Interview with F9 Genius Hunt winner in December 2014 exams

Please tell us about yourself

I am an Indian residing in Bahrain. I am basically a full time student, but I do internships in banks in order to complete my ACCA PER requirements.

You have scored 89 marks in Paper F9. How much time each week did you spend studying, on average?
Since I usually take three subjects each session, I spend about 8 hours studying every week.  Before the exams I usually take a break from my internships and study at least 6 hours per day.

Which study resources did you use?
I attend exam preparatory classes, which is usually a 3 hour class, one day per week per subject. The classes helped a lot. The learning providers themselves give us BPP study texts and revision kits. I also use class notes and past exam papers.

What was your approach to your studying?

As soon as a chapter or topic was taught in class, I studied it thoroughly at home. A few days later, I would practice questions relevant to what I learnt. In this way I could revise the topics. About 10 days before the exams I will make sure that I have thoroughly covered all the topics in all the subjects. The last 10 days would then be for my final revision and question practice. I also wrote mock exams and timed myself.

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

F9 is one of my favourite subjects and I would never be satisfied with just a pass mark. Regular study, hardwork and question practice are very important. I think the key factor for my success is motivation. I was motivated to work hard because of my liking for the subject.

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

My friends told me about opentuition. However I joined the site only this February, as it will be useful in preparing for the Professional level exams.