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Exam is a one four hour case study which requires you to write a very well drafted and integrated response to a scenario which is quite similar to real life. Thorough coverage of syllabus, extensive practice of past exam cases and technical articles will help you passing this exam. The mini MBA of ACCA, pretty much the most exciting course for me, I was happy to learn this course partly because of my interest in Business. I opted for taking lessons for this as opposed to reading because I wanted to be in a class setting and get to interact with other people.
Effective time management skills play a major role in how well you do in an exam. I believe employers must play a major role in accelerating the professional development of their staff by providing practical work experience and mentorship in related departments.
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Students should practice to do time management during exam. A large part of ACCA difficulty lies in critically examining the scenario and building your answer accordingly. The examiner in some questions expects a detailed and critical analysis like a professional and a poorly presented answer will not be rated much. Sometimes, you learn a topic and you are able to solve its questions.
There’s more than one way to become an accountant – and when planning a career in this field, it’s important to consider which professional qualifications will best pave the way for your chosen route. The ACCA and ACA qualifications are both prestigious accounting qualifications which can open up a variety of attractive career opportunities – but there are also significant differences between the two options. We have prepared a guide to ACCA courses and ACA courses which should give you an idea of important differences between the two qualifications. While the salary for ACCA qualified accountants and the salary https://personal-accounting.org/ for ACA qualified accountants may vary according to various factors, the information we have put together should help you choose which course is right for you. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Institute, formed in 1904 is the global professional accounting body offering the “Chartered Certified Accountant” qualification. ACCA is a fast-growing international accountancy organization with 2,00,000 members and 4,86,000 students in 180 countries. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is a professional accounting body that offers technician and professional certifications in accountancy.
Outstanding pass rates
I'll always aim for 70% knowing that I'll drop around 15-20% on the exam day but that should then still be a pass. Just passing it, proves to employers that you have met the required standards for the profession, nothing else is needed. In the UK employers hardly ever ask to see your actual grades, if you pass the paper that is enough. As always, please remember I am an Accountant, but not your Accountant. In this post I share information and oftentimes give anecdotes about what has worked well for me.
- Some of your friends, relatives and colleagues can agree that the struggle is real!
- Employers may pay some or all of the costs of studying, although this is not always the case.
- Students should practice to do time management during exam.
- Study only from the approved text or study material of ACCA.
- The PM knowledge is assumed at the APM exam and will now be tested in a more critical thinking capacity.
- P4 is its predecessor and the syllabus hasn’t been changed a lot.
They have a defined and planned syllabus that they want you to study and understand. Besides the registration fee for ACCA, you need to pay a specific fee to appear for the exam.
ACCA versus CPA: Exam Content and Format
Remember we are focusing on the easy marks to pass this ACCA exam, and professional marks are one of the easy bits of the ACCA exam. Students are asked to solve questions under exam conditions.
In times like that, I had to console myself that at least I learnt something new or I understood a concept better even if I couldn’t or didn’t know by heart. ISBF employs the latest teaching techniques that are proven to improve learning skills, increase enjoyment whilst you study and allow you to perform to the highest level even in the most challenging topics. Our tuition sessions are highly interactive and we encourage group discussion to help break down complicated concepts. Our tuition sessions are typically divided into 2 phases with a progress test at the end of each phase.
ACCA: I’m done
While some students study on their own for the ACCA exam, many prefer taking up a preparatory course to gain an added advantage. Getting acquainted with the ACCA syllabus is not easy and to avoid getting overwhelmed, it’s best to turn towards trusted learning providers. While there is no straightforward way to answer if the ACCA exam is tough or not, studying for the 13 exams requires a lot of time and dedication. It’s best to get an early start and take your preparations seriously if you want to pass the exams. Here is a quick guide on how to study ACCA and gain the desired result.
Also make sure you understand what you are calculating and be in a position to explain your calculations clearly, and make the relevant interpretations. As I mentioned before, strive to answer at-least 90% of the ACCA exam to pass. Allocate enough time to study for this this ACCA exam and leave enough time for revision. ACCA examiners often fail to understand what is being written by students and this contributes to failure. This will also result in loss of ACCA professional marks.
It may be useful to look at the trend in past examinations. For example, what type of questions are most frequently asked? Has an important syllabus area not been tested in last several attempts? You could use this information to prioritize certain key topics that you would like to focus more on. Trying to extrapolate the trend into your next exam sitting may leave you with a few surprises.
Set short-term goals
Students who gain their practical experience while studying may complete the qualification within three or four years, while others may take longer to do so. Once a student has passed the first Strategic Professional exam, they will need to pass the remaining exams within seven years. Yet, play the reputation that this qualification is very hard with pass rate of 30%. Remember ACCA is hard to pass, because the institution lacks transparency and the management lacks confidence of accuracy and objectivity behind their marking system! Otherwise, they would be open and will not mind disclosing how they have marked students exam, at least for those students who willing to pay them for this service.
A Chartered Accountant is bound by the ethical standards set by the professional body they are a member of. Deviating from these ethical standards can result in expulsion from the professional body which, again, gives potential clients greater confidence in the professional. The ACCA qualification can lead to a variety of career paths. As an Accountancy qualification, clearly, the most common routes for ACCA graduates are typical accounting jobs like Management Accountant, Financial Accountant, Group Accountant etc. Using the ACCA letters after your name e.g. ‘David Jones ACCA’ demonstrates in professional settings that you are a fully qualified Accountant and can be thought of in the same way as Doctors using ‘MD’ after their name. The two courses have many similarities including a high volume of challenging exams to get through . The Applied Knowledge level involves three exams; Business and Technology, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting.
ICAN vs ACCA
Always try to understand the underlying concepts behind a given topic. While you may be able to earn some marks for pure knowledge , most number of marks in ACCA exams are for application of your concepts in a given scenario. Building your concepts right from the beginning in your ACCA studies will help you further down the road as you build upon those foundations in the more advanced papers. When planning, consider for example the exams that you intend to undertake, the amount of time you have to prepare for the exams, your expected work routine, family commitments and so on. Try to draft a timetable based on the number of expected days you have for each paper you intend to appear in the ACCA examination. My perspective however changed when I had an opportunity to be discipled in my Christian growth and maturity while writing my exams. I learnt during this period that Christians should expect challenges and suffering in this life as part of God’s plan because the world we live in is not perfect.
Then just close your eyes, pop on the playlist, and then think to yourself, “This is how I'm going to do it”. It means you don’t have much time to think and structure your answer. The more quicker you are, the more you are likely to attempt the paper in full, which ultimately increases your chances of passing the paper.
- Students who pass AAA, do so because they adequately prepare for the exam.
- In the most recent sittings, the exams with the lowest pass rate in each level were as follows.
- This will help you explain yourself better while answering.
- Furthermore, some professionals combine the CPA and MBA to push their qualifications further.
- Meanwhile, ACCA is more common for those working within the Accounting function at Companies.
- So if you do manage to pass even with 50%, it means that you are "ACCA material".
- While some students study on their own for the ACCA exam, many prefer taking up a preparatory course to gain an added advantage.
Many questions were asked and one that stood out for me was the question of whether the ACCA exam we write in Nigeria is for Africa alone and how relevant is it to write it ? About 2 or 3 Nigerian members of ACCA present explained and debunked every myths. To show you how bad it was, sometimes I read a question with the intention to answer the question, when there was nothing reasonable coming to mind, I went to the answer read it and wrote it out word for word. I did this partly because it helps me internalize the answer better and it would be easier to revise since the answer is in my note.
Students
That is why ACCA is called a global qualification that can unlock a million opportunities. In 2015, I was at a seminar organized by ACCA for it’s student envoys — representatives from different Universities.
I made sure my study time coincided with periods of electric supply and identified ways of keeping my electronic devices adequately charged for studying on the go. The brighter side of the load shedding exercise was how it pushed me to make the most of available power before it became unavailable. I proceeded to fine tune my strategy knowing that textbook knowledge was not a guarantee for exam success.
This is trickier of course, but you can download apps that actually block your social media apps on your phone for a predetermined period of time. So I would strongly recommend you consider downloading and using one of those apps if you study a lot on your phone.
Is ACCA worth doing?
For any accounting professional looking to advance their career, the ACCA exams are worth it. As a global qualification, the ACCA is recognised by employers across the world. If you are looking to take your accounting and finance career to the next level, taking professional exams is the best next step.
If you are considering appearing for the ACCA exams then you must start the preparation well in advance. Give yourself ample amount of time to prepare your mind for the hectic schedule and tough routine that is ahead. Go and meet those friends you have been making plans with for quite some time. Because this will enrich your body with positive energies that you will later require. We are an established business school that is also a Platinum Approved Learning Partner of ACCA which won the Excellence in Curriculum and Assessment award in 2018 for our outstanding contribution towards education. Interested students can choose between standard and premium ACCA Course packages as per their learning and revision needs. Whilst there is a lot of overlap, the ACA places a greater focus on audit and taxation with four audit focused and three tax-focused exams across the 15 exam syllabus.
Having worked with numerous ACCA qualified Accountants, the common experience seems to be that the Audit & Assurance are the most difficult exams. The How Difficult is Passing ACCA ACCA qualification involves 13 exams split into three levels which include the Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills and Strategic Professional levels.
I write my story today knowing that I have become a better person because I have come to understand that despite all my best efforts, I will encounter failures on the path to achieving my goals. My first-hand experience will also help me play an active and beneficial role in the professional development of my friends and colleagues. Most of the questions will test the students about the ability to apply the knowledge as it is part of “skills” level but about 15%-20% of the questions will be knowledge based. The reason why this subject is not as tough as F5 and F7 is that this is the first paper in ACCA scheme regarding financial management and thus its syllabus contains many of the basic knowledge regarding this topic. Although F9 extends and includes detailed discussion about many of investment and risk related topics still major portion of the syllabus is of introductory nature. ACCA F9 Financial Management, the last paper in the foundation stage of ACCA. Though it is at the last paper of ACCA Skills module even then it is considered friendly among students and also it is evident from past years’ pass rates.