Senior Manager Exam: quick revision, 15 bites

The 8-Part Paper and Your 8-Answer Rule

Eight parts, eight answers — choose smart.

Paper II has **8 Parts**. You must answer **exactly 8 questions**: **2 from Part I**, **2 from Part II**, and **4 from any four of Parts III–VIII** (one from each chosen part).

Takeaway. 2+2+4 = 8 answers = 100 marks. Break the rule and you lose marks.

Three Hours, 100 Marks — The Clock Is Your Enemy

180 minutes for 8 answers.

You have **3 hours (180 minutes)** for **100 marks**. That is roughly **1.8 minutes per mark** — but 15-mark questions need more thinking time than 10-mark ones.

Takeaway. Time-box each answer; never let one question eat another's minutes.

Markers Reward Four Things — Give Them All

Analytical, evaluative, concise, clear.

The paper explicitly states that marking considers **Analytical Approach**, **Sound Evaluation**, **Conciseness**, and **Clarity**. You are also required to **give reasons for your answers**.

Takeaway. Every answer should analyse, evaluate, stay concise, and stay clear — with reasons.

Parts I & II vs Parts III–VIII: Two Different Games

15-mark depth vs 10-mark breadth.

Takeaway. Parts I–II need depth; Parts III–VIII need precision and coverage.

Part I: The Financial Service Industry Core

Banks, markets, payments, savings.

Part I tests the **financial system of Sri Lanka in 2004** — Licensed Commercial Banks, financial markets, payment and settlement systems, and macro variables like consumption, savings and investment.

Takeaway. Part I = the 2004 Sri Lankan financial landscape, seen through a banker's lens.

Part II: Management, Leadership and CSR

Mintzberg, communication, Adair, Blake & Mouton.

Part II is about **managing people and the bank's social role** — managerial roles, communication, leadership theories, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Takeaway. Part II = how a Senior Manager leads, communicates, and serves society.

Parts III–VIII: Six Specialist Domains

One question from each chosen part.

Takeaway. Pick the four Parts III–VIII where you can write strongest — you choose, so choose wisely.

Part V: Reading the 2004 Financial Data

Ratios tell the real story.

Question 14 gives comparative financial data for **Bank A, Bank B, Bank C and People's Bank** in 2004. You must analyse figures and comment on performance, weaknesses and management actions.

Takeaway. People's Bank had strong profits but weak capital adequacy, high NPLs and high costs — identify, explain, and suggest fixes.

Kurt Lewin's Three-Step Change Model

Unfreeze, change, refreeze.

Lewin's model is used for **all types of change** and is directly examinable in Part VI (Question 16).

Takeaway. Unfreeze → Change → Refreeze: the classic three-step change recipe.

Leadership Theories You Must Name

Adair and Blake & Mouton.

Question 7 asks you to explain both theories and then judge whether such styles would improve **branch productivity**, giving reasons.

Takeaway. Name the theory, explain its axes or circles, then apply it to your branch.

Marketing a Bank Is Not Marketing Soap

Services differ from products.

Question 12(a) asks whether **bank marketing differs** from marketing by other organisations. Banks sell **intangible, inseparable, variable and perishable services**, often with fiduciary trust.

Takeaway. Bank marketing = trust + intangibility + regulation; segment corporate vs personal needs.

Common Mistakes That Cost Marks

Don't lose easy marks.

Takeaway. Follow the rubric literally: right count, right parts, reasons given, application shown.

How to Structure a 15-Mark Answer

Define, discuss, apply, conclude.

Takeaway. A 15-mark answer is a mini-essay: definition → analysis → application → judgement.

How to Structure a 10-Mark Answer

List, explain briefly, apply.

Takeaway. 10-mark answers reward coverage and clarity, not length.

Remember the Paper in One Line

2-2-4, 15-15-10.

**2 from Part I, 2 from Part II, 4 from Parts III–VIII.** Marks: **15, 15, then 10 each**. Time: **3 hours**. Criteria: **Analysis, Evaluation, Conciseness, Clarity** — plus reasons.

Takeaway. 2-2-4, 15-15-10, 3 hours, 4 criteria — that's the whole paper in one breath.