Exam 8 Intro

How is Exam 8 Different

There are a few things to be aware of about Exam 8. The more you know about the exam, the more likely you will be successful.

• The material covered in Exam 8 may seem relatively easy for some, but the exam questions are difficult.

• Exam 8 requires developing a deep understanding of the concepts and how the source readings relate to each other, as it is one of three exams that incorporate Integrative Questions (IQs). You will definitely need to do more in-depth studying than what was required for 5 & 6.

• It requires connecting ideas from multiple papers.

• The Exam 8 syllabus is constantly evolving so exam takers lack a stable bank of previous exam questions to practice from. No worries for you as BattleActs has created a large problem bank.

• The Exam 8 syllabus is short and dense (approx. 700 pages) compared to earlier exams. A single sentence or paragraph could become a key question on one exam and then not be asked for several more.

• Exam 8 has questions that come out of “left field” and questions are less predictable than other exams. You may need to apply concepts to a completely new scenario. The best way to prepare for these unexpected questions is to be aware they may happen, and to master the basics. If you don't have to pause to remember the basics then you've got more time to watch out for sneaky things or synthesize ideas between different sources and you won’t be thrown off on exam day!

• The syllabus often changes across sittings which adds extra prep time if you are taking the exam again. Save valuable time by reading the “Syllabus Changes Here” article. We’ve highlighted all the changes and modifications for you. This feature means you don't need to spend valuable study time hunting through articles trying to figure out what has changed.

• The past exams released by the CAS aren't as helpful because the CAS has changed their emphasis over time. Older exams are easier in general and contain less GLM material. Only the 2018 and 2019 exams are likely realistic versions of what you may see on exam day.

• Seems like time management is becoming more and more of a factor on exam day. You need to have a deep understanding of the material and have practiced and practiced the calculation problems to quickly answer questions on exam day.

• There are typically two IQs on any exam. These account for about 20% - 25% of the total exam points so you should allow at least an hour for these questions.

• IQs usually have a lot of sub-parts which may depend on each other. It's okay to say you made up a (plausible) answer to an earlier part if it means you can make progress on another part. With CBT it's even easy to update your work if you later solve an earlier part!

The good news is that you purchased BattleActs. We’ve custom built our system for the unique challenges of Exam 8, so you have all the resources and tools you need to crush this exam.

Points to Keep in Mind for the Computer Based Testing Environment.

• In the Pearson platform, you won't be able to write out formulas in the same way as with paper and pencil. So you have to be more careful how you lay out your solutions. It has to be clear what steps you follow so the grader will know you understand the method, even if you don't do the whole problem correctly. For a more complicated calculation, try to avoid putting the whole calculation in one cell. If possible, break the calculation up into two or three cells so the graders can clearly see your steps. You want to label your calculations so the grader understands what you are doing. Remember, the graders will see the formulas you put into the cell.

• You don't need to spend time on formatting such as underlining or bolding.

• Exam 8 questions can be long (particularly the IQs). It can be hard to legibly fit the question on the screen and see your work. Remember, it's okay to start problems to the side of the question rather than directly below. Ultimately, practicing with questions in the CBT format is the only way to get comfortable with these limitations.

• Currently the questions in the CBT environment aren't always structured so you can reference a value by clicking on a cell. Take time to make sure you've copied any figures from the text correctly.

• Something that hasn't changed for the CBT format is the need to justify any judgmental selections. Common examples are LDF and trend selections. All you need is a phrase in the cell next to your selection such as, "based on an upward trend" or "based on seasonality". It can be short but you have to at least mention the key point you used in making your decision.

• On past exams, it was sometimes required to draw diagrams or graphs as part of your answer, or to provide mathematical derivations of formulas. This cannot be done on the Pearson platform. Note however that drawing a diagram on your scrap paper may assist you in solving a problem even if the diagram cannot be included as part of your answer.

The BattleActs Difference - Common Sense

Here are a few things you should keep in mind:

• We analyzed prior exams and have identified the topics and specific questions that are repeated from year to year. This frequently tested material is your fundamental base. We’ve highlighted all of this for you, and you need to know it REALLY, REALLY well.
• Once you feel confident with this fundamental base, you can move on to historically less frequently tested material (time permitting.)

This is all just common sense.

Studying for Exam 8

Take a little extra time up front to get organized and you will save yourself a lot of time in the end.

1. Focus your study time. Use the Ranking Table for this. We’ve ranked the readings and indicated how much time to spend on each one!! Not all topics are tested equally, so they don’t deserve equal amounts of your attention. Take a look at the suggested study time to guide you in how much time to spend on each chapter.
2. Set up a study schedule. Look at a calendar. See how much time you have until exam day. Based on the ranking table, draw up a study schedule. Leave the last few weeks for review and practice exams.
3. Start studying. We recommend you do a quick read through of your chosen wiki article, then scan the source article and go back again to the wiki article for in-depth studying. Some people choose to skip reading the source material.
4. Memorize and practice the fundamentals. Do the quizzes and calculation problems. Use the BattleTables to easily see what is most frequently tested in each article. Once you have mastered this material, move on to what is less frequently tested.
5. Test your retention. Our BRQ (Battle-Readiness Quotient) in the navbar next to your name. This provides you with an objective measure of how well you know the material. It starts at 0% and rises as you work through the quizzes.
6. Stay motivated. Use the Leaderboard to see how you're progressing versus everyone else. Crush your friends! (You can appear anonymously if you wish.)

The BattleActs Scoring System

The table in Quiz Scores table provides two critical pieces of information for each paper:

• BRQ score out of 10. This score gives you an objective measure of how well you know the material. Note that your score tends to drop for each day you don't attempt a BattleCard. This simulates the fading of memory over time. By exam day, try to get your score around 9 for the higher ranked readings and around 8 for lower ranked readings.
• A lapse statistic which represents the number of days since you last attempted a particular BattleCard.

You can use these features to decide what to review based on your quiz scores and the average days lapse.

Helpful Hints

• When you're doing the quizzes, your retention is improved by writing or typing out the answers. Practice writing or typing clear, concise answers so that on exam day, the answers will come to you quickly and automatically. You won’t have the time on exam day to figure out appropriate answers.

• Note that some BattleCards are actually old exam questions. Anywhere you see E, you can click to see the indicated exam question and examiner's report answer, just for that question.

• There is more information on how the BattleCards work that you should read at least once. It's short.

Last 3 Weeks Before Exam

Use this time to review and do at least one practice exam. We keep one exam as a hold-out sample from the BattleCard database, so you can use this exam for fresh practice .

• Read the On BattleDay article. These are simple tips, yet will save you a lot of precious time on exam day.

• Use the quiz subscores to identify your weak areas. You can also use the Battlecard filtering function page for this and to filter and display questions you need to practice more. Prioritize your weak areas based on how likely they’ll show up on the exam. The color-coding of BattleCards is a popular feature!

• Do at least one practice exam. We keep one exam as a hold-out sample from the BattleCard database, so you can use this exam for fresh practice. When doing a practice exam, you will want to duplicate the exam situation as closely as possible. Go somewhere where you will have 4 hours of uninterrupted time. Time management for this exam is KEY. Even if you know the material 100%, but don’t manage your time on exam day, you will put yourself at a huge disadvantage. Make sure you feel comfortable with the format of the exam.

If you are taking the exam again, take a short detour to check changes to syllabus.

Disclaimer

The BattleActs study system is designed to help you focus on what we believe to be the most important and most frequently tested topics on the exam. Questions may come up from material not covered in our study system. We suggest that you use your own judgement where to use your time when reading the source material.