Regardless of whether you are sitting the July Case Study exam or you are planning to sit in November, you will already be aware of when the Advance Information will be released and the date of the exam. The ICAEW has published the full list of dates that you need to be aware so nothing is stopping you from building your plan for passing NOW - you just need to ensure your planning is done strategically.

When you start looking at your planning early on, it’s easy to fall into one of two common traps: 

• Peaking too early, putting your hard work to one side and forgetting your discipline in the live exam
• Leaving it too late, putting too much energy into one element and suffering from fatigue. 

With this in mind, I want to use an analogy that may just help you think about your approach slightly differently.  Running!  

Whether you are training for a marathon, 5km or a local fun run.  The fact is we all "know" how to run or jog.  Similarly, the Case Study material isn’t hard to learn. 

However, when you are preparing for a run, whatever the distance, you spend time researching how to make the most of the training time to ensure you build up your stamina and speed gradually. You wouldn't run a trial distance 3 weeks before the event and decide "OK I’ve done it once so I can sit and eat cake for 3 weeks". You continue to practice and prepare. 

The principles of training for a marathon can be translated into how to be better prepared for passing your Case Study exam. 

The 5 cornerstones of marathon training

1) Research

• Marathon: Understanding the challenge and assessing your current fitness.
• Case Study: Doing your required reading about the assessment or understanding why you failed your previous attempt. 

2) Groundwork

• Marathon: Base mileage. Build your weekly mileage over time, running three-to-five times per week.
• Case Study: Create a study plan that builds in small pockets of study that gradually increase in the build-up to the exam. 

3) Stamina

• Marathon: The long run. Do a long run every 7–10 days so your body can adjust gradually to long distances.
• Case Study: Use the Mock Exams to practice writing a “good enough” answer.

4) Speed

• Marathon: Speed work.
• Case Study: Practice exams to time.

5) Self- care

• Marathon: Rest and recovery. Give your body time to heal and build muscle.
• Case Study: Give yourself time away from study – by starting early you have the opportunity to really make the most of your study time without feeling overwhelmed. Give your brain a chance to recover and rest.