you’ve got to nail, if you want to be successful in this exam.
Why wouldn’t you spend time on it; it’s a banker question and it’s guaranteed to come up?
The half-term is over.
It’s now full steam ahead and I’ll be seeing many of you out and about across the UK in the coming weeks as we start our workshops in early March (and if you are sitting the exam in London – please do come over and say hello, I’ll be sitting the AF3 in London this time..).
Take time and plan your diary now.
I’ve often said that it’s your diary which is the deciding factor; plan to spend the time over the next 7 weeks and save yourself another 6 months of heartache and cost…
Stick in.
Stick at it and keep doing the doing. There’s not long to go now and there will be plenty mock questions to do over the next month….
Have a great week.
john
