James Antony Garibbo – Technical Award in the Sale of Residential Property

What is your background?

'I recently passed this qualification after two years in the estate agency profession. Having started as a trainee negotiator, I have worked my way up to branch valuer.'

How did you find time to study, while working?

'I used MOL’s course planner to keep me on track. This meant I could effectively organise my time so I had done the work my tutor set me by the next call.'

Are there any tips on studying that you could share with our Technical Award students?

'I read through the material and made bullet points from it. I then wrote it in my own words repeatedly until I could remember it.'

Now you have the qualification, how has it benefited you?

'Gaining this qualification has given me a huge sense of satisfaction; it has boosted my self esteem and added credibility to my organisation.'

Why did you decide to enrol on MOL's Technical Award support course?

'I am not very good at keeping myself on track. I chose the tutor support as this was an element I read about when first weighing up my study options. Also having a tutor there to ask questions was an important consideration, as were the mock test papers. These were an invaluable tool in gauging my knowledge prior to sitting the real exams.'

If you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

'I would have tried to feel a little more confident about sitting my last two exams. I wasn't sure if I was ready but should have had faith in the fact that the MOL mock test papers I took had been fine. Any problems with them I had discussed with my tutor and she had said she felt I was ready to sit the exams.'