Interview with Dhananjay, Genius Hunt winner in the ACCA June 2014 exams, who scored 89 marks in Paper F8
Please tell us in which country you live, and what work you do.
I live in Kenya, East Africa. Currently, I am a self study full time student planning to get a job mid next year.
Which study resources did you use? (which books, which tuition course.
I used Open tuition notes as these were very helpful in reinforcing the concepts and “book knowledge”. I attended a tuition course with Mr. Paul Merrison in LSBF (online) and watched the OpenTuition lectures too. I hardly read any study text. Watching the lectures and reading the OpenTuition notes were adequate enough.
Having scored such high marks, many students are asking – what approach did you use to your studying?
The most important thing, especially in F8, is question practice. Reading the study text can be daunting due to the massive theory you need to absorb and in most cases at the end you can’t even remember everything you read. So for me, the most important factor that contributed to my success, was doing past papers and reading examiner’s reports. The examiner’s reports show very precisely the type of answers we are expected to write and give a good insight into exam technique. Also, making use of the OpenTuition “Ask the Tutor” forums was very helpful as you need to clear your doubt in F8 before they become a problem.
Every weekend, I used to take a past exam and solve it like a real exam. Then I use to compare my answers with those on the ACCA’s official website and this was the single most important technique that led to my high score. Practice past exams, especially applying your answer to the case scenario and remember that in F8 it’s always one mark per valid point.
How much time each week did you spend studying?
F8 is a difficult subject, so I used to spend up to three hours each week studying F8, mostly in weekends.
How important do you regard the practicing of past exam questions?
I guess I’ve already reiterated the importance of this above. Put simply, don’t bother entering the exam room if you haven’t done past exam questions. Only a genius can pass F8 without doing past exam practice. Past exam questions are particularly crucial in F8 due to the repetitive nature of F8 exams. Given that the exam format changes in Dec 2014 with the addition of MCQs, practicing MCQs will be vital.
How did you find out about OpenTuition, and which of our resources helped you towards your success?
I found out about Open tuition in 2012 when I was searching through the “non approved directory learning partners list” on the ACCA website. Practically speaking, all OpenTuition resources are just great and all have helped me. I particularly value the “Ask the Tutor” forums due to the promptness and personalized answers to my queries. The F8 slides are a good memory builder on open tuition.
And finally, what would you say was the most important factor in achieving your success?
Determination and hard work. I really needed to stay focused and active in my revision. F8 can be daunting and “dull” at times and you may be put off from revising to doing something more interesting like browsing the net, or watching a movie; however, I had to realize that I’m responsible for my own success. So nobody is going to push you, you have to make your own journey successful. Be determined and don’t lose focus. Have a steady intent while studying F8. Reading F8 related articles on PQaccountant.com (in the study zone) was one of the major reasons I passed.
great advice