MATSEC AM Marketing exam-day guide
MATSEC AM Marketing · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification
Bring the ID document the awarding body requires for admission. The exact accepted forms and whether a signature is needed should be confirmed with the provider or your school's examinations officer before the exam day.
Statement of entry / candidate number
Carry your statement of entry or candidate number and centre number. If you have not received it, contact your examinations officer; do not assume the centre can look it up quickly on the day.
Black or blue pens and spares
Bring at least two working pens plus a spare. Scripts are normally written in ink, not pencil, so test your pens beforehand and discard any that smudge or skip.
Pencil, eraser and ruler
Useful for any structured or calculation-style response and for neatly crossing out work. Keep them in a clear pencil case if your centre restricts cases.
Simple non-programmable calculator
Marketing papers can include calculation-style items such as margins, mark-ups or percentage changes. Confirm with the provider which calculator models are permitted and whether programmable or graphing models are banned.
Clear water bottle with label removed
Stay hydrated without distracting yourself. Many centres require a transparent bottle with no label; confirm the centre's rule.
Wristwatch (optional)
Some exam halls have no visible clock, and phones are not allowed at your desk. A plain analogue watch helps you pace the paper. Confirm whether smartwatches are prohibited, as they usually are.
Confirm the venue, start time and arrival time
Check the exact hall, entry point and reporting time in advance. Arrive early enough to find the room and settle. If you are unsure of the reporting time, confirm with the provider.
Check permitted materials and any advance release
Confirm whether the paper is closed-book and whether any case material or pre-release is issued beforehand. Do not bring notes unless the provider explicitly permits them.
Plan transport and a backup
Work out the route and journey time, and identify a fallback if transport fails. Know the centre's contact number and late-arrival policy; confirm both with the provider.
Read the exam regulations on electronic devices
Phones, smartwatches and other devices must normally be switched off and stored away from your desk. Confirm the centre's exact storage rule, since possession can be treated as malpractice.
Plan the day
Switch from learning new content to consolidating. Re-read your summaries of the marketing mix, segmentation, targeting and positioning, market research methods, consumer behaviour, branding, pricing, distribution and promotion. Rehearse the structure of longer answers: definition, applied example, analysis, evaluation. Practise two or three timed questions using the actual paper format so you know how much you can write per mark.
Do one full timed paper or a representative set of questions under exam conditions, then mark it honestly against the assessment objectives. Identify the two weakest areas and spend the remaining time on those only. Build a one-page sheet of frameworks and key definitions you will review on the final morning.
Light review only: skim your one-page sheet, command words and the structure of case-based questions. Prepare your bag with ID, statement of entry, pens, calculator and water. Check the venue, reporting time and transport. Eat properly, avoid late-night cramming and aim for a normal night's sleep.
Eat a proper breakfast, review your one-page sheet briefly, then stop. Arrive at the centre with time to spare, switch off and store your phone as instructed, and locate your seat. Read the front of the paper carefully for instructions, mark allocations and any choice of questions.
Read all instructions and the whole paper or question list before writing. Note the marks per question and any compulsory sections. Sketch a quick time budget: roughly marks proportional to minutes, plus reading and checking time. Decide which optional questions you will answer.
Answer in the order that suits you, but keep to your time budget and leave a few minutes at the end. Use marketing terminology precisely and apply each point to the context given rather than writing generic theory. For evaluation marks, state a judgement and justify it. If you run out of time, write bullet-point plans for remaining answers rather than leaving them blank, and cross out rough work clearly.
Rules to check
Bring the identification the awarding body requires and keep it on your desk if instructed. Accepted forms vary, so confirm the exact requirement with the provider or your examinations officer before the day.
Electronic devices, including phones and smartwatches, must be switched off and stored as the centre directs, not kept on your person at the desk. Unauthorised possession is normally treated as malpractice; confirm the centre's storage rule.
Write in the ink colour specified on the paper and use pencil only where instructed, for example for multiple-choice answer sheets or diagrams. Work in the wrong medium may not be marked.
Do not communicate with other candidates once in the examination room, and do not take any paper, notes or materials out of the room unless the invigilator permits it.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator. Toilet breaks are usually escorted and may not be allowed in the final part of the exam; confirm the centre's policy.
If you arrive late, report to the invigilator immediately. Whether you are admitted and whether you receive full time depends on the regulations; confirm the late-arrival rule with the provider rather than assuming.
Marks are awarded against the published assessment objectives, so application to the given context and justified evaluation usually score higher than unexplained lists of theory. Check the mark allocation and command words for each question.
If illness or another serious problem affects your performance, tell the centre staff on the day and ask your examinations officer about special consideration procedures. Do not rely on informal notification after the exam; confirm the deadlines with the provider.