25 successful exam tips for the ACCA students to clear their exam in single attempt

The association of chartered certified accountants is a very competent and leading accounting global body qualification that gives you recognition as a qualified financial employee who grasps a strong insight of the accounting, finance, and auditing aspects of a business.

An individual in order to take up the ACCA tag needs to swiftly qualify all of their ACCA exams. They need to clear their exams with an aggregate of 50 marks in all of the subjects. To clear the exam, careful study planning is a must.

ACCA is one of the leading and fastest-growing professional organizations within the world. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants was established in 1904 that maneuver from the United Kingdom proposing the “Chartered Accounting Course” qualification across almost 181 countries with over 200,000 members and 500,000 students towards leading thereon. Through ACCA is within the 181 countries everywhere the globe, you’ll build a successful career as a licensed accountant after completing the ACCA qualification.

So here are 25 tips we’ve found out for the ACCA exam. Much success in ACCA examinations is often achieved by following these simple guidelines which are relevant to all ACCA examinations.

The suggestions are grouped into five learning phases:

Planning Phase

Studying Phase

Practicing Phase

Preparation Phase

Performance Phase

Planning Phase

1. Planning: 

When planning, consider as an example of the previous exam papers. Arrange the exams, your expected work routine, and family commitments. Plan to draft a timetable supported by the number of expected days you’ve for each paper you propose to look before the ACCA examination.

The foremost important thing, however, is to truly draft one in a  written version is more likely to secure your commitment. Even if you stray in between, you can go through your plans and follow your exam routine.

1. Familiarity with syllabus and structure:

Studying the syllabus of ACCA exams would assist you to specialize in the exam topics. Going through the syllabus guide you will get hold of the details, understand the in-depth version of the course. Guidance through the intellectual levels mentioned within the syllabus and the way to use them are often found within the following article from Student Accountant:

It is essential that you simply cover the whole range of topics given within the syllabus. You ought to also attempt to familiarize yourself with the exam structure early within the preparation.

1. Examiner Analysis Interview: 

Examiner Analysis Interviews by ACCA itself for each examination paper on their respective website where they detail the examiners’ view on the candidates in former examination sessions highlighting the fundamental weaknesses among students. You’ll get a thought of an examiner’s perspective by browsing the Examiner’s Interview Approach guidelines given within the website of ACCA. Analysis interviews are very helpful in guiding students on improving their performance in exams.

1. ACCA Approved Study Texts:

You’ll wish to consult notes provided by your tuition providers or friends but you want to always study a minimum of one among ACCA’s approved study texts (latest versions) to get on the safe side. The approved study texts are thoroughly reviewed by ACCA for coverage of the whole syllabus and also for any revision incorporated after changes within the syllabus. Therefore, you’ll be taking an enormous risk by relying solely on exam notes which cannot be as comprehensive or up so far because of the textbooks.

Studying Phase

1. Objective Oriented Approach:

Attempt to set achievable targets for every day. The targets you set should be focused on factors that will assist you to achieve ACCA exams (e.g. to hide a chapter or syllabus area in at some point, to aim a past paper, etc.). Setting targets supported for instance number of hours might not be as effective.

1. Concepts:

Always attempt to understand the underlying concepts behind a given topic. While you’ll be ready to earn some marks for pure knowledge (particularly within the Knowledge Module), the most number of marks in ACCA exams are for the application of your concepts during a given scenario. Building your concepts right from the start in your ACCA studies will assist you further down the road as you repose on those foundations within the more advanced papers.

1. Seek Help:

If you’re battling a specific topic, don’t be embarrassed in asking your teacher or a lover to assist you. Get help immediately and avoid letting things to compile until it’s too late.

Practicing Phase

1. past Papers Practice:

Past paper practice under exam conditions is dynamic to strengthen for time management, concept-building, and stress management during the exam. Always time your practice questions and although it would be very tempting, never peek at the answers before you’ve finished! Simulating exam conditions during past paper practice won’t only assist you to stay track of some time during the exam; it’ll also assist you in managing stress.

ACCA students are extremely lucky to possess Model Answers to past paper questions from the examiners themselves. It is a very helpful and vital resource for candidates because it provides them insight into how an answer could even be ideally structured and drafted.

1. Examiner Reports: ACCA Global Website publishes the Examiner report after every exam sitting highlighting the common mistakes and problem areas encountered by students. It’s surprising how few students make use of this resource. A careful read of the examiner reports could assist you tons in improving your exam technique especially just in case you’ve been stuck with a paper for quite a while now and haven’t been able to determine the reason for failure yet.
2. Marking Schemes: Marking schemes can assist you in judging the number of distinct points that you simply need to mention in reference to a given question and thus the depth of your answer. Studying marking scheme when committed past paper questions can contribute to understanding the relative marking for various kinds of question requirements. A typical marking scheme, as an example, would allocate one mark per point for a basic question requirement like ‘list’, ‘identity’ or ‘define’. Quite one mark per point is usually reserved for question requirements that require students to demonstrate a far better capability like ‘explain’, ‘compare’, ‘distinguish’, ‘analyze’ then on.
3. Test paper Analysis:

It’s getting to be useful to look at the trend in past examinations. You’ll use this information to prioritize certain key topics that you simply would really like to focus more on. However, do not believe in pure guesswork. Trying to extrapolate the trend into your next exam sitting may leave you with a few surprises. Just use your analysis as a tool to spotlight important areas rather than to eliminate syllabus areas that you simply feel won’t be tested again from your study plan.

1. Examiner Analysis Interview:

Analysis interviews are very helpful in guiding students on the thanks to improving their performance in exams. Since, ACCA on its website publishes the Examiner Analysis Interviews for each test, describing the examiners’ view of the performance of the students in preceding examination sessions where they highlight the prevailing weaknesses among students and thus the longer-term focus of examinations.

1. Technical Articles:

Candidates Accountant magazine offers several exam relevant technical articles geared towards topics during which students have often underperform. You have to pay special attention to technical articles released just before the month of the exam since they might hint at topics that might potentially be tested within the upcoming examination and also Examiners discuss on these articles the impact on ACCA examinations of the changes in syllabus, examination structure, standards, and legislature and can therefore not be ignored by students.

Preparation Phase:

1. Revision:

Allocate sufficient time in your study plan for revision towards the top of the exam preparation. Browsing the entire study text when only two or three days remain within the exams isn’t recommended. You’d probably feel overly exhausted and stressed from trying to retain the knowledge contained within the study texts in such a brief span of your time. A far better approach would be to draft your study notes throughout the exam session which you’ll then use for revision purposes right before the examinations. Exam Pass Cards from one among the approved publishers could prove handy just in case you’re not within the habit of creating your notes.

1. Visit the Exam Centre:

It’s important for you to understand not only the precise location of the exam center but also alternative routes to urge there. If unsure, plan a visit to the exam center before the exam date. This might also assist you in estimating the quantity of your time required to urge there.

1. Sleep well before the exam: 

It had been probably because you stayed up too late the night before the examination. An honest rest before the exam is vital to remain alert and focused during the exam. While it’s getting to be very tempting at 3 am within the night before the exam to review ‘one final chapter’, the very fact is you’d probably be doing yourself more harm than good. Sleep well, peacefully, and rise fresh on the exam day.

1. Panic Control: 

ACCA exams require you to use your knowledge during a given context. This needs you to be able to think logically. The last item you’d like happening to yourself is to urge panicked before the exam. This may leave you confused during the whole exam and force you into making errors that might be easily avoided. The trick is to only think positively before the exam starts. You’ll plan to recall your achievements and accomplishments, the difficulty you’ve (hopefully) put in, and thus the prayers of your loved ones. Stand back from students who attempt to memorize a 500-page textbook quarter-hour before the exam. They go to only cause you to more nervous. Just relax and hold your nerve!

Performance Phase

1. Reading Time:

Effective use of the 15-minute planning and reading time could assist you to supply more relevant, strategically and structured answers within the exam. Reading time is right for highlighting and understanding the key requirements of all questions. Remaining time might be wont to draft brief answer plans and just in case of Professional Stage examinations, you’ll use this point to pick the foremost appropriate optional questions you would like to answer.

1. Question Requirements:

Close attention should tend to the precise requirement of every question. If it appears to you that two parts of an issue are asking an equivalent thing, don’t congratulate yourself but rather read the question carefully again. It’s important to possess an understanding of what the examiner is demanding before you proceed to answer the question. it might be a waste of your time if you realized halfway through the solution that you simply have misinterpreted the need of the question.

1. Answer to the Point:

ACCA marking scheme is extremely specific in rewarding marks. If a seven-line introduction to a solution doesn’t relate to the question requires in any way, it’ll not attract any mark. It’s, therefore, more worthwhile to travel straight towards answering the question requirement instead of dalliance in lengthy introductions. a legitimate exception to the above would be instances where you’ve got been specifically asked to draft an answer during a sort of a report or a memo.

Examiners also encourage students to incorporate several different points in their answers instead of explaining a few points in an excessive amount of detail. Studying marking schemes and examiner reports could assist you understand these aspects of the exam technique.

1. Plan your answers:

Examiners always appreciate well-organized answers. A touch planning at the beginning could assist you to give the required structure and coherence to your answers. Attempt to insert short answer plans before the answers which should be crossed afterward to avoid confusing the examiner. This provides examiner the impression that you simply have tried to arrange your answers and also, just in case time runs out, a solution plan mentioning the key points might be rewarded few marks albeit the solution was left incomplete.

1. Facilitate the Examiner:

Examiners have a troublesome time checking a lot of answer sheets from many exam centers worldwide. Make every effort to make sure their time isn’t wasted unnecessarily while checking your answer sheet. Mark the question numbers clearly and check out to follow the sequence of sub-parts to avoid confusion. Writing is probably not something that would be changed over a brief notice. However, if people within the past have found your writing hard to read, attempt to improve it over the course of your time. Confirm you allow ample space within the answer booklet for any unanswered question that you simply might need to return to later within the exam so as to avoid having to squeeze your answer during a little space or asking the examiner to seek out the remaining portion of the solution elsewhere within the answer book. Cross off any rough workings clearly to avoid any confusion.

In short, make life easy for the examiner and a minimum of you’ll avoid any repercussions for not doing so.

1. Don’t leave any question Unanswered:

If you fear you’ll not be ready to complete the solution to an issue in time, simply jot an inventory of details before proceeding to answer intimately. Just in case you were unable to finish the solution, the examiner would know that you are simply conscious of the most points and reward you accordingly. If you are doing not know the proper answer to an issue, guessing wouldn’t hurt especially within the objective type questions within the knowledge module. However, always answer questions that you simply know first and leave the guesswork towards the top of the exam.

1. Review:

As you advance in ACCA examinations, it becomes increasingly hard to finish the exam within the allotted time. If luckily you’ve got a while remaining towards the top of the exam, review the whole test paper first to form sure you’ve got missed any question part. You’ll then quickly review your answer booklet for any obvious errors. If you continue to have time left, attempt to improve answers that you simply feel you’ll most easily neutralize the remaining time.

1. Before the Exam:

Right before the exam, make sure to go through the past papers once again. Make a cue card for quick revision for your easiness as you don’t want to flip through pages and get confused. We also suggest you to make your own kind of revision kit so that you can understand.

We hope you will follow these 25 tips before appearing for the ACCA exam. Hard work, dedication, and determination is a must for the students to stick on before the ACCA. Once you stray yourself from your daily routine you will be sliding downwards. So work hard! and enjoy reading!