How to Pass ACCA exams!!!

How to Pass ACCA exams? Please follow these important tips from the ACCA exam markers and ACCA tutors below

(These tips do not apply to multiple choice question papers F1, F2 & F3)

1. Attempt every question

Attempt every part of every question (attempt does not mean finish even just copying a relevant formula from the formula sheet will get a mark and could make the difference between 49 and 50)

2. Help the marker start each new question on a new sheet of paper
Start each part of a question on a new sheet of paper. If you can only write one line for part (a) of a question, leave the rest of the page blank you might think of something else later to add.

See also:
Exam Technique Articles The Most Common Mistakes in the Exam Hall ACCA June 2012 Exam tips Article for ACCA Students with exemptions Download ACCA Candidate Answer Booklet front sheet

3. Be neat

Help the marker be neat! You will get marks for the correct approach even if your calculations are wrong provided the marker can see what you have done.

4. Never write nothing!

Always write something for a written part never write nothing! Anything sensible will almost certainly get you 1 mark, which could be the difference between passing and failing. There is no negative marking, and so even if you are wrong you will not lose marks.

5. Allocate your time between questions and parts of questions.

Spending an hour on one part of one question will certainly mean you will fail because you will not have enough time for other questions.

6. Dont spend too long on one figure

In a calculation question, no one figure can be worth more than 3 or 4 marks (if it is it will be a separate part of the question). If you find yourself spending too long on one figure then leave it there will be plenty more marks available in the same time.

7. Help the marker

Help the marker in essay parts of questions put each separate point on a new line. If you string points one after the other, there is the danger of the marker missing some of them. Do make each point into a sentence never write one-word answers.

8. Read the requirements first

Read the requirements first do not start worrying about the figures in the body of the question until you know what it is you are trying to do!

9. Remember the pass mark is 50%

Aim to get 50% on every part of every question as fast as you can by going for the easy bits first. Once you feel you have got half the marks then you can spend more time on the harder bits.

10. Allocate your time and attempt every part of every question.
Allocate your time and attempt every part of every question!!!

The Most Common Mistakes in the ACCA Exam Hall

1. Not reading the question properly

Not reading the question properly,, and thereby failing to spot the easy marks. This is the biggest sin of exam taking and one of the most common errors. You should make sure you pick out the questions you can most easily answer in your first read through of the paper.

2. Answering the question you would like to have been asked

Answering the question you would like to have been asked, not the one that was asked. This is another danger linked to not reading the paper through carefully before you start. Make sure you understand the wording of the whole question dont be blinded by a few key terms that suggest you are on a pet subject.

3. Letting yourself be distracted

Letting yourself be distracted by watching what other people in the hall are doing. If the candidate next to you starts scribbling straight away, ignore them. They cant have assessed the whole paper properly and they will almost inevitably run out of time by the end of the exam. This is no time to be following the herd so hold your nerve.

4. Poor time management

Poor time management spending too much time on questions that have too few marks. Spend a few minutes at the outset planning how much time you should devote to each response; set time limits for yourself and stick to them. Its as simple as that.

See also:
Exam Technique Articles How to pass ACCA exams June 2012 Exam tips Article for ACCA Students with exemptions Download ACCA Candidate Answer Booklet front sheet ACCA Exam Technique video by ACCA Tutors part 1 ACCA Exam Technique video by ACCA Tutors part 2 ACCA Exam Technique video by ACCA Tutors part 1

5. Not understanding the verbs used

Not understanding the verbs used Explain, define and illustrate. Many marks are lost needlessly by candidates who fail to grasp the true meaning of the question. If you are asked to define a term, do just that. And if you are asked to illustrate, remember to provide examples from the question or real life.

6. Not using the mark allocation as a guide

Not using the mark allocation as a guide to the number of points to be made. Providing a list of bullet points, when a more full answer is required. Again, this is a point about how full and how organised your answer should be. The allocation of points will give you an indication of how to prioritise and what style of writing you should use.

7. Poor layout
Poor layout not using gaps, headings and so on. The examiner doesnt want to be faced with reams of unorganised script anymore than you do when you pick up a text book. Guide the examiner as much as possible and impress him with your organisational skills.

8. Focussing too much of your answer on theory

Focussing too much of your answer on theory, when application of the issues of the question is more important. You need to read into the question to show that you can apply the rules in practical set ups.

9. Not having a pen (and spares)

Not having a pen (and spares), ruler, and calculator (with spare batteries). This one is self explanatory and inexcusable.

10. Not allowing enough time to get to the exam hall in time
Not allowing enough time to get to the exam hall in time plan the journey, make allowances for traffic jams and so. Turning up early may not be ideal in terms of giving you plenty of time to develop butterflies, but consider how much more stressed you will feel stuck in a traffic jam five kilometeres away, with only ten minutes to go. Preparation in terms of exam knowledge is important, but understanding exam technique and how to cope with the exam stress, is vitally important.

A C F3 Exam technique CA do not, ever, leave the exam without having attempted ALL questions for the questions which require you to select one out of the four possible answers, you may nd that the options are in such a form that by eliminating, say, option 2, the answer is then obvious ie, it cannot be a, 1 and 2 b, 2 and 3 d, 1, 2 and 3 and therefore it must be c, 1and 3 if, in the last 5 minutes of the exam, you have answered ( and got correct! ) say 40 marks worth and still have another 50 marks to attempt, the GUESS THEM! You have a statistical chance of picking up 25% of those 50 marks ie another 12 marks, and that will give you the required mark of 50 or more! your paper is electronically marked, so make sure that the answer bubble is clearly lled in if you come to a question that you cannot do, LEAVE IT! You can always come back to it later if, when you do come back to it, you still cannot do it, try to eliminate any of the options which are clearly wrong and then guess from the reduced number of viable alternatives in a 4 option question, obviously only one of the four can be correct. The remaining three incorrect possibilities are called distracters. These distracters are carefully calculated typically by calculating the answer if you make one mistake, then if you make a dierent mistake and nally if you make both mistakes. Just because your calculated answer is the same as one of the possibilities that doesnt mean that you have got it right! for example, if the question were What is 3 + 2 + 2?, the four options may be a, 7" ( correct ), b, 12 ( 3 x 2 x 2 ), c, 8 (( 3 x 2 ) + 2 ),or d, 10 ((3 + 2) x 2 ) The moral? Check that you have properly read the question!