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Hi all
This is my first ever post so I hope it comes on ok!!
I am a stay at home mum of 4 children. I do not work (paid outside of the house anyway 😉 and am looking to study f4 then take the exam in December. I have not worked or studied since 2006 & just wondered if there were any success stories of ladies/men in my position? Just needing some encouraging words as im feeling very old!!Thank you in advance 🙂
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Hi Eackary, I am a mother of two young kids and I also work 3 days a week. I started studying for June 2012 exams and have completed F4 to F9 since then all through home study. I did two at each sitting. Its hard but i would be lucky that my two go to bed quite early at around 7 or 7 30pm so I used to study until around 9 30 or 10 most evenings, maybe 5 out of 7 evenings a week. I used opentuition alot and I also bought second hand BPP and Kaplan books to help me. I found once I covered all the material in the text book or opentuition notes I would start on the past exam papers, this is what helped me the most with memorising the stuff, doing the past papers over and over again will show you the trend of each question and repeating each question again and again it will finally sink in. Sometimes it took til the day before the exam for it to stick though! Hope that helps
I am also a stay at home mum (although only to 2) and am currently studying towards F7. I have only managed 2 papers since June 2012…but I was heavily pregnant when I was supposed to take one in Dec 12. I am the same as merielv – I try to study about 5 nights a week as soon as both kids are in bed. Usually about 8 – 10.
Hi ladies thanks for yr replies 🙂
Wow I am in awe of you both! Fantastic work! I was going to try f4 & f5 in December but was really worried I wouldn’t have enough time (or brain capacity! ) to fit in two lots of stuff to study, but reading both yr comments have really spurred me on 😀
XxMerielv – do u work in an accounts environment?
I did f4 & 5 when i was on my maternity. Then everything higher when i came back to work (fulltime). It was just self study as i never had time far any course.it wasn’t easy, but it was worth to. I think that mothers are much better organised than any other individuals. When i was studying i was really focus and never wasted time as i knew i may have not much more time later. It is really motivating when you have kids i think. I yourself short teem goals and stick to it.
I was taking 3 exams last three sessions.all passed first time. Only had time to study 9 till 11pm so did it every day.
All the best!!!Wow kaha! That is fantastic work! 3 in one sitting?! & I was stressing at 2! U are all very inspiring 🙂 thank you for replying x
No problem…it’s nice knowing there are other mum’s on here studying! I’ve never seen posts of any others before xx
Another one here!
I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old. After having my 2 year old, I started ACCA as a home studier and did F1. I then fell pregnant with baby number 2 so switched to AAT (as would have had to miss the June 12 ACCA exams as due to give birth), and completed that just after she was born. I then went back to ACCA whilst I was on maternity leave and did F2,3 and 6 in Dec 12, and F4,7 and 8 in June 13 (all via self studying). I’m hoping to do F5 and 9 in December.
I’ve just finished my maternity leave and started my first accounting job last week!
That’s very inspiring nps1976! Good luck in yr new job 😀
Can I just ask if there was any reason why you chose to do the modules in that order together? Do some go better with others?
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Hello, I’m a bit similar and a bit different. I am only doing home study, I haven’t studied since 1989 (I am very, very old). I have a kid who’s now a teenager, and I work part time but not in an accounting environment. The beauty of home study is, apart from ACCA’s 10-year time limit, you can do the exams entirely at your own pace. Of the written papers, I have done two per sitting up until now, but will only do one in December: my choice. That will be my 12th of the 14 papers.
Enjoy F4! I liked the little glimpses of history that the various cases gave (carbolic smoke balls…). I I hadn’t found this site when I did mine, but I am sure that the material here will be well worth going through. Do you have exemptions from F1-3?
Eackary – I did F2 and 3 as I wanted to pass them rather than claim exemptions. I then did F6 in that sitting as I had done the tax units as my optional unit’s in AAT so it followed on nicely. I then did F4 as I come from a legal (ish) background, with F7 and F8 as they were the two units I was looking forward to most. So only doing F5 with F9 as they just happen to be the 2 left!
That said, I did find that there was a bit of overlap between F4 and F8, and F7 and F8 so that was a good combination. Though I’m now finding some overlap between F5,7,8 and 9 so apart from F6, I think there’s overlap in whichever combo is chosen!
PS I also feel old!
Hi daviesks! Trust me yr not that old! 😉 yes I have exemptions from f1-3 as I qualified in aat in 2006 although now I’m thinking it might have been an idea to take them to refresh myself!
I really am very inspired by you ladies taking two or even 3 exams in one sitting! I think I will just attempt f4 alone in December to ease myself back into it gently! Will then see how it goes&maybe attempt 2/3 in june next year.
Thank you all for your replies 😀 xx
Eackary – I sat F2 and 3 straight after AAT even though I could have claimed the exemptions, and I found it very useful to condense all the knowledge (F1 not so much). Plus you get the ACCA diploma after F1-3 if this would be useful for your CV.
My opinion was, if I already knew it, it wouldn’t take me long to do, whereas if it took me a long time, then I probably hadn’t known it well enough in the first place, in which case sitting them was sensible.
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I would take every exemption ACCA will give you. The less exams you have to do the sooner you will finish.
BPP do audio cd of all the ACCA courses about 2 hours of content. Not a study or exam practice replacement. But useful extra study when driving or on the bus.
Best of luck to you.
Not wishing to be contentious but I find myself agreeing with NPS1976 rather than yourself Sean.
I came to ACCA following the Open University certificate in accountancy (B680).
B680 gave exemptions from the first three papers (at the time 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3). Several of the people that I had been with on the OU course took the exemptions in the same mind as yourself that it was passes out of the way.
However, almost as a control experiment I took the exams even though I could have taken the exemptions.
I found the level of ACCA questions different to that of the OU and asked in a different way and feel that taking the papers prepared me better for what came next.
Certainly by F6 nobody else from my OU group was still working towards ACCA with many dropping out unable to pass F4 (I’m using the F’s rather than 2.1/2.2 etc. so that people can relate to which papers I’m talking about).
Sometimes I think that its wiser to take a step back an enforce ones foundations before attempting to move forwards or you may just see those who took the early papers whoosh by you on the later ones.
Pretty much the old annalogy of the tortoise and the hare.
kind regards,
Shaun.
p.s. Eackary I’m a single Dad with sole custody so I know what your going through and just wanted to say that in this day and age the problems that you are encountering are not just a female issue. There’s great support available on here though so never think that your studying alone.Thanks for yr comments guys 🙂
Looking back I think I should probably have done the exams rather than take the exemptions because it would have refreshed my memory (which these days needs lots of refreshing!) But anyway I didn’t so think I will just take f4 this December so as to to overload myself& depending on how I think that goes I’ll see how many I do next June.
Everyone is doing so well as stay at home parents so its giving me so much confidence hearing yr stories. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply 🙂
XxCongratulations to you all for finding time to juggle the work life balance.
I plan to sit F8 and P1 this December and am also a mother to two, working three days a week. I guess the main thing is structure and setting realistic goals in terms of time being allocated to self studying.All the best to you all for December – tips on how to use time more efficiently / template study plans are much welcomed 🙂
I think I read somewhere that people suggest reading one chapter at a time, as anymore than this & yr mind starts to wander! I’m planning on 1 chapter a day for f4 during the week then once I’ve got through the whole book I will try the questions& answers& past papers in examcconditions. That’s my plan but this is my first exam!
Why not before you open study text, listen to opentuition f4 lectures
They are quite fun 😉I was going to listen to them alongside having my books open. I tend to learn better if someone is telling me things! 🙂 thanks 🙂
Re F4 – I wouldn’t worry too much about remembering names of cases (if you are struggling to remember them)
I didn’t cite any case names in any of my answers and still passed in June.
I suppose if you’re bothered about getting a higher percentage then clearly putting cases down will achieve that!
Such inspiring stories. Thanks for sharing. I am a Mum of 2 and 1 on the way with a full time job! I was pregnant when I wrote F7 and F8 in June and I will heavily pregnant this December as due in Jan when I am writing P1 and F9>
I hope to finish the others when I am on maternity leave.
Good luck. It is a good thing that you are empowering yourself while at home because a lot of women struggle to get back into the workplace as the skills are just not good anymore. I doubt you will have a problem finding a job.
Hey Estelle! Read this post so thought Id chip some words in 🙂
Im 21 and my mum is 46 . Mum has always been a house wife, but since she was 42, she decided to study. Although shes not pursuing the field of Accounting -she is studying for Islamic Studies- she has done her Masters and is now pursuing her M.Phil. She also wants to continue further and pursue a Doctorate in Comparative Religion.
My point is : you’re never too old to study and expand your knowledge 🙂
Very good luck for your exams! ^^
Thanks for your replies guys 😀
Yr mum has done fantastically Khalid! Congrats to her. You obviously follow her academically as you are doing exceptionally well too!
Thank you for the good lucks guys. I am really enjoying F4 at the moment! Never thought i would say that about the law side of it!!!!!
xx
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