APM Past Papers
前言导学
Comment
Principally, paying specific attention to the question requirement: at APM, questions demand that scenarios are “evaluated” and “assessed” rather than described. The difference is fundamental and crucial as an analysis involves a study of applicability rather than a description.
To offer an example, the candidate who answers a question focused on whether an organisation should introduce beyond budgeting by offering only a description of beyond budgeting is demonstrating knowledge of a technique but is not answering the question.
Evaluation involves asking questions such as: how would this technique work in this company? What might the effect（s） of adopting it be? Where might the problems lie? How might it help?
Analysis and evaluation in this manner are a mind-set that is crucial for a successful candidate at APM. Such an approach is straightforward to adopt when considering past papers and should be the basis for any revision strategy. Knowledge of any technique – be it beyond budgeting, balanced scorecard, etc. – is essentially taken for granted at this level. The essence of APM is the application of this knowledge to a practical scenario.

To be specific about the analysis/assessment/evaluation point in the previous paragraph, candidates who come to this examination expecting to repeat memorised material will probably score only between 20% and 30%.
A lack of basic knowledge was demonstrated by many candidates. This was evidenced when candidates could not demonstrate an understanding of the difference between a revenue centre and a profit centre.
Candidates need to be aware that performance management is an area which, at an advanced level, is dependent upon situation and environment. A good, professional-level answer will go beyond the mere repetition of how a technique works and focus on relating it to the entity's specific environment.

This issue leads directly to the well-worn advice to candidates to ‘answer the question asked'. There are several examples where candidates answered a slightly different requirement from the one asked or simply ignored a part of the requirement （and thus the marks on offer）. There was also a continuing disregard for the suggestions contained within the scenario. Candidates should remember that the scenario is intended to mimic real life, in so far as is possible in the examination context.
In conclusion, the main messages for future candidates are:
Answer the question requirement
Understand the main theoretical models etc.

Mind set
To ensure you select and use the relevant information in the case study scenario for each individual requirement, you should follow these steps:
1st:Reading
In your exam, before reading the case study scenario, you first need to read the requirements（问题）. This will give you a clear focus when reading the scenario.（先大概扫一遍案例题干和问题，带着问题去阅读理解以便更好理解问题）
2nd:Plan Writing（读完别急着写，规划下怎么写，列个提纲）
It is useful to break down the requirements. Typically, each question requirement includes:
- The topic of the question: what topic does the question cover?
- The focus: which specific part of the topic is this requirement about?
- The instruction verb: what do you need to do?
（写答案时按照上述三个内容展开答案）