Dear Tutor MJ

I am currently signed up with Astranti, sitting for my OCS exam in May.

Last year, I found out I had dyslexia. It was such a shock to me. But now I understand why I failed so many papers in the past.

Anyhow, I am really struggling and wondered if there is any extra help I can get to pass the OCS exam.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards
Alexis

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Dear Alexis

It’s really heartwarming to hear stories like yours. Knowing it’s going to be tough, but persevering anyway. “Never give up” is definitely something you need whilst studying the CIMA qualification.

With regards OCS help, if you’ve signed up with Astranti, then I believe you are already in good hands. Some of the strategies and techniques we impart to students are really effective.

I would suggest though to try and contact CIMA if they cater for conditions like dyslexia. You will need to make an application, but I know that they allow for special accommodations.

In the application, you will need to provide documentation supporting the accommodation you are requesting. The document must:

• be on the physician’s or other qualified healthcare professional’s letterhead, typed, dated and signed by the physician or other qualified healthcare professional.
• detail the specific diagnosis and the date of your diagnosis.
• contain specific and current findings that support your diagnosis, including medical history and tests administered.
• set out recommendations for your testing accommodation(s) including a detailed explanation of why the accommodation is needed.  If the accommodation includes extra time, please indicate the amount of time requested.
• present evidence that similar accommodations have been made for the candidate in other educational or testing situations or in employment settings, or an explanation of why no such accommodation was made in the past but is now required.

CIMA endeavours to review requests within 7 working days from receipt of supporting documentation. And once the adjustment has been made, if appropriate, then that adjustment can remain in force for the duration of your studies with CIMA. So you only need to apply once.

For more information, check this CIMA webpage out.

In parting, I’ll leave you with a conversation thread that I found on our CIMA forum a few years back about a student who was also diagnosed with dyslexia after starting his CIMA journey. It is inspiring and I wanted this to show that it can be done.

I wish you well in your preparations.

Kind regards
Tutor MJ

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