CIMA OCS past questions

CIMA OCS past questions: Decisions under risk

Every sub-task on decisions under risk set in the Operational Case Study pre-seens we cover, summarised in our own words.

Sub-tasks: 24
Sittings: 3 of 3
Exam variants: 14 of 18
Last set: May & Aug 2026

Mostly filed under core activity E (Analyse information to support short-term decision making). Syllabus: P1 D, dealing with uncertainty in the short term. These are patterns from past exams, not a forecast: CIMA can test any part of the syllabus.

May & Aug 2026 · SoPa

Every task set for SoPa

Restaurants · CIMA's post-exam materials

OCS past sub-tasks on Decisions under risk, May & Aug 2026 (SoPa)
Task	Core activity	What was asked (our summary)
V2 · Task 2(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Choosing restaurant capacity under maximax, maximin and minimax regret.
V2 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	How probability estimates and decision makers' attitudes to risk affect the capacity decision.
V3 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Choosing a supplier on expected purchase volume, and two limits of doing so.
V4 · Task 2(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Interpreting a payoff table and its statistics for a marketing campaign choice.
V4 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Which campaign risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse managers would choose.
V5 · Task 2(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Interpreting a payoff table and its statistics for a supplier choice.
V5 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Which supplier risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse decision makers would choose.
V6 · Task 1(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	What a decision tree shows for a set of linked options.
V6 · Task 1(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Using the decision tree on a risk-neutral basis to pick the best combination.
V6 · Task 1(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Two limitations of the approach and two other factors to weigh before deciding.

V2 · Task 2(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Choosing restaurant capacity under maximax, maximin and minimax regret.
V2 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
How probability estimates and decision makers' attitudes to risk affect the capacity decision.
V3 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Choosing a supplier on expected purchase volume, and two limits of doing so.
V4 · Task 2(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Interpreting a payoff table and its statistics for a marketing campaign choice.
V4 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Which campaign risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse managers would choose.
V5 · Task 2(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Interpreting a payoff table and its statistics for a supplier choice.
V5 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Which supplier risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse decision makers would choose.
V6 · Task 1(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
What a decision tree shows for a set of linked options.
V6 · Task 1(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Using the decision tree on a risk-neutral basis to pick the best combination.
V6 · Task 1(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Two limitations of the approach and two other factors to weigh before deciding.

Nov 2025 & Feb 2026 · SumTrix

Every task set for SumTrix

Ski manufacturing · CIMA's post-exam materials

OCS past sub-tasks on Decisions under risk, Nov 2025 & Feb 2026 (SumTrix)
Task	Core activity	What was asked (our summary)
V1 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Expected values, standard deviations and coefficients of variation for an order-size choice, risk-averse and risk-seeking.
V2 · Task 1(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Three statistical measures and the discount level each attitude to risk would choose.
V2 · Task 1(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Limitations of the what-if figures and of using expected value for the decision.
V3 · Task 2(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Using a decision tree, on a risk-neutral basis, to choose a sales agent.
V3 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Limitations of the decision tree approach for choosing the agent.
V5 · Task 2(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Choosing a contract under risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse approaches.
V5 · Task 2(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Limitations of those approaches and of the data behind them.
V5 · Task 2(d)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Factors in deciding whether to pay for perfect information.
V6 · Task 4(a)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Maximax, maximin and minimax regret for choosing a promotional campaign.

V1 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Expected values, standard deviations and coefficients of variation for an order-size choice, risk-averse and risk-seeking.
V2 · Task 1(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Three statistical measures and the discount level each attitude to risk would choose.
V2 · Task 1(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Limitations of the what-if figures and of using expected value for the decision.
V3 · Task 2(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Using a decision tree, on a risk-neutral basis, to choose a sales agent.
V3 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Limitations of the decision tree approach for choosing the agent.
V5 · Task 2(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Choosing a contract under risk-neutral, risk-seeking and risk-averse approaches.
V5 · Task 2(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Limitations of those approaches and of the data behind them.
V5 · Task 2(d)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Factors in deciding whether to pay for perfect information.
V6 · Task 4(a)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Maximax, maximin and minimax regret for choosing a promotional campaign.

May & Aug 2025 · Halfpenny

Every task set for Halfpenny

Bakery · CIMA's post-exam materials

OCS past sub-tasks on Decisions under risk, May & Aug 2025 (Halfpenny)
Task	Core activity	What was asked (our summary)
V1 · Task 1(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Explaining decision data and the option a risk-neutral approach would choose.
V1 · Task 1(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Limitations of the data and of a risk-neutral approach.
V3 · Task 4(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Choosing an extra production level with maximax, maximin and minimax regret, and where they conflict.
V5 · Task 3(c)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Whether paying for perfect information was worthwhile under each market outcome.
V6 · Task 4(b)	Core activity E: Short-term decisions	Why a director chose a medium output level, and the effect of that choice.

V1 · Task 1(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Explaining decision data and the option a risk-neutral approach would choose.
V1 · Task 1(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Limitations of the data and of a risk-neutral approach.
V3 · Task 4(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Choosing an extra production level with maximax, maximin and minimax regret, and where they conflict.
V5 · Task 3(c)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Whether paying for perfect information was worthwhile under each market outcome.
V6 · Task 4(b)Core activity E: Short-term decisions
Why a director chose a medium output level, and the effect of that choice.

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