ACCA exams

[Stellaboz]

Anyone done them or in the middle of them? Hopefully finally registering this week to eventually become chartered. Any advice welcome, won't be starting from foundy level. I've seen that there needs to be some sort of rolling progress report, is it necessarily time consuming this part.

 

Also, would be looking to start exams in March, would this be enough time given to do one or two?

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

I did the finals (Professional Level?). My advice would be to pay for tuition. I didn't. It was the most difficult, time consuming, thing I've ever done.

[Internet Citizen]

I did mine and became chartered last year.

My advice would be to do one in the first round and see how it goes. That way you'll see the time you need to study etc.

I'd also advise to pay for tuition. As well as meeting others in the same situation, it also means you actually sit once a week and learn some of the course. That and you also get materials that'll help you nearer exam time.

[Lisa Cuddy]

@Adam might be of use here. 

[Cardinal Richelieu]

My girlfriend is on P2 the noo. Up till now she's been self-studying up till now and acing it, but she's starting to struggle and might sign up for classes. 

Good luck to anyone doing these exams btw. I occasionally have a quick look at her textbook (the one with the lassie who looks like the Chewing the Fat who works in a shop and has no pals) and it might as well be in Serbo-Croat for the amount I understand of it. I thought accountancy was all about the numbers, but large swathes of it seem to be massive walls of dry dry text. 

 

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

56 minutes ago, Cardinal Richelieu said:

My girlfriend is on P2 the noo. Up till now she's been self-studying up till now and acing it, but she's starting to struggle and might sign up for classes. 

Good luck to anyone doing these exams btw. I occasionally have a quick look at her textbook (the one with the lassie who looks like the Chewing the Fat who works in a shop and has no pals) and it might as well be in Serbo-Croat for the amount I understand of it. I thought accountancy was all about the numbers, but large swathes of it seem to be massive walls of dry dry text. 

 

P2 is an absolute fucker. Half the battle is learning how to read, interpret and answer the exam questions, which no textbook tells you. The fact it had little or no relation to my job made things 10 times worse. I don't think I passed it until my 4th attempt. I probably would have passed it first or second time if I went to classes.

[sparky88]

1 hour ago, Cardinal Richelieu said:

 

Wid

[welshbairn]

3 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

Anyone done them or in the middle of them? Hopefully finally registering this week to eventually become chartered. Any advice welcome, won't be starting from foundy level. I've seen that there needs to be some sort of rolling progress report, is it necessarily time consuming this part.

 

Also, would be looking to start exams in March, would this be enough time given to do one or two?

I passed one the other week.

[Internet Citizen]

P2 is an absolute fucker. Half the battle is learning how to read, interpret and answer the exam questions, which no textbook tells you. The fact it had little or no relation to my job made things 10 times worse. I don't think I passed it until my 4th attempt. I probably would have passed it first or second time if I went to classes.

The lecturers get to review and comment on the exams afterwards with any suggestions to improve the exam experience in the future. I remember my lecturer for P5 telling the class that every year he suggests to the examiner that it's an accountancy exam and not an English exam. The wording of some of the questions is nightmarish.

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

21 minutes ago, Internet Citizen said:

The lecturers get to review and comment on the exams afterwards with any suggestions to improve the exam experience in the future. I remember my lecturer for P5 telling the class that every year he suggests to the examiner that it's an accountancy exam and not an English exam. The wording of some of the questions is nightmarish.

 

That's exactly why the final exams are so difficult. You could literally know everything in the syllabus and not have the slightest idea what you are being asked for. With P2 it took me 3 efforts to actually work out what the questions were getting at. P5 was a bit easier for me as that's what I do. Having spoken to people who work in practice they really struggled with P5 which wasn't my experience. It was very easy in that exam to get the wrong end of the stick and spend half your exam gaining zero marks for the main question though. That's always the problem with that one.

For the record I passed P4 (advanced finance) first time. I think the pass rate was something like 25% which meant of the 15 or so people in the room sitting it only 3 or 4 were likely to pass. Still got no idea how I managed it because it was fucking impossible. 

ETA: To relate back to the OP's original question - if you do the tuition you will be taught how to do the exam as well as learning the syllabus. You'll only learn this by yourself by failing a few times so it will be worth your while stumping up for the classes.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I used to work for ACCA.  I've never taken the exams but I do know that asking for your exam marking to take into account the fact that a squirrel 'unsettled' you by staring in a window for the duration of the exam, or that, as a vegan, a question based on a fish processing plant repulsed you to such a degree that "couldn't think, never mind answer the question" won't work.  Some of the exam excuses were unbelievable.

Fun fact : when I worked there I had various correspondence with Hudson Austin, the leader of the People's Revolutionary Army of Grenada, who was deposed and imprisoned as a result of the American invasion in 1983.  Obviously he was making good use of the 'free time' he had after his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was released from prison a few years ago, I'd like to think he has a wee accountancy firm in St. George with his ACCA certificate up on the wall.

[welshbairn]

28 minutes ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

I used to work for ACCA.  I've never taken the exams but I do know that asking for your exam marking to take into account the fact that a squirrel 'unsettled' you by staring in a window for the duration of the exam, or that, as a vegan, a question based on a fish processing plant repulsed you to such a degree that "couldn't think, never mind answer the question" won't work.  Some of the exam excuses were unbelievable.

Fun fact : when I worked there I had various correspondence with Hudson Austin, the leader of the People's Revolutionary Army of Grenada, who was deposed and imprisoned as a result of the American invasion in 1983.  Obviously he was making good use of the 'free time' he had after his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was released from prison a few years ago, I'd like to think he has a wee accountancy firm in St. George with his ACCA certificate up on the wall.

Not sure what Hudson's up to but I found an interview with his mate Bernard Coard just after getting out of jail after 26 years:

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Exclusive_interview_with_Bernard_Coard-115360229.html

 

 

[Adam]

Stellaboz, send me a PM and I can answer any questions you may have.

Would be interested to know when Ya Bezzer left as well, I wonder if we crossed paths?

[Ya Bezzer!]

8 hours ago, Adam said:

Would be interested to know when Ya Bezzer left as well, I wonder if we crossed paths?

I worked there in the late '90s.

I doubt we did cross paths as my recollection of working there was that I was the only male member of staff and as a consequence I had, to all extents and purposes, a private toilet.

Living the dream, living the dream.

[Adam]

I worked there in the late '90s.

I doubt we did cross paths as my recollection of working there was that I was the only male member of staff and as a consequence I had, to all extents and purposes, a private toilet.

Living the dream, living the dream.

Ah fair enough!

It's a great place to work, I love it. There probably are a few that are still kicking about from your time though...

I've signed up to do F1 (even though I would be exempt from it), will be interesting to see what students go through.

[Alert Mongoose]

Stellaboz, send me a PM and I can answer any questions you may have.

Would be interested to know when Ya Bezzer left as well, I wonder if we crossed paths?

Can you give me the answers to December's P5 exam. On the verge of giving it up.

[Adam]

Can you give me the answers to December's P5 exam. On the verge of giving it up.

Even working in Exams I'm not privy to that information!

[Alert Mongoose]

Even working in Exams I'm not privy to that information!

C'mon now Adam. Shall we open the bidding at £35?

[strichener]

C'mon now Adam. Shall we open the bidding at £35?

That is why you are struggling. What accountant would start at £35 when they could have saved £25 by starting at a tenner. Time to reevaluate your career choice. [emoji23]

[KiwiDB]

The cool kids did CIMA. [emoji41]