Exam Technique for ACCA Students

[Originally Published @ my Facebook on 2-June-2018]

ACCA Exam - Share you my thoughts (7-Tips) on how to handle your ACCA Professional exam?

God willing, I hope it can truly help you to pass your ACCA exam.

1. Answering The Requirements

I notice too many candidates do NOT answer ALL the requirements or do not answer according to what the question is “asking” you to. I am quoting an example using ACCA P6 question. “ Explain how Best Sdn Bhd’s basis periods for the years of assessment 2015 and 2016 will be determined, whether by direction by the Director General of Inland Revenue or otherwise, demonstrating how the underlying principles are satisfied.”

In this part, you are asked to explain HOW basis period is being determined - and many students merely give the basis period and did not explain how it is being derived. And clearly, the examiner requires you to explain whether direction by DG is involved PLUS you have to prove in your answers how the principles of determining the basis period are fulfilled.

Well, many students do not “read clearly” and thus, “not completely answering the question”. So, you lose a lot of marks along the way. It happens to all papers. So READ CAREFULLY. A handy tip: I usually “numbered the requirements in the question paper, and I always cross check again before I move to another section of the question, if I have completed all the tasks”.

2. Bad Time Management

The exam requires you to Judge, especially when you are at the professional stage, how much to write. Even when you know everything, to decide the QUANTUM/AMOUNT of answers/information to be given is a skill. So DON’T ever “vomit everything you remembered from your lecture notes for a specific topic just because you see the question relates to that area” you are going to waste your time.

Ultimately, we are training you to be a consultant/professional - you are not a great consultant when you do not know how much information you have to present. “A totally same question” can be allocated 4marks and 8marks but then, the answers would not be the same.

You must train yourself to write according to the time allocated and to move on even if you have more to write. Remember - 5 incomplete questions are better than 4 that is totally completed. You basically have better chance to gain marks at the beginning / middle stage when you write your answer - as, towards the end, you are probably “beating around the bush” and “repeating ideas”.

3. To Know between “Productive Words” and “Unproductive Words.”

(Except when you have a question with Professional Marks elements) Take note: NOT all words are useful. Some words do not carry any weight to your answers and they are taking up your time.

Let’s look at this example: Explain the factors Rossi & Co should consider when placing reliance on the work of the independent valuer.

Answer 1:
The factors Rossi should consider when placing reliance on the work of the independent valuer are:
1. Competency of the valuer - valuer must be competent to carry out the works to value the land and building.

Answer 2:
Competency of valuer - valuer has the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to carry out the valuation accurately and appropriately.

The first answer has too many “useless words” and they are wasting a lot of your valuable time. Students tend to “repeat their idea”. Blame it to the poor use of vocabularies. Do you notice, in “Answer 1” - how it has kept on repeating “competent” and “valuer” while in Answer 2 - we go straight to the point. Then, we replace the word “competency” with its meaning. This allows markers to evaluate your in-depthh understanding" of the concept. And we end it with “why competent is an important” factor by stating “accurately and appropriately”. So, do note the differences in how you should write.

4. Losing Your Mind (in the exam)

Panic and exam stress are the reasons of poor performance even when you have prepared well before the exam. Many factors can cause you to be panicked in the exam.

For instance, you spotted one part of the question that you did not prepare and you start to stress-out your mind on that particular section. Well, you basically have let the negative emotions to take over you.

I recommend a shift of mindset. It is exactly the same when you see as “I need 50marks to pass, and it is so hard to achieve 50marks” (negative) as compare to “I can make up to 50marks of mistakes and I can still pass, and I really have a lot of chances, as I can’t be making so much mistakes (positive).

You can focus at one part of the requirement that you did not prepare for and said “I am dead, because I didn’t prepare for this 10marks”… or you can choose to look at another area that you have prepared well and say “Wow, I am so fortunate that I have prepared this area that worth 10marks and I can do well”.

It doesn’t change the Question - but it changes your mind and thus, changes your performance. My Tip for You: FOCUS at the WORTHY stuff and ENJOY the exam.

5. Learn When to Give Up

You do not need 100% to pass exam. To win a war does not require winning every battle. A good student knows where he can score more / score comfortably and where he has to let go. You must judge according to your own ability. If you find an area you are not good at, leading to too much stress on yourself (like you just basically not sure how to handle it - then ignore it first. Leave space, and go to other part and tackle your easy requirement first). Do not have to worry about “feeling bad of skipping parts”. (But you do have to come back later - see tip no. 6)

6. Don’t Leave Blank & Understand Context

Assuming you have completed all the questions with some “unanswered parts/sections” - and you should be doing this at the end, with the of your unused time - write something. Yes. Something Anything. You might ask - how to write when I really do not know?

Okay, one way I would be doing in the exam - I try to imagine if this is a REAL business situation, a situation that I am in - how would I be responding to it? I try to “associate or claim ownership” of the problem in the question as if it is mine, and solve it using my own way.

Another way is try “fishing for points” from the case study in the question. Usually the case leave “hints”. Example, especially like P6, say question asked you to state “why a company qualifies for an incentive” and obviously the question itself must give you the conditions in the question - so use them to write something, after all, you do not have a choice.

Many times, students don’t give sufficient attention to “facts” said in the question. For instance, an example from P1, it says “ Bob Wong was fortunate to inherit some money and decided he wanted to invest for the long term in one or more investments so he would have a higher income in retirement. He was not a specialist in accounting and had little understanding of how investments worked.”

Now - when I read the question, I would be asking why would it specifically say “inherit some money”? - means he does not have his own way of generating such wealth and he must not lose the money else it will all be gone. He is not going to recover it” and why would the question said “he was not a specialist in accounting” - means, he is probably a person who finds analysing numbers extremely difficult.

7. Handwriting

Yes, It Matters a Lot. That is the ONLY thing that stands between you and the marker.

Writing is the means of how it presents you to the marker and your Markers are human. Do not assume that they do not have emotions.

I assure you that it is highly possible a marker “missed” important points in your answers just because of your handwriting. You are definitely annoying, frustrating, turning your marker away with the REAL BAD & TERRIBLE way of how you write. Remember - It is extremely important. You are not there to defend your point, or to clarify things during the marking. You don’t even see again your answers. So, you can’t go back and tell ACCA “hey - you missed the point”.

If you find your handwriting is too close, then give more spacing. If you thing your handwriting is too small, write bigger. Some students - are like “never eaten for 10 days” when they write so small and so soft - you really have to strain your eyes so badly just to read properly the answers. I have come across answers where students leave one line to improve clarity. You might consider this technique if really needed. Remember - markers are human, can be annoyed, have deadlines too for their marking.

I hope these can be some useful exam techniques to assist you in your exam.
Feel free to share to your friends if you wish.
I Pray that you will be able to stay calm in the exam, handle your exam well.

May you do well.

God bless.

 

 

Low Chin Ann is the Founding Director of Genesisorigo