CIPD Exam Questions and Answers

If you are looking to advance your career in HR or L&D, CIPD could be the perfect fit for you. It will not only enhance your knowledge and skills from talent management to employment law but could also help you attain much higher earnings than your fellow employees.

Now that you have a rough idea of what CIPD can help you achieve in your workplace, let’s look at ways you can respond to CIPD exam questions and answers to enable you to progress from CIPD Level 3 to Level 7. But, first, what is the CIPD?

What Does CIPD Stand For?

CIPD stands for Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a UK-based independent organization with the aim of championing better work, and working lives. It does this by improving practices in people and organization development for the benefit of not only individuals but also businesses, economies and society as a whole.

Founded over a century ago, the CIPD is designed to offer a range of qualifications that are of industry-standard for human resource management and aim to promote world-class people management practices.

Different CIPD Levels of Qualifications

CIPD offers three distinct qualification levels to suit different persons at different levels of their career. The qualifications are CIPD Level 3, CIPD Level 5, and CIPD Level 7.

CIPD Level 3

Also known as CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice provides a solid introduction to HR and L&D practice for those with little or no experience in human resources. So, if you are working as an HR or L&D administrator or essentially want to move into the human resources field, this level is your perfect fit. The CIPD Level 3 is equivalent to an A-level.

Pursuing the CIPD Level 3 will help you develop an understanding of how the People Professions sit within an organization as the external and commercial influences that will need to work within. Besides, you will develop skills in talent management, recruitment, reward and developing people. Completion of the Level 3 will lead to an award of certificate and subsequent progress to CIPD Level 5.

CIPD Level 5

Also known as CIPD Associate Diploma in People Management/Organisational Learning & Development, the CIPD Level 5 is designed for individuals with some HR or L&D experience and are ready to progress in their career. The CIPD Level 5 is equivalent to an undergraduate level of study.

Pursuing a CIPD Level 5 will help you develop a deeper understanding of management in either the HR or L&D functions within an organization. Completing three core modules, three specialist modules plus one optional module in these levels will lead to awarding of a Diploma in either People Management or Organizational Learning. Subsequently, you will become an Associate Member of the CIPD.

CIPD Level 7

Also, known as CIPD Advanced Diplomas in Strategic People Management and Strategic Learning and Development, the CIPD Level 7 is the highest level offered by the CIPD. The Level 7 Advanced Diplomas are equivalent to postgraduate study.

Pursuing CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diplomas will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills required to develop and implement strategic and innovative solutions to support organizational growth and performance management as an HR or L&D professional.

Besides, you will gain the necessary skills in business leadership and leading and managing people. The CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma will also prepare you for Chartered Membership of the CIPD upon completion of four core modules, three specialist units and one optional unit.

Does CIPD Have an Exam?

Exams are extinct for the new 2021 CIPD qualifications. Those still pursuing the pre-new 2021 CIPD qualifications, will have to sit for their exams in their respective CIPD Levels. For the new 2021 CIPD qualifications, there are still written assessments at each CIPD level which are set by the CIPD. The assessments often come in the form of a report.

Ideally, the assessment looks like a document that you might submit to senior leadership to put forward a recommendation on a new idea or system. For CIPD Level 3 and 5, the written assessments follow the learning objectives for each module, while at Level 7, the learning objectives are more entwined throughout the assessment.

The CIPD Level 3 no longer entails practical in-class assessments like the pre-new 2021 CIPD Level 3 qualification. Instead, you get an opportunity to work with your tutor and peers to perfect your knowledge and skills in a safe and enabling environment.

The Advanced Level 7 will no longer require you to complete the two national exams like in the previous pre-new 2021 level 7. However, the content is now covered through assignment work. Regardless, you will still be required to write a 7000-word research project on an aspect of either HR or L&D of your choice.

How DO I Answer CIPD Exam Questions? Revision Tips

Taking CIPD exams can be a stressful time especially if you are juggling your studies with a demanding work schedule or busy family life. However, you don’t have to be stressed or freaking when it comes to answering CIPD exam questions.

We are here to show you the best strategies to adopt to enable you to respond to CIPD exam questions in the best way to achieve the best possible results. We know that you are already familiar with your own learning style and revision techniques.

However, we hope that the strategies we give you below will give you an extra boost to make sure you are well prepared to tackle your upcoming CIPD exam question.

Before Exam Revision

Think What is Being Examined

Before you embark on any CIPD exam revision, it is critical that you take time to ponder on what is being examined. In some CIPD exams, all topics of the modules are covered while in others, a few aspects have been covered in the coursework and assignments and only a few specific topics are included in the exam paper.

As such, you need to be clear on which topics could possibly be included in the exam. Some CIPD students prefer looking back at past papers to try to find out which topics are most likely to be included by looking for those which haven’t been appearing on a recent exam paper. This is quite a risky affair. Unless your tutor has categorically indicated that some topics will not appear in the exam, there is no assurance that this will be the case!

Understand the Length and Structure of the Exam

It is also critical to fully understand the length and the structure of the exam you are about to take. For instance, know how many questions there will be. Will the questions require short answers, long essay types of answers or will there be multi-choice answers?

Moreover, it is important to know whether all the questions are compulsory or whether students will be allowed to choose to answer a particular number of questions. Most importantly, trade carefully here, for instance, the requirement is to answer four out of eight questions, revising just four topics could be hazardous.

Without a doubt, not all topics may have questions and it’s possible the question on a topic you revise can be worded in a way you may find unable to answer. Also, it is possible that one question will draw on learning from more than a topic or sub-topical area.

Understand What the Examiners Expect

Before you start revising, make sure you understand what the examiners expect. You can find this by reading past examiners reports or by consulting your tutor for advice.

Often, simply learning facts and being able to reproduce them will be inadequate in responding to exam questions. Examiners are likely to look at the analysis of facts, and their application to the question asked.

During Revision

Make Sure you have a Revision Plan

When revising for your CIPD exam, whichever the Level, it is important, to be honest with yourself about how much time you will need for your revision.

Ideally, read through your workbook, core text and workshop notes and complete the process by summarizing the key points. Plan your revision time into at least 45-minute bursts with about 10 minutes breaks.

Attend the Exam Preparations Workshops

It is ideal to attend CIPD exam workshops that are specifically tailored for you before sitting for exams. This is because they will come in handy during the revision process. Since the CIPD exam is done in September, these prep workshops come early to allow students adequate time to book and attend.

Practice Past Exam Questions

Plenty of past exam questions are available for all levels. The more practice you do the better prepared you will be for your exam questions. In fact, we believed that at least 60% of your total revision effort should fall into practice past exam questions.

Read Examiners’ Feedback Comments and be familiar with the General Assessment Criteria

Reviewing the comments by external examiners concerning past exams on the CIPD website after you have finished your practice paper will give you a clue of what the previous candidates did wrong.

Also, familiarize yourself with the general assessment criteria to know what is required of you in responding to the questions. Candidates who take their time to understand what examiners are looking for are able to demonstrate excellent practise as well as professional skills and therefore most likely to attain higher marks.

Don’t Rush to Learn Everything

When you are revising for your CIPD exam, be selective in what you learn. It is vital to attain the depth of understanding with some critical view on theories and models instead of adopting a scattergun approach that allows you to know little about everything. Exam workshops can help you identify the key elements and know where gaps exist in your knowledge cup.

During the Exam

Read the Questions Carefully, Understand and Write a Plan

It is important that you use the reading time at the beginning of the exam prudently. Ideally, read to the last question carefully and understand them before deciding which ones to answer. Be sure to highlight key command words explain, discuss and state as you read along. Come up with a plan on what the question is asking and what the examiner expects before you start writing responses to each question.

Be Cognizant of the Pitfalls

Good time management is vital in exams. If your exam is three hours, ensure you give each question enough time. That way, you will be able to exhaustively answer each question.

Don’t Brain Dump

It is necessary that you stick to your plan. Don’t just rush into answering the question and brain dump everything you know about the topic question in the hope of being relevant. It is vital that you answer the actual question that has been asked and not write a general answer based on everything that you know about the question or the topic the question is drawn from.

If you are still enrolled in the pre-new 2021 CIPD qualifications, these strategies will come in handy when writing your exam. All the best!