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The Study/Revision Plan
This Study/Revision Plan will ensure that you get through the whole
syllabus in time for the Sergeants' examination on the 13th March
2012 and will afford you an opportunity to review the examiners
favourite subject areas - those consistently tested to a substantial
degree in the Sergeants' Part I examination - toward the end of
the study/revision process. There are periods when you will have
to read more material than in others but this cannot be avoided;
in fact in some weeks I want you to spend more time and focus more
of your attention on the subjects that are tested year in, year
out e.g. Theft and Related Offences (Crime).
The order of the Study/Revision Plan is
designed to ensure that all subjects are given the time they deserve
without leaving you 100+ pages of text to scrutinize and understand
in a 1-week period. The starting point of the plan is in Crime -
this is because any logical analysis of law begins with the study/revision
of state of mind (mens rea) and criminal conduct (actus reus) along
with an examination of other basic legal principles and defences.
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Revision
Studying and
revision are two separate processes. When you study you will largely
be learning topics for the first time. Revision is returning to
and re-examining that material. How you study/revise will be your
preference. If you want some ideas, why not have a look at the Revision
Methodology article on this web site (click
here to read this article).
The one piece
of advice I would give to every candidate no matter how they study/revise
is to use the weeks immediately before the exam to revise the most
important topics again. I have chosen these topics for revision
on the study plan because they are tested in the exam more often
than any others. Although there can be no guarantee given
here, those topics contained in weeks 25 to 27 are, on average (over
the last 8 PC to PS Part I examinations), worth approximately 82
marks in your examination (58.5%). Wouldn't it be a good idea to
take another look at them? To know them as well as you possibly
can? Even if you feel your knowledge of these topics is of a good
standard you must look at them again and again at this stage.
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Finally, use the weeks immediately before
the exam to revise the most important topics again. I have chosen
these topics for revision on the study plan because these topic
are tested on the exam more often than any other. Even if you feel
your knowledge of these topics is of a good standard you must look
at them again and again at this stage. Also, use this time to revise
with your notes any topics that you feel need that little bit extra
work.
My research shows that the average total
amount of time spent studying by candidates successful in their
exams is 230 hours.
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Taking a Break
The revision plan includes a 2-week break
over the Christmas period. I thoroughly recommend that you take that
break. It is important to take a break as if you do not stop and rest
your mind at some point then you are in serious danger of burning
out before 13th March. Take that well-earned break and go nowhere
near anything to do with Part I when
you do so. After your break, return with renewed enthusiasm to
the study/revision process.
The Last 3weeks
The subjects I have set out for revision
in weeks 25 to 27 are, statistically, the most commonly tested areas
from the last eight examinations (data via Centrex/NPIA feedback).
There is very little point, at this stage of the revision process,
of revising a subject that has only ever had one question asked
about it or possibly never even have been tested at all. However,
don't feel obliged to only look at those subjects. If you want to
go over something else then do so - the choice is yours.
Manuals
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UNDER
NO CIRCUMSTANCES USE OUT OF DATE MANUALS TO STUDY
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Each year, significant changes are made to the
Manuals and 2012 is no exception. Please note that all areas of
the Manual, including those that are blacklined
in Road Policing are potentially testable in the 2012 Sergeants'
examination. Using old Manuals is an incredibly dangerous practice
and in my opinion, a totally unwarranted gamble that can often lead
to failure. For the sake of the price of a set of Manuals I ask
you - 'Is it really worth the risk?' For example, a candidate studying
the Evidence and Procedure or General Police Duties Manual from
2011 will think that the Codes of Practice (being appendices in
2011) will only need to be referred to on the odd occasion whereas
the 2012 Manuals incorporate the Codes of Practice within the text
of the Manual, making these Codes testable in their entirety. Apart
from hundreds of other modifications where 'old' law has been updated
or has been replaced with 'new' law, over 40 pages of material were
completely removed from the 2010 Manuals and not replaced in their
2011 counterparts. There have been significant changes to the organisation
of the Manuals, 'Racially and Religiously Aggravated Offences' has
been re-structured and is now contained in the Crime Manual, Evidence
& Procedure and GPD have both had huge changes to their composition
that should hopefully make life study/revision a little more bearable...I
could go on. On the basis on such knowledge or lack of it,
exams are passed and failed.
If you have any questions regarding the Revision
Plan call me, Paul Connor at Checkmate Training Ltd on 01827 874600.
Downloads
Click on the following links for your free
downloads:
Study
Plan (html format)
Sergeant's
Hotlist (Microsoft Word format)
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