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Hello,
Which method you use to study? Do you read the text book and then summarize the main ideas in a notebook? Or do you just outline directly on the book what is important? Or do you just read the text book and then practice the questions from a revision kit?
Any tips regarding the studying process is welcomed.
Waiting for your feedback. Thank you.Why don’t you watch the lectures? Its better than reading a whole book!
Im not sure the lectures are enough for passing. Im thinking to focus more on the text book
Depends on how much time you have for study. For detailed study, I have read and underlined important bits and then re-read and made detailed notes, did the practice questions in the study text. During revision phase, re-read the notes and summarized them further before doing practice questions. Then made A4 mind maps of key topics while doing practice questions. Stuck my notes on the walls so I could revise while I walked around the house. And of course throughout study watch the OT lectures and any other relevant lectures if stuck on a particular topic, I always watch the OT lectures at least twice! This is only possible when time is not a barrier!
When time is a barrier, go through the study text, reading and underlining as having a pen in your hand makes it all sink in better. Make brief notes after finishing the text and start practice questions and come back to relevant topics when required. Watch all OT lectures along the way. Practice ALL the revision kit questions at least once.
I am not suggesting not to use a book.
However a Study Text is best used more as a reference book – for topics that you were less happy with having watched the lecture, and for extra reading (especially of the written areas).
The two big problems with just reading without lectures are partly the amount that there is to read (but that depends how much time you have and how many papers you are taking) but also it is not always easy in a book for it to be make clear which are the more important areas and which are the less important areas.Whichever method you use for studying, by far the most vital thing is to practice past exam questions (and better, to use a Revision / Exam Kit from one of the approved publishers).
It doesn’t matter how much you read or how easy you may find some of the lectures – it is only by practicing that you can really check that you understand, and get used to the style of the questions and the level of answers required.
How I study a subject:
Step1: Print out the last six (6) exams question papers and suggested solution from ACCA site.
Step2: Follow the lecture
Step3: After each lecture, I glance through the textbook to mark the lecture coverage area of that day in the text book (No more than 15 mins).
Step3: Than straightway I look into these printed past questions papers and try to find out the related questions on these chapters (I take my time to read each questions paper and try to understand each question; and mark only relevant questions from the lecture coverage area of the day).
For the first time when I read these past papers, I usually read these again and again over couple of days. It helps me to understand what this new subject is all about and what I suppose to learn. It also helps to improve the questions reading skills, which is extremely important in exam hall under time pressure.Step4: start doing homework (if any) and solving these marked questions on these chapters
Priority of order in doing homework/solving past question paper
Lecture note?Textbook?ACCA suggested solutions ?friends helpStep 5: Make my own note, cross check with tutors and file it.
Step 6: 10 days before exam, give a good dusting on file (encase any dust on file….lol) and lock myself in home. Make a note of tips from all tuition providers and mark them on these last 6 question papers.
Step7: Over these 10 days, every day I try to attempt 2 question papers from these last 6 papers as in exam condition, and one of them at 10 am. I attempt all questions of a questions paper+ mock exam.
Step8: Take a bottle of freezing cold water (without any level) and go to exam centre (at least 30 mins before)
Step9: In reading time, choose quickly which questions I’m going to attempt (or eliminate the hardest one).And mark them according to the difficulties level. (Should not take more than 2/3 minutes).
Step 10: start taking notes/solving on the questions paper on easiest one. If still any reading time left, than I try to take notes on the next easy one.
Step11: Order of attack in exam
Easy?Hard?HarderResult: I hardly ran out time in exam and not to mention that, I never failed any exam so far.
Hope this help
I am impressed – that is exactly the sort of way of studying for ACCA exams that I think is best (except maybe for the dusting 🙂 )
@ John
I know exactly what you meant. Unfortunately, I’ve past my golden old Uni life. Now I’m in my late 20’s, work fulltime and look after my family. So hardly get any chance to go through these notes in between until I take the whole week off (plus two weekends both side) from work just before exams. I am a Finance graduate and never attempted more than two ACCA subjects due to work and family commitments. Last time I attempted two subjects P1 and P3. And this time, I only attempted one subject P4, so I could effort to pile up dust on file and it works for me.But I would like to take this opportunity to advise any student reading these; don’t pile up your study for the last moment, especially if you are attempting two or more subjects at a time and your educational background is not finance/accounting.
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