I don’t want to ever hear that I don’t go the extra mile (no pun intended) to help you in your CIPS training. This week I have gone so far as to get a car fine of £150 to teach you all a very valuable lesson for your exam.
Basically, I parked in a car park which used to be free for up to 3 hours. However unbeknown to me, this had changed and it was now no longer free. I saw the sign and assumed it was the same sign I had read before and when I glanced it looked like it was saying 3 hours free, so locked up and ambled on my way down the street to a meeting. Three hours later I returned to my car to see the aggressive red and yellow letter stuck on my car. I opened it up and saw that it was £150! Private land means that they can charge what they want, but if I paid within the first 24 hours I could pay only £65.
I went to read the sign again, and it very clearly now said parking is no longer free for 3 hours, you must pay or you will be fined. I wanted to kick myself for being so stupid and for now paying ten times the amount that I would have if I had just taken the time to read the sign properly. I was stressed, worried about being late, and thought I just need to get out of here it’ll do. I paid for that – literally!
I’m taking one for the team to learn this lesson, so you do not pay for it in your exam. My not reading the sign properly = you not reading the question properly in the exam. Either failing to see the context and examples required, or simply answering the question you want it to be – not what it actually is. Another issue is being stressed and just wanting it done, so not checking over everything properly. Therefore my two pieces of advice this week are
- Read the question at least twice before answering. This stands for both OR and CR exams
- Do not leave early and rush out. Take your time and double-check everything you have written to make sure it is coherent and you have answered everything.
Remember, everything you write in your exam is a chance to get mark, and could be the difference between a pass or a fail.
A resit will also cost you, just like my parking fine – make sure you do everything you can in that exam time.
