Check out some of the revision tips to help you prepare for the ACCA exams, here:
ACCA EXAM REVISION TIPS
- Strategize: if you are relying on last-minute revision, you may not have enough time to study everything. Your best bet is to strategize and time play to your strengths. Revise the topics that you are familiar with; this will build a foundation for your ACCA exams. After you have completed working on your strong topics, weigh down the ones that are important and move ahead.
- Exam Technique: the ACCA syllabus is vast and widespread. If you are trapped in last-minute exam revision, focus on avoiding topics that you haven’t studied in the first place. You’ll need to implement time management strategy while appearing for exams as well. Don’t beat around the bush trying to answer questions you have no clue about. Get to the point. To prepare yourself with the technique of answering questions crisply, refer to previous years’ question format. Past papers and sample answers are readily available online. If you have enough knowledge to get marks for a question, do not waste crucial time in studying details of a topic more than you need.
- Smart Revision: since you have very little time left to revise for your ACCA exams, you will have to be smart about your approach. You need to find a way to maximise the amount of information you can learn in a short period of time. The most effective way to revise is self-testing. Flashcards and quizzes are the most feasible techniques of self-testing, especially when you have less time left to revise. This will help you identify the areas you need to work on and help you manage your time effectively.
WHAT ARE THE ACCA EXAM TECHNIQUES?
Since ACCA papers are difficult to crack, being unprepared for the exams can prove risky. Here are some techniques that can help you ace the ACCA exams, take a look:
PLANNING
With a course as vast as that of the ACCA syllabus, planning is imperative. While planning for ACCA exams, take into consideration the papers you are planning to undertake, the amount of time you have, and your expected work routine if you are working. Try to frame a timetable based on the prerequisites and follow it religiously. Draft the timetable realistically and try to be as flexible as you can. The following steps will help you to plan for your ACCA exams effectively:
- Step 1 – Grasp of Syllabus and Structure: early during the preparation period, you must familiarize yourself with the exam pattern. You must cover the entire range of sections in the syllabus in order to do well in the exam. Syllabus guide details are available for students planning to appear for ACCA papers.
- Step 2 – Examiner’s Approach Interview: there is material available online that give you insights about what examiners are looking for in your answers and what according to them are the vital areas or topics.
- Step 3 – ACCA Approved Study Material: ACCA approved study materials are readily available online. These study materials can help you get a thorough idea about the exams you plan to give a try. They cover the complete ACCA syllabus and also include latest updates in the course structure.
STUDYING
Plans become successful only if they are executed. Even if you have a fool-proof plan, it will all end up in vain if you do not follow it religiously. So here is what you can do to make sure your plans are implemented in your study schedule.
- Objective Approach: in order to get long-term results, you will need to set short term goals for yourself. You should set targets taking into consideration the factors that will help you clear the ACCA exams.
- In-depth Knowledge: it is likely that you will remember more if you understand the underlying concept of a topic. Working on your concepts right from the beginning of your ACCA study schedule will help you build your foundation. ACCA papers are designed in a way that test your concepts, hence, this is the right way to go about it.
- Seek Guidance: if you are unclear about a certain topic, seek help from your friends and teachers regarding this. Avoiding the topic for too long will only lead to things getting piled up and you will hardly have any time to review it.
PRACTICING
“Practice makes a man perfect.” This saying fits right in, irrespective of what we are talking about. The key to your success in ACCA exams is practicing repeatedly.
- Previous Years’ Papers: practicing with previous years’ question papers can give you helpful insight into the structure of exams. It will also help you adapt to the time management skills required for ACCA papers. It will push you to emphasise on building concepts and resistance to stress.
- Analysing Exam Papers: if you look closely look at the trend in the past examinations, you will notice that there has not been a drastic change in the pattern. As a result, analysing past question papers can give you a clear idea about the structure and the marking scheme in ACCA papers.
- Revision: as specified at the beginning of this article, revision is the key to acing ACCA papers. Towards the end of your exam preparation, invest sufficient time in revising what you have already studied. It will be a critical component to your success.
STUDY TIPS FROM ACCA EXAM WINNERS
While the world will overwhelm you with tips to help you get through your ACCA exams, there is no one better than ACCA exam winners to take advice from.
- Rowena Evans, UK – Affiliate Gold Prize-winner“The best advice I could give would be to try to understand what the subject is about as opposed to. After all, if you want to be an accountant then the information taught will be required in the future. It will get tough at times and you will want to give up but keep putting in the work and eventually it will pay off.”
- Kayleigh Milne, Scotland – P3 Business Analysis Prize-winner“Life can get in the way and it can become easy to fall behind. However if you have a plan and keep up with it, it will allow you to assess the situation on a weekly basis enabling you to stay on track.”
- Ashish Thakkar, Dubai – F6 Taxation Prize-winner“The core of passing any ACCA exam is practice. The paper F6 syllabus is vast but reading the textbook is a must. For paper F6, it is necessary to prepare hand written notes in one’s own words as it will be helpful for a quick revision before the exams. Past exam papers are also essential to understand and acquaint oneself with ACCA exam.”
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST STUDY HABITS?
Every task has an appropriate method of conduct. It is essential that you do away with any vices that might get in the way of your successful attempt at becoming ACCA-qualified. Look out for the following habits that you must avoid:
- Cramming – intake of too much information in too little time can lead you to you being confused. It is necessary, to be a successful ACCA-qualified accountant, that you focus on applied knowledge and not crammed knowledge. Make sure you give each topic sufficient time, but not to a point where you are allocating all your time to just one topic.
- Inappropriate Study Environment – to be able to concentrate on studying, make sure you are in a study-friendly environment. Some people like studying with music on, some need complete silence; pick the perfect atmosphere for you to study and go ahead with that.
- Stress – do not overstress yourself while studying. The ACCA course is widespread and you need to put in a lot of effort to qualify the exams. You need to engage yourself in social activities to be able to cope with the stress that tags along with ACCA syllabus.
The global recognition of ACCA qualification is equally proportional to its difficulty level. Hence, to help you clear the ACCA papers effectively, Toronto School of Management is offering a Preparatory Course for ACCA examination. So, stop procrastinating and enrol for the course now!
