13 Top Tips for Exam Technique in BUSS3

Our online revision clinic for BUSS3 provided students with lots of great advice on how to approach the challenging BUSS3 paper. Here is a summary of 13 top tips provided by our teacher panel:

1. Exam timing: if you use a mark a minute this will leave you 45 for the final question and case study reading time

2. Read the questions CAREFULLY and then re-read them... you must think about what you are being asked to do!

3. Use as many calculations as you can - even when the question doesn't ask for them & use the data from appendices where possible, try to put some in each point.

4. Keep a good structure and before you evaluate on questions 2, 3 and 4 re-read the question. It's so easy to forget what the question was when you are writing for 18 minutes.

5. Don't over run on the first questions, you need to leave time to think and plan for the 34/36 marker. Just make the points you can pick up from the case study and explain why they are important.

6. Leave 45 mins for Q4 and plan it well taking into consideration answers to the previous questions if relevant. Try to incorporate Ansoff Matrix into analysis in Q4.

7. Application can only be awarded if it supports an argument...simply copying out the case study isn't application...its.copying!

8. Build up your analysis step by step and use calculations where possible - they can help you get 'GAP' and also give you something to analyse.

9. Read the question again before you evaluate, and then make sure you fully answer the question in your conclusion!

10. Open each paragraph and your conclusion with words from the question as this will keep you on track.

11. You MUST use the financial information in Q4. there will always be financial information in the data so use it!

12. Be careful on using “it depends". You need to explain WHY it depends on what you have said.

13. 3 ways to get good evaluation (1) make a reasonable judgement (2) support it with reasons from your previous arguments (summarise) (3) make recommendations!