Mechanisms Geared Toward Success: Mock Board Preparation Strategies of BSA

Graduating Students
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Accountancy has always been acknowledged as one of the prominent courses in

the global business industry. It requires careful analytical and critical thinking skills. It is
usually a four-year program but some universities and colleges have adopted a five-
year timetable for the course. During these years, students in Bachelor of Science in
Accountancy (BSA) are trained to develop competency skills such as honesty, integrity,
confidentiality and professional judgment. Aside from acquiring these key skills, one
must pass a licensure examination to become a certified accountant. Thus, it is the aim
of the college to prepare students to achieve these demanding qualifications where
mock board examinations play an important role to this honing process.

Mock Board Examinations are simulation tests that can be conducted by any
school or organization to test students level of preparedness for the actual board
examination. Although these exams are just a small portion of a schools overall
curriculum, it is nonetheless integral to the evaluation of the students readiness for the
actual board examination.

Internationally, there are different accounting certification titles that come along
with varied licensure examinations such as Certified Financial Analysts (CFA), Certified
Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and other
certifications. Each accounting designations have different career focuses. Likewise,
these varying fields in accounting demands laborious qualifications in which students
shall strive hard to achieve.

In the Philippines, one must pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Board
exam to acquire a license for accounting practice. Different organizations and schools
have varying academic programs that train students to be prepared for this exam. One
of these includes the conduct of a mock board examination.

Recently started, the National Federation of Junior Philippine Institute of

Accountants (NFJPIA), an organization accredited by the Philippine Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (PICPA), launched an annual nation-wide simultaneous mock board
examination involving several regions all over the country. This event aims to engage
students from different schools and provinces into a simulation exam to give them an
experience of the actual boards. Moreover, it allows students to assess their academic
performance in accounting-related subjects. Other institutions like Professional Review
and Training Center (PRTC), CPA Review (CPAR) School of the Philippines, Review
School of Accountancy (ReSA) and other accounting review centers also conducts pre-
board examinations to measure their reviewees capacity to pass the actual exam.

In the University of Mindanao, one of the strengths of its accountancy program is

the implementation of the mock board examination where its results form part of the
final grade of the students.

Given the intricacies involved in the accounting profession, the researchers of

this study believe that mock board examination has a positive relationship with the
actual board exam. Therefore just as how actual examinations are given much
importance, the mock board examination also requires the same level of preparation
efforts. With this, this study would like to identify these varying strategies that students
apply in preparation to the mock examination.
Statement of the Problem

This research specifically aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the preparation strategies applied by the BSA graduating students
before taking up the mock board examination?

2. How do these strategies contribute to their success during the mock board
examination?

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the belief that mock board exams are essential
assessments before taking the actual board examinations. Mock board examinations
have been proven to have a positive relationship with the result of the board
examinations (Stewart, C. et al, 2004). Although passing the mock board exams does
not guarantee that a student will pass the actual board exam still, students should give
their best on the said exam.

This study is also based on the mock board implementation of the Accountancy
Program of the University of Mindanao on which its results have a corresponding impact
on the grades of the accountancy students taking up accounting, audit, law and taxation
subjects.

Students have different ways on studying specific areas or fields. Thus, this study
is conducted to find out what strategies the graduating BS Accountancy students of the
University of Mindanao employ as they study and prepare for the mock board
examinations in terms of the following areas: Theory of Accounts, Business Law and
Taxation, Management Services, Auditing Theory, Auditing Problems, Practical
Accounting 1, and Practical Accounting 2. The study also includes an analysis on the
effectiveness of the strategies applied relative to the results of the examination. These
strategies are expected to help in improving the study habits of the students and might
as well improve the conduct of the mock board exam.
Significance of the study

This study is beneficial to the following:

B.S. Accountancy Students. It will give the students an overview and help them
acquire ideas of what is a mock board examination. This would enable them to prepare
and be equipped enough upon taking such.

Faculty of the College of Accounting Education. The faculty will be able to

gain insights on some teaching strategies that may be applied so as to make the
accountancy students understand the lessons well and retain the knowledge for mock
board examinations and actual board examinations.

Parents. The parents will be able to assess their childs performance with their
studies. This will prepare them; get ideas on how to support their son/daughter and
keep them motivated along the way as they take the mock board examinations. It will
also encourage the parents to give more financial, emotional and moral support to their
sons/daughters.

Aspiring Accountancy Students. There are students who are aspiring to

become a Certified Public Accountant. This will provide them a heads up as to what BS
Accountancy is in The University of Mindanao. This gives them overview of the life of a
graduating student of UM currently talking pre-review subjects should they wish to
pursue this field in this institution.

Administrators. The administrators are the one in-charge for making policies
and regulations for the students in UM. They have the power to initiate possible
programs like review classes for the students who are bound to take mock board
examinations that would strongly prepare the students to pass their examinations.

Future researchers. This study can be used as framework should they wish to
conduct the same study.
Definition of Terms

Mock Board Examination. These are simulation tests that can be conducted by
any school or organization to test students level of preparedness for the actual board
examination.

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA).

Accountancy. It is the art of communicating financial information about a

business entity to users such as shareholders, creditors and managers. The
communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms
under the managements control. (Cabrera & Ocampo, 2013)

Accounting. The information system, designed to identify, collect, measure, and

communicate economic information about a business entity (firm) to those having
interest in the financial affairs of the entity. (Cabrera & Ocampo, 2014)

Business Law

Management Advisory Services (MAS). According to Agamata (2014), it refers

to that practice of accounting concerned with providing advice and technical assistance
to help management improve the use of resources in achieving organizational goals.

Auditing Theory (AT)

Auditing Problems (AP)

Practical Accounting I (PI)

Practical Accounting II (PII)

Taxation

Theory of Accounts (TOA)

Scope and Delimitation

The focus of this study did take into account the different strategies applied by
BSA graduating students of the University of Mindanao while focusing on how these
strategies helped them in preparing for the mock board examination on October 2017.
The study includes 20 random students from the pre-review classes who are currently
enrolled in the 1st semester of school year 2017-2018.

This study aims to relate the strategies employed by the students into the overall
final results of the mock board examination. Therefore, the passing or failure of the
subjected students is included in the scope of this study.

There are no comparisons made between universities that also conducts mock
board examinations.

Furthermore, this study is only limited to the data acquired from 2015 to present.