IPS Exam General Exam-writing Tips

1. Do not panic. Questions may be answered in any order, therefore, answer the easiest questions first. Your confidence will increase; you will relax and be able to think and recall better.
2. Write legibly; no marker can give marks for what he or she cannot read. Write in blue or black ink.
3. Read each question carefully. Read it again. Are there choices? Don't answer more questions or parts of questions than are required; only the required number will be marked, and those in the order written.
4. Do not answer multiple choice questions on the question paper and take it home or hand it in separately with no identification number on it. Over the years a considerable number of students have squandered thirty or forty marks in this manner. ALL answers must be written in the answer book provided.
5. Select only one answer in multiple choice questions UNLESS the instructions state otherwise. If you select more than one answer, you will receive NO marks.
6. In multiple choice questions, your first inclination is usually correct, so consider carefully before changing your answer after you have made your initial selection.
7. In any type of question, if you are unsure of the answer, go with your best guess. You may well pick up enough additional marks to give you a pass. Do not spend an undue amount of time on it until you have attempted all other questions. Then go back to it if time permits.
8. Do not write so fast you leave out key words such as no or not; this changes the meaning of your sentence to the opposite of what you intended.
9. Do not waste time or lose track of it. Allocate your time according to the mark values of the questions.
10. Do not pad your answers with irrelevant material. However, if you have information relevant to the subject but which goes beyond that found in your textbook, use it to enhance your answer. It will gain marks and make up for other points that you have missed.
11. Be careful with words that are similar. If you write insured instead of insurer, the meaning of your sentence will surely be different.
12. Choose your examples carefully. Relate them to the subject at hand. For example, do not use life insurance illustrations to demonstrate general insurance principles or situations. If you correctly explain a concept and then use an example that is inappropriate, the marker will wonder whether you really do understand the subject or just memorized a definition.
13. Examples must be given to obtain full marks when a question specifically asks for them. They may be used to good advantage in many other situations as well. Often, it is easier to explain a concept by the use of an example. You will never be penalized for using examples in your explanations. Try to use original examples rather than those quoted in the textbook.
14. Clearly number your answers to correspond to the questions.
15. Start each question on a separate page.
³ These may be obtained from your local institute or The Insurance Institute of Canada.