Train Hard, Race Easy

In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit and most often this involves running. I've run numerous half marathons and am a member of my local running club. There is a saying amongst running coaches around the world that goes: "Train Hard, Race Easy". It strikes me that this saying can fit any scenario where the end result is to perform to the best of your ability. Many of you have probably heard the saying before but if you haven't, its meaning is fairly obvious; the idea is to work so hard in your preparation that when the time comes to put yourself to the test you will succeed without having to push yourself to the limit.

After tutoring students for CIMA exams for well over a decade, it's clear that there is a divide amongst most students.

Group 1: Train Easy, Race Hard - This group generally under-prepare and hope to "pull it out of the bag" on the day

Group 2: Train Hard, Race Easy - This group prepare so fully that they will pass (even on a bad day)

Looking through our lessons learnt analysis from past T4 students - you'd be hard pressed to find one person that doesn't mention practicing loads of mock exams. On our T4 course, our students do at least 5 mock exams in their preparation.

Back to my running analogy: Doing a mock exam in T4 is like doing a fast practice run called a "tempo run". Physically it's the most draining thing you can do because you are running close to your limit, but it's also the most beneficial thing you can do to improve.

There's no doubt that when it comes to a difficult exam like T4, there is no substitute for hard work and the most effective work you can do is Mock exam practice. Look forward now at your plan for the next few weeks and consider how and when you will work, what you'll do and get going early. I'm sure it'll really help you pass this sitting.

We have 7 full mock exams for the November T4 exams - all come with full solutions.

Our new mock exams specially written for November are now available on our website - these have been carefully written to adopt the most recent "style" seen in the latest real T4 exams.

Find out more about the mock exams and buy them here

Thanks for reading,

Nick