Interview with James, Genius Hunt winner in Papers F4 and F5

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.

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

I use a combination of OpenTuition and Kaplan’s distance learning package.

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

I start preparing for the exams as soon as possible- so I can get 5 months in. During the initial phase, I do an hour a day, with the weekends completely free. This lets me get the books read and roughly understood. Closer to the exam, I may up it to about two hours a day, and focus on question practice and identifying weaknesses.

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

Being organised- making sure I had a plan and stuck to it. Not only does this make sure you cover everything sufficiently, but it stops you from doing too much and losing your free time- which can ultimately damage your chances.

How did you find out about OpenTuition?

I came across you on Google, and the videos are particularly useful (to provide variety from the Kaplan text books).

thank you and good luck in June 2012 exams