Interview with Andrew, the ACCA Global Prize winner in Paper P7 December 2014 exams (89 Marks)

Please tell us in which country you live, and what work do you do.

I live in England and work in a private accountancy practice which offers accounting, tax, audit and other services to a range of clients in various sectors/industries.

How much time each week did you spend studying, on average?

I usually start studying for an ACCA exam around three to four months prior to the exam date. Initially I would spend between 10 and 15 hours a week studying, but this would increase to around 20 to 25 hours per week in the 3-4 weeks immediately before the exam.

Which study resources did you use (books / tuition course?

I used a variety of resources: primarily distance learning materials from Kaplan. In addition, I used a BPP study text, the ACCA’s technical articles and (of course!) online OpenTuition notes and lectures.

Did you get support from your firm?

My employer paid for my study materials and gave me time off for study.

What was your approach to your studying?

I like to use as many learning resources as possible (as noted above!). Initially I will read a study text from cover to cover to obtain an overall view of the syllabus. Next, I watch recorded lectures (Kaplan/OpenTuition) before returning to study texts to focus on the more detailed aspects of the syllabus.

Finally, I will practice questions under closed-book exam conditions. I found it important to spend as much time reviewing the model answers and comparing them to my own. For P7 I estimate that I practiced around 120 full length questions (from past exams and provided by Kaplan) – exam technique is very important.

What would you say was the most important factor that helped you to achieve such a high mark?

It was important to study the full syllabus and not skim over areas which I didn’t know. Considerable question practice was important to ensure that I could relate my knowledge to the question being asked, within the exam’s time limit and in a manner that the examiner was looking for.

How did you find out about OpenTuition, and which of our resources did you use?

I stumbled across OpenTuition via Google when looking for additional resources for paper P3 (Business Analysis). I have downloaded and used the course notes along with watching the online lectures.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the rest of the OpenTuition team for the fantastic resources which you have made available online.

Once again, Congratulations!