Can you tell us more about yourself ?

My name is Rebekah Debono, I am 25 years old and live in Buckinghamshire, England. I have worked full time for an accountancy practice since 2005. I started at the firm as an administrator and worked my way up to the accounts and audit team in 2006. I distance study in my own time, although I once attended a BPP weekend revision course, which was really useful for my previous F7 exam, as this required specific layouts.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

I work fairly long hours as I am full time but I try to ensure that I spend a little time during the evening and at weekends reading my textbook and occasionally doing practice questions. However, I tend to do much more focused studying 2 or 3 weeks before the exam, as my work allow me to take a combination of study and annual leave to focus and revise during this period.

Do you get support from your firm?

Yes, I get a small annual allowance for my study materials which aren’t very expensive.
I am also allowed 10 days study leave per annum, plus the exam days.

Which Study materials did you find the most useful in your studies for this exam?

I have always used BPP materials for distance learning, comprising of a textbook, practice & revision kit and passcards.

You have scored such high marks (86 marks in Paper P1) many students must wonder what is your study technique?

I generally spend up to 2 months reading through the textbooks in full, so around an hour daily. Then during the 3 weeks prior to the exam I begin more focused and intense studying for around 7 hours a day. I always attempt every practice question in the BPP kits as a minimum. I then spend a couple of days cramming using the textbook and passcards just before the exam, in order to memorise information which I hope will gain me extra marks, such as written areas of the textbook rather than the numerical sections, which are more easily learnt through the practice questions.

What do you think was the most important factor in your success in your ACCA exams?

I think that although my approach may be unconventional and a little last minute during the 2 or 3 weeks prior to the exam, I find that it helps me to fully focus and concentrate on the exams without other work or life distractions. I appreciate not everyone can spend this length of time at home to study before the exams but I think that being able to take even a small amount of time out to fully focus without distractions is important.
I never try to question spot or pre-empt what is going to be in an exam as I think that can be dangerous. I try to learn everything in the textbook and spend a little extra time concentrating on my weaker areas just before the exam day.
I also find that it is important to be disciplined and set out a study plan detailing what you plan to do and when, for me this means I can ensure I’m on schedule with my revision and then I don’t start to panic that I’m running out of time!!

How did you find out about OpenTuition and which OpenTuition resources helped you towards your success.

I found out about opentuition by using Google to search for information on specific ACCA exams. I find the forums most useful and with distance learning, it’s always good to know that you’re not alone and other people are going through the same exam worries and stress!

Thank you and congratulations!

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I am originally from Kerala, India studying and working in Dublin, Ireland . I did not have any accountancy background when I started ACCA. I joined it because of pure interest in the field. I passed 9 papers so far and did most of the papers by self study.

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

I have two kids and my wife is working as well. It wasn’t easy at the beginning but I got used to it gradually.Thanks to the tremendous support I get from the family.
The private and social life do suffer a lot specially towards the last couple of months each sitting, but I know its only for another year or so.

Do you get support from your firm?

My current job is not in Accountancy field. So there is no time off or tuition fee from my employer. But still the firm is very supportive in terms of leave requests and duty adjustments for my tuition and examinations .

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits and other resources did you use, or found the most useful in your studies for this exam?

I prefer Kaplan materials. They are not much detailed but the layout, language and points are easy for me to understand and follow. Opentuition helped me a lot especially in my home study.

You have scored such high marks, 88 in Paper F6, many students must wonder what is your study technique?

I don’t spent much time on a daily basis. I never had a time table for studying. During the first couple of months all I do is to make my own notes in my own words for every chapter. I make sure I understand everything but only study them thoroughly in the last month when I do my revision. I do as many practice questions as I can and make a detailed note whenever I come across a new situation in a question. I spent most of my time on notes preparation. I read them occasionally like on the way to work or during my breaks. Towards the end all I need is those notes which covers most of the syllabus and most of the scenarios which could be asked in an examination.

What do you think was the most important factor in your success in your ACCA exams?

First of all the genuine interest in the field. I wanted to know as much a I can about accountancy because when I started I knew nothing about it. So I didn’t skip any portions I made sure I understood everything and practiced most past papers during the revision .

How did you find out about OpenTuition and which OpenTuition resources helped you towards your success.

I heard about it in the accountancy forums , and it did help me a lot whenever I wasn’t sure about something.

Thanks for your time and congratulations!

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Syed Khalid Shafqat Bukhari. I am from Pakistan and have recently taken my baby steps in the corporate world by commencing my training with Pakistan’s largest OiI Marketing Company. I am currently working in the Financial Reporting Department under competent supervision. I don’t come from an accounting background. I was a student of engineering and mathematics in high school but decided to pursue a career in accounting and opted for ACCA. The first few months were hard as terms like “debit, credit, assets” etc were new to me. I had to put in extra hours and was often helped by teachers and friends for which I am always grateful.

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

As I have just started working, I am finding it challenging to balance between my professional and social life. Nevertheless it is not impossible. All it requires is discipline and a little bit of willpower. However it is not the same as before, I have to admit. My advice to the readers is to make a weekly plan which incorporates every part of their life as that’s what works for me. Do not overburden yourself with the fact that you are working. Most likely many students are at this stage, so you are not alone.

Do you get support from your firm?

Yes my employers partially finance my ACCA education. Moreover I get an 11 day study leave per paper before the exams.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits and other resources did you use, or found the most useful in your studies for this exam?

I usually use BPP texts and revision kits for exam preparation. But for paper P2 I also took reference from ICAEW’s book on corporate reporting for certain topics and watched Open Tuition video lectures for difficult areas of the syllabus.

You have scored 88 marks in Paper P2, many students must wonder what is your study technique?

There’s no special secret or formula behind it. I never really calculate the amount of time I spend in studies. I don’t even study daily to be honest. My targets are not set on the amount of hours I study but are set on the topics I want to be going through the next week or so. I do not overburden myself and take time out for gym, football and friends (even a day before the exam).
I manage my studies in a very organized manner. I make timetables and set short term targets for myself. I do make short notes as I study, making pointers and summaries along the course of it. I reserve the last month before the exam for complete course revision and past paper practice.
Learning the whole syllabus and being good at it is one thing, mastering the art of attempting the paper is another. Time management is one of the key issues students face while attempting an ACCA Professional level paper. To tackle this I used to practice questions under exam conditions, timing my answers. At first it used to take a lot of time but gradually I improved. Plus the examiners articles and advice from seniors worked wonders.

What do you think was the most important factor in your success in your ACCA exams?

That will be mom and dad. They always support me in anything I want to achieve in life and they are always there for me to give me a helping hand .This keeps pushing me on. I can’t thank them enough. And secondly my teacher, he created the love I have for this paper, was always there if I had any queries about anything and he was always patient with me. (I always used to skip class assignmnets, not advisable though)

How did you find out about OpenTuition and which OpenTuition resources helped you towards your success.

I came across this site when I was google-ing for some video lectures on paper F8. Since then I have been a huge fan of Open Tuition and have taken numerous lectures on different topics.

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Muhammad Yaqoob Desai.I live in Pakistan. I had started Acca after completing my Academic Qualification, As per my dad and uncle advise. From Al-hamd Academy. In start of it, I had faced problems in accounting concept as my academic background was Purely Science based but Thank to my teachers Guided and Motivated a lot specially Sir Asrar-ul-haq (Management Accounting teacher). In FAB ,FMA and FFa I scored 78,92,80 Respectively. In ACCA my Favorite Subjects is Management, Over all I love Math, So I love to play with numbers. Mathematical skills has helped me a lot in Management Accounting. In simple Teacher could make or brake the student, AlhamdurAllah I am always blessed to have good teachers.

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

I am Full time student . Its comparatively easier to balance study and private life as I like to prefer education over my social life. Despite of this my family and friends always supported me a lot to achieve my Targets.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits and other resources did you use, or found the most useful in your studies for this exam?

In F4 I used bpp text and kit. They were really very useful as they are student friendly and easy to understand.

You have scored such high marks (96 marks in ACCA F4 exam), many students must wonder what is your study technique?

Frankly speaking,study times should be measured qualitatively rather then quantitatively, I believe its better to study 1 hour with full concentration then studying 5 hours just staring at books . In achieving this score there was big contributions of my Dad’s prayers, My teacher Sir Talal efforts and my two close friends, who really helped me a lot whenever I got stuck. Best approach is just to make sure all your concepts are clear and upto date and then practice Exams questions regularly with mearusing time.Must Revise Important cases once a week.

What I did was, I attended all classes regularly and make sure I understand the concepts ,gave regular test never afraid of getting failed in class test ,as its better to identify your mistakes in class rather then at Exam, written all relevant cases on separate sheet for revision And practiced All Scenario Questions within 18 minute time.

What do you think was the most important factor in your success in your ACCA exams?

Prayers, Hardwork , Motivation, Ambition, supportive friends and my tutors all of these factors were important its not possible to pick out one important factor.

How did you find out about OpenTuition and which OpenTuition resources helped you towards your success.

I find out opentution while I was searching for notes . I used Opentution notes for second reference

What Advise do you like to give to other fellow students?

Give your best shot and Thank Allah Almighty for whatever you scored and if you wasn’t able to clear it , not get disheartened and try to identify your mistake

For clearing any exam there is 3 main contents you need
1). Identifying What examiner is asking?
2). Do you have Sound knowledge ?
3). Implement your knowledge as per examiner Question

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I’m Souganthika, hailing from India. I’m a full time student, studying ACCA in Dubai.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits and other resources did you use, or found the most useful in your studies for this exam?

I relied on BPP text books and revision kits and iPass CDs for F1 and F3. I referred to the Open Tuition lectures for F3, especially for Consolidation. I did practice a few questions of F3 from the Kaplan expandable text.

You have scored such high marks in two exams, many students must wonder what is your study technique?

I spent about 2-3 hours everyday studying the material. But for slow learners, I would recommend studying at least for 4-5 hours a day. I totally relied on Open tuition’s lectures for all chapters on Consolidation. That really made things easier for me and aided in understanding the basic logic behind Consolidated Accounts. The only way out is to practice as many questions as one can to sharpen the skills and get a clearer picture of how to tackle different types of questions that might be asked!

What do you think was the most important factor in your success in your ACCA exams?

The main reason behind my success is plenty of practice! ‘Practice till you know things inside out’ is the mantra! I also remained very attentive in my classes and got all of my doubts cleared before my CBE. I went through past question papers for F3, and that proved to be beneficial as well.

How did you find out about OpenTuition and which  resources helped you towards your success.

My teacher and my friend recommended OT to me, and am highly indebted to them for that! I strongly recommend OT to both the average and the intelligent students alike! It really is a boon to all those who are studying ACCA!

Thank you and best of luck in the June 2013 exams

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Saba Fatima. I joined ACCA directly after completing high school. I was a pure maths and science student in high school with no accounting background. I studied F1, F2 and F3 on my own and received the Certificate of Achievement from ACCA for F2 and F3 securing above 90 in both. Then I enrolled in Kaplan Financial, Birmingham for F4 to F9. I secured 95 in F7 and 93 in F9 in June 2012. I have been awarded Global Prizewinner in F9.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Agnieszka, I come originally from Poland, but I have been living and working for the past 3 years in Denmark. I work for one of the UN organizations, UNOPS, in Finance Department, General Ledger team. I have started my journey with ACCA in 2011 and have just finished fundamental level.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

Balancing work, study and private life is quite a difficult trade-off. Most of the time, private life is the part I have to compromise. In June 2012 session I have been sitting for 3 papers (F5, F6 and F9) and this was the most demanding session for me so far. Two months before exams I was not going out or meeting friends outside work, focusing only on work and studies.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Vincent Chow and I’m frequently known by my pseudonym ‘angryhamtaro’ over at P5 OpenTuition forum. I am from Malaysia and I’ve been studying as a financial accounting student in Tunku Abdul Rahman College for four years.

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

My college lectures and tutorial classes usually started early on 8am and ended as late around 6pm. Fortunately, there were a few hours break in between to which I spent time revising my course materials in the college library.

My study life and time management were pretty hectic. Every weekday, I took nearly two hours riding two interconnecting trains and a bus to college, and the same two hours back home. Most of the time, I took catnaps in the train, and when I arrived home on 8pm, I had my repeated pattern of home-cooked dinner, a refreshing bath and a hot cup of coffee, before spending one, two hours studying and finally ‘fainted’ on bed, literally.

However, I must always spare time with my family on Sundays.

My only work experience comprised of two internships – financial audit at PwC, and taxation in KPMG.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Zainul abideen from Pakistan(lahore).I’m full time student.I started studying at ACCA this winter.In fact, my previous qualification is about science.As ACCA is globally recognized qualification so my heart filled with a desire to go for ACCA.I considered it as a challenge.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits did you use, or find most useful in your studies?

I used both BPP and KAPLAN study texts and revision kits. I also used opentution study material.But Bpp practise kit is most suitable.

You have scored such high marks, many students must wonder what is your study technique?

Technique for F3 is study the whole syllabus and d’nt skip any thing.The secret of scoring the high marks is only  a practice, because “Practice makes a perfact man”.

Firstly I spent the time on studying the whole syllabus, then I spent a lot of time on practice especially 2 weeks before the exam.

Best one approach of revision is that make a summary of every chapter, itself .It’ll helpful near the exam. Then read the summary only and make idea of the chapter and spend the time on practice.

I spend almost 8 to 9 hours near the exams on F3.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Deborah I am from Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK I work full time as in a local firm of Chartered Accountants as an Accounts Assistant. I also do part time hours in a local farm shop.

If you work, Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

Working full time getting the balance between work, studying and private life can be difficult, especially working two jobs. I have to be very strict with myself, set my self study targets in the run up to exams. My friends and family are very supportive and understand sometimes I cannot make social commitments if I have studies to catch up on. I also only take one Acca unit at each exam session, this is key to the work, study, private life balance.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself ?

My name is Irina Punga and I am from Republic of Moldova. I have been working for the last 4 years in a great national audit company named Moldauditing which hired me right after my university graduation. I enjoy working in audit and also it is related to my graduate degree – Finance and Accounting and post-graduate degree – Audit and Financial Expertise.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

Like for most of the students, for me, also, balancing the studies, job and private life is not easy, but, I guess, I am a little bit of lucky in this way. My boyfriend and I are ACCA students so we both understand the importance of the studies before the exam. We try to have the same schedule: time to study, time to go out, etc. Also, we usually take the same exams and can study together, especially for the revision part. In this way we help each other. One mind is good, two minds are better. As regards the job and studies: working full-time there aren’t many hours left available for studies, but including the week-ends and with a little of sacrifice and effort it is possible to balance those two.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Gabriele and I am from Lithuania. I have just turned 26, and I love traveling and horseback riding. I work in audit, and I have joined Ernst & Young team just before the December sessions (I used to work for a smaller firm before that).

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

Balancing job and private life is already hard in my field, and when you add in studying it gets even worse. The only things I can think of to make it easier are aiming for one or two exams at a time – I can only imagine how hard it would be to take 4, I have never tried it – and starting preparation way in advance. In that way you can spread the time you need to study more evenly, hopefully allowing you to stay sane J

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I live in Reading and I work for an educational research charity in Slough.

How do you balance between studying, job and private life?

I use designated study times- such as every lunch hour. During that time I always make sure I study- but don’t let myself work outside of this. Obviously the nearer the exam, the more study sessions.

Do you get support from your firm?

I get good support including books, study leave and help with the PER critera.

[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself

My name is Vipin Viswanathan from South India (Kerala), now residing in Dubai, UAE. I have done engineering in Computer science. Myself have worked in sony computers as technical executive in bangalore. also, did a 4 months diploma course in bible studies from bangalore. Last 4 years, i was working in Nagaland (India china border) as a high school teacher in mathematics and science.teaching is my favorite job. It is a noble profession but no good salary. My heart filled with a desire to go for higher studies esp ACCA. I am fortunate to have good parents who support me now. I am a full time student now. I wish to do BSc and MBA from Oxford Brookes university.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits and other resources did you use, or found the most useful in your studies?
[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is Javier. I’m from the UK and live in London. At the moment I’m a full-time student. I’ve attended tuition for some of the papers I’ve taken, but I have found that self-study suits me more. For F6, I covered all the material through self-study and I think I will do the same for the remaining papers.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits did you use, or find most useful in your studies?
[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

My name is KAMRAN. I am from Pakistan but live in Bahrain .
I have done ACCA mostly through Self Study and Opentuition.I have been working in a Role not related to Accounts and Finance mainly because the competition here in bahrain is tough and to get jobs in the top firms you need Good references which i dont.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

Honestly it has been very difficult.The only thing that you need to have is Determination and along with that a little sacrifice of your social Life.Prioritization is the key here.You need to have clear Goals of what you want to achieve and how to achieve.
[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I am a qualified and experience finance professional having more than 14 years of experience in finance. I am a B.com, Indian CFA, CWA and PGDBA-Finance. I am at present working as Head-Financial Accounting and Control in one of the leading banks in Qatar.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life

It is quite a challenge to balance studying, job and personal life. Each one has got its own priorities and i have to priortise based on the need of the hour. Having said that, if you have an understanding family, it will make your study easier and i am fortunate to have a family who supports and encourages my studies.

But the conflict can be better managed if we allot our time to each of the activities judiciously over the studies and more skewed towards studies towards the exams time.

Do you get support from your firm?

Actually i started studying ACCA in a view to understand the concepts of IFRS and Accounting Standards, which would enhance my conceptual skills in my work. My bank does not pay for my tuition or give me time off work but i was able to manage my leave around exam time.

[Read more...]

OpenTuition member Lauren Lockwood has won numerous ACCA prizes, (and OpenTuition Genius Hunt Prizes as well!) and  has now won the ACCA Gold Prize for overall score in the ACCA exams!

OpenTuition members had a chance to ask her questions and we have received many responses. We chose 26 of them, and  Lauren has been very kind and answered all of them. The best 4 questions were awarded the latest ACCA ebooks from TonySurridge.
(TonySurridge Exam Study text and Practice Questions & Answers for December 2011 Exams)

The winners are OpenTuition users: uko111, ali1750342, subasshi & syedaqibshah

Here is the interview

I am a young ACCA student with six papers left to sit. After sitting and failing f9 at the last sitting, I am hoping to just do a revision of it closer to the time of exam while I concentrate on the papers P1 and P3 for this December 2011 sitting for now. What would you say is the best approach to revision? As you say you revise a month before each paper in your interview; Would it be to just focus on past questions or perhaps run through course material for key areas..etc?

I do revise for a month before each paper, however this is after 2-3 months of tuition and normal study. I think it is very important to focus on past exam questions but this is only possible after going through the course material thoroughly. Personally I have found it very difficult to sit 3 papers in one sitting and I would just concentrate on 2.
[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself?

I am from Poland and work in practice (a mid-tier firm) in the UK. I am 30 years old so I’m probably older than many other students. I study with BPP.

Many students are working just like you, how do you balance between studying, job and private life?

It is very difficult to balance between studying and job. I try to remember that my sacrifice now will help me in the future. I often study at weekends and I can’t take holidays for weeks before exams but on the other hand I tend to give myself some time off as well. You need to remember that there’s more life to text books and you need to give yourself chance to relax even shortly before exams. If you plan to study at a weekend, allow yourself for a Saturday evening with friends or a dinner out. It’s something to wait for and it’s also a kind of reward after all day of revising.

Do you get support from your firm? Like time off work or do they pay for your tuition etc?
[Read more...]

Can you tell us more about yourself

I am a full time student. I am from Malaysia and study ACCA in Sunway TES.

Which Study Texts and/or Revision Kits did you use, or find most useful in your studies?
I used the study texts and notes which were compiled by my lecturers and provided by my tuition provider.
I will also use BPP texts and revision kits for reference.

You have scored such high marks, many students must wonder what is your study technique?
The first thing to bear in your mind is the ultimate goal to pass ACCA.
People will only work best on their own interest. You must like ACCA first in order to be able to study effectively.
Design a customised study approach for yourself because others’ techniques might not work on you, just follow your own style of studying.
Remember not to force yourself to study always, but must fully concentrate when your are in the mood to study.
[Read more...]