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How to Pass ACCA F5 Exam – ACCA F5 Key to success

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Nature of the ACCA F5 paper

The ACCA F5 Paper – Performance Management – continues from Paper F2 and is concerned with managing the business so as to achieve better performance. Most of the topics were introduced in Paper F2, but are examined in more detail and to a greater depth.

Structure of the ACCA F5 paper

There are three sections to the exam – Section A will comprise 15 multiple choice questions of 2 marks each; Section B of the exam comprises three scenarios, each with 5 multiple choice questions.  Section C has two ‘long form’ questions (a full question requiring a full answer) of 20 marks each.These two questions will come from decision making techniques, budgeting and control, and/or performance measurement areas of the syllabus.The Section A and B questions can (and will!) cover any areas of the syllabus.

There are 3 hours for the exam, plus 15 minutes of reading time if you are taking the paper based (as opposed to the computer based) exam.

Overall, approximately 50% of the exam involves calculations, and approximately 50% is written.

Emphasis of the ACCA F5 exam

Although most of the arithmetic involved is not difficult in itself, the calculation parts of questions are designed to check that you understand the techniques, and can decide what information is relevant, rather than checking that you have just learned rules.
For the written parts of questions there is some learning involved, but most of them are again checking that you understand the techniques – that you can explain them, that you can discuss advantages and disadvantages, and that you can identify the problems of applying them in practice.

How to use OpenTuition to study for the ACCA F5 Exam

Use the OpenTuition ACCA F5 lectures along with the ACCA F5 Lecture Notes. Make sure that you are happy with the arithmetic, but also listen carefully to the lectures and check that you really do understand the techniques.
When you are confident of a topic then practice as many past exam questions as you can. To help you we have recorded F5 revision lectures and F5 Revision lectures based on past F5 exam questions.

How to pass ACCA F5 Exam

However much you have studied, your approach in the exam room can make a big difference. For Sections A and B, look for the short and easy questions and answer them first. In whatever time you have left then spend more time on the longer and harder questions. Try not to spend too long on either section – you should be allowing yourself about 27 minutes for each of Sections A and B. When the time for the whole exam is almost up, go back and guess the answer to any questions that you have not completed – guessing a few questions may only result in one correct answer, but 2 marks is huge if you would otherwise have failed on 48. Don’t waste time doing neat workings for Sections A and B – nobody will look at them.

In Section C allow yourself about 36 minutes for each question. Make sure that you write something for each part of each question – you might get stuck or you might run out of time, but you can always write something, and writing anything sensible will likely get you a mark. For the calculation parts of questions, make sure your workings are neat and easy to follow – the marks in Section C are for the workings rather than for the final answer.

See also:

F5 Forum Support – post your questions to get help from other students

Ask the Tutor ACCA F5 Forums

Exam formulae & maths tables
F5 Past exam papers
F5 Technical articles
F5 Examiners’ reports
F5 Examiner’s approach interview
F5 Examiner’s approach article
F5 Examiner’s analysis interview
F5 Pass rates

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. i just started studying f5 this month.Im going to give the exam on june.i find it very difficult to answer written questions in section C since all my points are irrelevant i don’t know what main points i need to wite.this is the first im taking a paper exam specifically for f5.please help me

    • The only way you can help yourself is by watching all of my free lectures (because they discuss the relevant points as well as working through the calculations) and by practice at exam standard questions using a Revision Kit from one of the ACCA approved publishers.

      If you have specific problems with any of the topics then do ask in the F5 Ask the Tutor Forum and I will try and help you.

  2. Hello sir. i am shahina from Dubai. My F5 F6 F7 classes are yet to start on February.
    i am planning to sit 2 papers on June and 1 paper on September.
    so which combination of 2 papers out of 3 will I choose for June attempt?
    #needadvise
    thank you..

  3. Hi all

    I will be sitting for the f5 exams in March 2017, i was wondering as per above that you mentioned “These two questions will come from decision making techniques, budgeting and control, and/or performance measurement and control areas of the syllabus.” for section C i believe, what do you mean, by control areas of the syllabus? Could someone please help elaborate that. Does that mean, that other core areas of the syllabus or a chapter about control areas? Lol… I am still trying to figure that out. Anyways, thank you in advance for your reply, and in anticipation of your reply x

    alex

  4. Don’t listen to all those people who are telling you that you do not have enough time. I’m doing F5 and F6 on the 5th and 6th of December. Yes, I am under pressure, but this happens to any student so this is normal. The good side is, I have all the time in the world for it so basically all I do is stud (8-14 hours, depends) all night then sleep during the day, then wake up and do the same. I have BPP course notes, PR kit, etc but I like to dabble here sometimes. Its very helpful. Guys, the ACCA exams are not as hard as you think they are. Also, I know this is the wrong place to say this but for those doing the F6, you still get marks in section C even if the figures were incorrect.

    • It should be, depending on how much time you have available each day and assuming that you have already finished your studying.
      Better than practicing past questions is to practice all of the questions in your revision kit (because of the fact that the format of the exam is now different).

  6. Is it necessary you should go through BPP study material ? I am afraid whether I could finish both text,volume is large 🙁 Will the revision kit be fine? as scheme has changed making it 60% for MCQ and 40% for problems .How to score well for MCQ? I think I lost in MCQ this time

  8. Hi sir,

    I have thoroughly gone through all the lectures and notes pertaining f5 and f9 and right now I am solving the revision kit sir can u pls let me know how many past papers should I practice for both f5 and f9 and pls if u can mention the years of the past papers plz sir I will be very thankful to u

    Thanking u in anticipation

      • Thank u for ur prompt response sir u mean to say that I should just practice June 2015 past paper for f5 and f9 along with the kit? Or should I practice 2015 Dec n 2014 as well?

      • Sir I have the latest kaplan kits for both f5 and f9 if I practice all the questions in the kit along with June 2015 past paper will it b enough?

      • Sir Dec 2014 is there in the kit but I just wanted to know should I practice 2013,2012,2011and 2010 June n Dec papers also bcoz sir I will b practicing all the questions in the kit so most of the past papers r already in the kit just wanted to know that full latest kit+ 2015 june would be enough assuming that all the past papers other than 2015 June r there in the kit

  10. hello admin i want to write f5 in dec graduated 2013 …. have tried using the study buddy finder but always receiving an error message if there is any one who wld like to become a study partner and help each other wth ths paper

  12. Hi admin!
    I have finished my bcom (accounting and finance) from calicut university in 2014. I got the online result but i am still waiting for my certificate.
    I’ve heard i would get exemption from few papers thats from F1 to F4. Now for december i am planning to appear for f5. And by jan i’l have my certificate so i can claim for exemptions.
    I am really confused as you appear for F5 exam now or wait till feb. Please advice me on this.

  13. Hi Admin
    I graduated from university in 2006 with a degree in Accounting and Finance. As a result I am exempt from eight papers on Acca. I didn’t manage to find a job within accounting however I now want to do my Acca this December. I was thinking of forfeiting my exemptions and beginning from scratch as it has been a long time. What advice would you give me? Any help will be much appreciated.
    Kind regards
    Alex.

    • I would not forfeit your exemptions – it will mean a lot of extra work and time.

      Although the exams are progressive, not so many of the later exam rely on technical knowledge from the earlier ones.

      If you do find a problem with any of them (because of any technical knowledge that you have forgotten) you can always use the relevant lecture on here for the earlier papers to pick up on it.

      • Thanks a lot for that piece of advice. I have been grappling with it for the past month. I also wanted to commend you guys at open tuition for providing such invaluable help and material.

      • Hi John
        I am planning to sit papers F7, P1, P2 and P3 in December. I was wondering if there are any progression rules that might hinder this.
        Thanks.

      • You can do that, but only if you have passed all of your other F exams (or have been exempted from them), which from what you wrote before is the case.

        However, I do warn you that taking 4 exams at the same time will be hard work – the P level exams are masters degree level. Make sure that you plan plenty of time for studying!

    • I am sorry that you did not pass, but there is no magic formula – it is down to studying and to practice.

      Did you practice lots of exam-standard questions? Do you have a Revision/Exam Kit? You must get a new one for the December exam because of the change in the format of the exam and the introduction of multiple choice questions.

      Why did you only attempt 3 questions? You must attempt all the questions. It is better to have attempted all the questions even if you do not completely finish any of them, rather than to only attempt 3 questions.

  16. I am planning to give F5 in june 2014, I have to start studying yet but my base is very weak provided I studied F2 in 2007 and after that I couldn’t continue studies due to personal reasons. Now I have to study, I have pretty much forgotten what I had studied in F2 and as F2 knowledge is required in F5 do I need to study F2 first and then prepare for F5? if so which topics should I study please guide me as there is very less time remaining until the exam.

  17. hi guys how are you? I need to know where I can find the F5 book, because I have found the class videos but some charapters are not available, so how can I find that material? thanks

    • There is a link to the Course Notes above – you can download them free of charge.

      If you want a Study Text then you will have to buy one from one of the approved publishers. However our notes and lectures contain enough to pass the exam well (provided that you get an Exam/Revision Kit and practice lots if questions )

      • ok I will trust in your advice, thanks to reply so quickly, I was just worried about some charapters as: Chapter 3 Life-cycle costing , Chapter 4, Chapter 9 Short-term decision making but I had checked the course notes and I was insure.
        best regards

      • You are right in that there are no lectures on chapters 3, 4 and 9.
        However they are covered in the course notes (and there are answers at the back to the examples in the notes.
        There will never be a lecture on chapter 4 – as you will see on the list of lectures, the examiner has said that there will not be calculations and it will only ever be a small written part of a question. What is written in the notes is as much as you could need.
        The other two chapters do include some arithmetic but they should be easy enough without lectures (most of chapter 9 is revision of Paper F2).

  19. can any body help me to know if i have bought f5 book in 2011 so was there any appropriate change after 2011 in syllabus that i should buy new one if i am sitting for dec attempt plz answer as soon as possible thank you very much

    • There have been changes to the syllabus, but how many depends on whether your book was for the 2011 exams or whether you bought it in 2011 for the 2012 exams.

      Best is to look at the syllabus on the ACCA website ( https://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-students/acca/f5/studyguides/f5-studyguide-2013.pdf )

      (Make sure that you read the end of it because the examiner removed some topics from the syllabus because they are assumed knowledge from Paper F2, and therefore they are still examinable)

      Our Course Notes and lectures are up-to-date for the current syllabus.

      • thanks for your time however books is for june and dec 2011 sitting and can you also mention me the chapters which cover huge part of exams and which i should cover first then to look rest of area of syllabus

      • hi, All topics need to be covered without a doubt. you cant go wrong practing advance variances and budgeting.

        To better prepare if its been a while since you have done F2 then i suggest you go over those lectures as well as it helps to prepare you for f5 as a lot of it is assumed knowledge.

        Also i would suggest investing in a revision kit. this would have whatever you need along with the lectures and your old study text

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