February 2024
Performance Management expert Jean-Paul Noel-Cephise explains what makes PM so hard and what the examiner wants.
You may remember that I recently wrote in PQ magazine that the PM pass rate in 2023 is around 40%, one of the lowest for the applied skills level. Maybe it is time for you to look at this exam as a ‘problem-solving’ paper under time pressure. There is also a heavy discursive focus on the paper, not just calculations to do – section A sometimes has over 50% discursive questions, and so too does section B. So you are not going to get away from it!
When you add in the marks from section C that are given for applied writing, this explains why the examiner repeats the same frustrated comments each time in the Examiner’s Report. And students, it seems, regularly sit the exam unprepared for what lies ahead.
The December 2023 exam was certainly challenging, yet if you were prepared through question practice and understood the format of the PM exam you should have been able to secure a pass.
The performance measurement question (which is always highly likely to feature in section C in this exam) was on ROCE and RI, but students struggled with the imputed interest calculations. The divisional manager is always supposed to be assessed on controllable aspects of performance. Flexed budgets, variances and transfer pricing were all areas that were tested, and these will continue to be tested thoroughly as they are very technical areas of the syllabus, which require a lot of practice and deeper understanding at the skills level.
The examiner said for 2023 that for section C questions many students just ‘forgot’ to do all the calculations and lost marks, didn’t use information in the scenarios to base their answers, and didn’t take the discussion parts far enough to get a pass.
Here are some points made directly from the examiner about what students are not doing enough, and which will directly help to secure a pass in the PM exam (all fairly clear!):
- Identify the verb being used in the question.
- Look for extra requirements in each question.
- Look at the number of marks on offer and time yourself accordingly.
- Present your answers using tables and headings, highlighted clearly.
Don’t forget you can look back at my five tips from December’s article in PQ magazine about how to pass the exam (it is on the website at http://tinyurl.com/2brhcsu2). And if you’re studying PM and want to study with me go to https://maqlearnonline.com/tutors/jean-paul/ or contact me directly via WhatsApp on +44 744 8405 199.
- Jean-Paul Noel-Cephise is a tutor at MAQLearn Online
