ACCA Study Guide and Exam Tips - Planning Part

1. Planning:

When you are going to enter in your next ACCA exams, first take your time and bent on planning immediately
and decide about which papers to start ,when ,where and how to start ! Also consider which study text to be used
and everything relevant to your papers immediately , because the purpose is avoiding time wastage . Specially ,
don't wait till the results of your previous exams if you will do so, it means you have already wasted 2 precious
months of your current exams.
When finally you have planned all the above mentioned things relevant to the exams , then first of all calculate
quantity of your time you have got to organize for the exams then plan your expected daily basis work routine
including your wake up time ,classes time , playing time , family commitments , sleeping time and so on. Finally
try and draft a timetable of above mentioned plannings of your daily basis routine works supported by the
quantity of expected days and overall time you have got for every paper of your current ACCA exams.

But remember one thing about your timetable that is , your timetable should be realistic and attainable . if you
have set an Ideal timetable then you will always need your space while following your timetable and this will
demotivate you , so your timetable should be motivating and encouraging in terms of achieve ability of your
routine works that you have set in your timetable.

2. Info of ACCA Examinable Documents :

"Work smarter than harder". You must have info about examinable documents of your ACCA exams . These are
introduced by ACCA examiners giving additional details about that particular topic like as, intellectual level of a
selected topic , the depth of knowledge needed and the way you have to use your skills and knowledge
practically in exams . For more details click here . But remember you should not rely totally on these examinable
documents only . You have to prepare the whole study text and available material but more focus on examinable
documents to improve your skills to be successful in your final exams .

3.ACCA Examiner's Approach Interview:

These interviews are released on ACCA website regularly .Examiner's Approach Interviews released at ACCA,s
web site offer you first-hand insight into what examiners want in answers provided by students in their relevant
exam papers. So this area requires more attention by students if they want to perform well in their exams .Click
below link to approach these interviews: Examiner Approach Interviews

4. ACCA Approved Study Texts:

In ACCA there are different publishers who provide learning contents for ACCA students . But students should
use approved learning contents providers.The approved study texts are completely reviewed by ACCA
continuously for coverage of the whole info and additionally for any revision incorporated once changes within the
info.So therefore, you'll be taking a large risk by relying only different kind of notes referred by friends, colleges or
teachers.Famous Publishers are Bpp ,GTG and Kaplan , but Bpp is only approved learning partner of
ACCA. Click the link to check approved learning study text providers and their rank . ACCA Approved
Learning Study Text Providers Direcorty !

ACCA Study Guide and Exam Tips - Studying Part

5. Goals Oriented - Approach:
Set targets on daily basis. In ACCA papers you have to study complete course and all available relevant material
to pass your exam .So on daily basis work realistically , try to cover chapters ,past papers and questions daily to
complete your course ,otherwise giving just some hours to your studies will not be helpful in completing your
course , so all efforts will be useless at the end . Cover your daily work always on time ,so that before exams you
will be able to revise your exam papers 3,4 times easily.

6. Make Clear Concepts:

Whole of the ACCA study lies on Concepts . If your concepts are clear then you can handle different scenario
questions in your text books and also in exams . Therefore from the first day of your ACCA studies continuously
try to understand and perceive the underlying ideas behind every topic of your text books . If your are
conceptually strong in your studies you will be able to earn good marks in your papers by giving ideas in different
kind of situations in exams . In ACCA if you are not doing so your making a big mistake of your life because it can
cause problems for you in your advance level papers of ACCA.

7. Ask Teachers for Help:

If you're stuck somewhere while studying or fighting with a selected topic and could not understand it then don't
hesitate in asking your teacher , friend , T.A etc to assist you. Get facilitated on right time don,t wait or try on
yourself again and again ,this will waste your time and efforts.

8. Focus on quality rather than quantity:

Mostly students make a mistake , they try to to cover every text book e.g bpp -kaplan, past exam questions
,exam kits e.g bpp-kaplan , lsbf material and open tuition .But this is wrong approach towards your goals oriented
studies.For your success you need quality which means " Work smarter than harder " . Select smartly one text
book and practice kit e.g bpp , only practice past exam papers within your kit , make your own short notes , make
a grip on topics and clear concepts.And till examination remember this tip and follow it.

ACCA Study Guide and Exam Tips - Practicing Part

9. Past Papers Practice | ACCA past papers | Past exam papers:

Past papers practice is in recommendation of ACCA . Most of past papers questions are found in Exam Kit to
practice and apply your concepts to evaluate yourself against your preparations .Wise students starts practicing
at right time before exams .At least in last month you have to do only past papers .This will improve your skills of
time management , pressure handling , structuring the answer , understanding the marking scheme etc. Most of
time students got failed their exams only due to lack of time management skills in exam even having complete
knowledge of that paper.The reason is lack of practice of past papers and final mocks . Structuring the answer of
a question in ACCA exams is another major problem for students. To get idea about how to structure an answer
you have to practice simply past papers and finally at least 2,3 mocks at the end . Mock exams should be
practiced according to exams conditions .

Your answers should be according to rules and standards provided by ACCA Examiners .Info in answers must be
to the point or relevant to be successful in your papers . For this purpose try to understand every model answer
provided in exam kits but not just memorize it as it is. Also use approved text books to get enough knowledge of
topics and understanding it clearly . Use proper words in your answers having good weight age in the eyes of
examiner and requirements.

10.Writing skills:

Many candidates perform poorly in ACCA exams in terms of writing . The reason for poor writing is a lot of rough
practice before exams. Candidates have to focus on this issue at practicing stage before the final exams . The
trick is simply perform every practice on rough copy as like in final exams always by writing slowly neat ant and
clean every single word and line so that in final exams this will be a natural habit for you . Then you will not face
any problem of writing but remember don,t compromise too much on speed otherwise you will be in shortage of
time .
 11.ACCA Examiner,s Reports:

Examiner Reports are published by ACCA after every exam on website . These reports are made by examiners
after checking papers of students . In these reports examiners tells us common mistakes and drawback areas
encountered by students.The purpose of these reports is to offer candidates generally a constructive feedback as
to their performance in their examinations.These reports provide a general commentary on the overall
performance of candidates in each session after assessments as well as details on:

 technical aspects that were being examined in the questions

 whether candidates performed well or poorly ( performance areas also )

 what aspects of the questions appeared to cause difficulty to candidates and if possible why it was a problem
e.g. lack of knowledge, poor examination technique , time management etc.

Most of students don,t read these reports even they don,t know about them . This is shocking and plays a
negative role in your exam,s performance somehow.

12. ACCA Papers Marking Schemes:

Understanding marking schemes is vital for your success in exams .If you want to get some good marks in ACCA
you have to comply with marking scheme and the idea behind this.In order to get some good marks and to
comply with marking scheme try to answer the questions according to requirement , also use good words that
examiner wants and try to remain to the point always.There are different words that are used by examiners in
questions requirements and you have to answer according to those words. For example 'identify' , list , define etc
. If these words are used then simply there will be one mark per list or point , so if there are four marks you
should list four good points to get full marks . Word 'Briefly' means theme of a story not a detailed answer.In case
of 'explain' examiner wants a detailed answer full of knowledge explaining all relevant points . Explanation
should be according to marks available , neither too much , nor too less ! Similarly word 'Discuss' means , write
points in favor and against the topic required in question.So it means you have to be clear almost about every
term used in papers to avoid time wastage and failure in exams.

13. ACCA Exam Analysis:

This gives idea about which kind of topics mostly asked ? Which areas are not tested within many
previous attempts and which kind of queries these are or topics are ? This provides vital info about key topics
and queries that can be tested in your current ACCA exams and you should use this info to rank sure key topics
and then you have to focus on these topics very carefully with great attention . However, make sure that you are
not going to spot for exams only these areas selectively on the basis of analysis . These areas just needs
proper attention and clarity to boost up your confidence about your preparations for exams .This will be a plus
point having good understandings of these important topics which may be favorite areas for examiners and so ,
there are great chances to be tested in your exams. This will enhance the possibility of getting passed your
papers easily .

14. Examiner Analysis Interview:

ACCA Examiner Analysis Interviews are published on it,s website for every exam . Here examiner comments on
the performance of the students in current and past exam,s .Examiner also tells about student,s weaknesses and
the relevant areas . Analysis interviews are very useful in guiding students on the way to improve their
performance in ACCA exams. Shockingly, some students don,t consider them as a useful tool and with a
reasonable confidence i can say that they are simply loosing some good marks due to this carelessness
.Examiner Analysis Interviews will be accessed through the following link: Examiner Analysis Interviews
15.ACCA Technical Articles:(Student Accountant)

ACCA Student Accountant,s technical articles are terribly useful tool for ACCA students towards topics within
which students have unusually underperformed . These articles also have info about changes , updates and
additions in the syllabus . So, pay special attention to these technical articles always for every paper before
entering in your next exams .
Student Accountant magazine will be accessed through the subsequent link: ACCA Student Accountant
Megazine

ACCA Study Guide and Exam Tips - Preparation Part

16.Revision:

When you have done with every aspect of your studies then start revision , assign proper time for your revision .
Even you have studied every thing in syllabus but it will not easy for you to revise full course in few days so
assigning proper time is necessary otherwise you will feel stress and will become panic at initial stage of revision.
Use your own notes always in revision because this will be easy for you and will save your a lot of precious
time.If you are not in habit of making your on handy notes you can use approved publishers notes .

17.Exam Centre Confirmation:

Knowing about your exam center is very important . You should select exam center which should not be too far
or away from your living place when submitting your exam fee to ACCA . Check Also your Docket before exams
and confirm that your docket is according to your provided info. Take reasonable care to reach your exam center
on time by leaving your living place on right time considering the distance and traffic problems .

18. Sleep well before the exam:

Worrying about the exam, or studying till late night , will interfere with sleep .No doubt it seems unnatural to think
about not studying before the exam night, but in order to get proper rest, it is necessary to put down the books
and go to bed early . Skipping some hours of studying will not affect your grades .So take proper rest before your
exam night .Otherwise you will feel sleepy in exams and would not be able to perform well.

19. Panic Control:

Students feel panic due to exam pressure in ACCA which is a big problem and some times unfortunately leads
towards failure . How to avoid this in not a big deal .To don,t feel panic , take a fresh glass of water , check your
sitting details , fill your details and remain concentrated till start of paper .If you have failed and got panic , you
will simply become confused throughout the total exam session . This will result in errors and a lot of cutting on
your answer sheet The trick is simply think positive before the exam starts , try to recall your memories , remain
calm totally and hold your nerves till the exam ends .

ACCA Study Guide and Exam Tips - Performance Part

20. Reading Time:

In ACCA papers fifteen minutes are given to read the question paper . These fifteen minutes are also vital
towards solving your whole paper as you solve in standard time of three hours .In these fifteen minutes you have
to understand the requirements of the questions and then start thinking from where i should start solving the
questions keeping in mind the requirements of questions and the structure of answers . So in short the trick is
simply understand the requirements of questions and start planning of structures of answers. in these fifteen
minutes . If you have done with this all and have some extra minutes then start drafting your answer on question
paper , don,t waste your time !

21. Understand Question Requirements:

 Read requirements of the question and the question carefully . Don,t miss any point or line , understand it
completely and then start solving the question . Understanding the question is very important , this will result in
no cutting and clear to the point answer which examiner wants.

22. Answer to the Point:

Marking scheme and answering to the point are relevant to each other . As above we have discussed how you
should answer accordingly marking scheme the same case is here . When answering to the point you should try
to write according to requirement , marks available for that query and the word used as query in question like as
discuss , define , analyze , identify , explain , list etc. So this is a matter of common sense which applies here .

23. Structure up your Answers:

Examiner wants and appreciates well-structured answers . Your answer should in adherence of questions
requirements . The wording and solution should be simple and brief covering whole aspects of questions. This
puts a good impression on examiner , the impression that you simply have tried your best to prepare your
answers . And in case of time runs out, a solution just mentioning the key points of a question examiner may
reward you a few good marks never thinking that the question is left incomplete. So always follow the required
structure to gin some good marks easily.

24. Facilitate the Examiner:

Always facilitate your examiner by following required structure , writing to the point , writing clearly and cutting on
your answer sheet. Always follow the sequence of requirements and the questions . Mention questions or
company name in question on each answer on start as title .Name the questions parts clearly as a , b , c, etc.
Start your new question always on a new full page . Don,t mix up different questions . Do your workings on right
place properly this will help the examiner in understanding that from where the figures used in questions have
actually came and how the have been calculated. Mark the question numbers clearly always and take a look at to
follow the sequence of sub-parts to avoid confusion.Always write in line and within the permitted area of answer
sheet don,t write on corners or cross lines and leave for examiner to seek your answer .In short avoid confusing
examiner , that,s all !!

25. Don't leave any question Unanswered:

Unanswered question puts a bad impression on examiner . if there is a time management problem or you are
shortage of time try to just t format the answer,s major points but remember just in case when you are unable to
complete the solution . Examiner will understand your problem and will reward you some good marks . So if you
are just leaving your question completely unanswered the you might loose your marks and examiner confidence
and this may contribute towards your failure.

26. Review:

Always try to solve your paper up to fifteen minutes before the exam time . If luckily you have done this , then
review your answers completely and make corrections where needed . But remember don,t overwrite again and
again .

27. After Exams:

Hummm now just go home , take proper rest , sleep well and enjoy your some time . After this again prepare
yourself for next examinations immediately and avoid wasting your time :)
 ACCA Learning Strategies and Study Skills
– 6 Top Tips
1) Good time management and planning is essential not only during the exam, but also in your studies. If you
haven’t done so already, get your diary out now and make sure you plan sufficient study time each week over the
months leading up to the examinations.
a. Find a study location that will relax you and not disturb you
b. Concentrate on one topic at a time
c. Set small, specific goals
d. Create a daily schedule
e. Do not leave everything until the last minute!

2) Use the most effective memory technique for you:

a. Making notes – keep them short and well organised
b. Diagrams – mind maps
c. Pictorial images
d. Mnemonics – use of initial letters of a list of headings to make up an easy to remember word
e. Sticky notes – stick them around your room so you see them all the time!
f. Recordings – playing back over and over helps things stick in your mind
g. Repetition – simply repeating something over and over again!
h. Find a “study buddy” and test each other

3) Make full use of all of the resources available to you – the ACCA website (www.accaglobal.com) contains a lot
of very important information vital to your studies such as examiners’ reports, examiner’s advice, syllabus
information, technical articles and past examinations.

4) Get into the habit, from the first day of your ACCA career, of keeping up to date with current issues in finance,
corporate governance, ethics and auditing for example. This will mean reviewing websites such as ACCA, The
Economist, The Financial Times, IFAC and the Financial Reporting Council on a regular basis – download key
articles and documents (e.g. a set of IFRS financial statements, a corporate governance code) and browse
through them so that you fully understand the concepts

5) Question Practice throughout your studies – this is essential for your understanding of a particular topic as
well as starting to get into the habit of answering ACCA exam standard questions

6) Ensure you study the whole syllabus for your particular paper – do not leave out a topic as it could easily be in
the exam
ACCA Exam Tips Paper F7 June 2015 examinations
Section A
40 marks MCQ anywhere from the syllabus
Section B

In addition to the 20 mcqs, there are 2 questions worth 15 marks each and will likely be based on
one or more IAS / IFRS and or recent articles from Student Accountant

Possible topics and related articles include:

IAS 18 Revenue and the article “Revenue Recognition”

IAS 17 Leasing and two articles “Accounting for Leases” and “Leases – Operating or Finance”

IAS 41 Agriculture (question in the course notes)

And the last question for 30 marks – cash flow with maybe a bit of comment on financial situation
(last two exams have had financial performance evaluation / commentary)

Useful reading is the technical article “The need for and an understanding of a Conceptual Framework” as this is
an area that is regularly examined.

Tips for ACCA Paper F8 Exam June 2015

Section A – All topics will be examined

Section B

Audit risk and audit planning including analytical procedures

Audit evidence and procedures: receivables

Internal controls – payables system

New audit engagement and engagement letter

Ethics

ACCA F9 Exam Tips June 2015

Section A – 20 MCQ’s from throughout the syllabus

Section B – 5 questions:

– Management of receivables

– Valuation of business (using PE ratio, and using dividend valuation model)

– Investment appraisal – NPV calculation (plus capital rationing)

– WACC calculation (including CAPM)

– Gearing (financial and operational)