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  1. Sir,
    It is my fourth attempt of P1, (1st 40%, 2nd 42%, 3rd 48%), in all these attempts, I started preparing directly from the kit after making myself familiar with the fundamental concepts.

    It is now for the first time that I am relying on your video lectures. My question is that, will these be enough and what is your advice on how to tackle this paper.

    My plan this time is Your Video Lectures + Notes & Past exam paper. Just to mention, only P4 and P1 are remaining to qualify and have no problems with English Language, both in writing.

    Regards

    • Do you ever PLAN what you are going to write? On your answer booklet? Headed “Plan” and NOT crossed out when you have finished the question?

      How long do you spend in the planning process?

      For a 10 mark sub-dividion of a question, you should be spending 5 minutes jotting down, in bullet point form, 10 markable points

      You then have 15 minutes to write those points out paying great attention to the verb in the question requirement and NOT overrunning your 1.5 minutes per point.

      That means each point has ONE sentence and each sentence has ONE point

      Leave a line between your sentences

      Group related points together (all the advantages grouped together, all the disadvantages together)

      Today, when you read this, take out a piece of paper from your printer, open a book / magazine / newspaper and see how much you can copy in 1 minute 30 seconds.

      And that’s with no thought involved. No adrenalin rush, no pressure.

      But that 3 / 4 lines that you wrote in 1 minute 30 seconds is the MAXIMUM length of a sentence / paragraph in the exam

      Between now and next Wednesday, read a past question requirements, read the question, halve the number of marks and that’s your planning time. Bullet point your planned answer and STOP at the end of your planning time. Did you get to part c? Part d? Part e? Did you get enough bullets? 10 marks, 10 bullets

      Overall, did you score more than half?

      Keep doing that, over and over again until you are heartily sick of the exercise and then …… do it again. Endlessly. Until in the exam room, it’s second nature and you will be used to condensing your sentences into 3 lines. You will be used to expanding 4 bullets (not enough for a 10 mark question!) into 6, 7 maybe even 8.

      Read the printed solutions and repeatedly say, as I used to (!) “I knew that. And that. And that” So why didn’t you include them in your plan?

      Don’t at this late stage sit and try to learn the subject – you should know it backwards by now anyway. Just immerse yourself in it. Let it fill your head. dream about it. And IF you choose to take an evening off with spouse or significant other, gently let P1 concepts float into the conversation.

      There shouldn’t be an evening goes past without some mention of risk management, of integrity, honesty, csr, internal auditors and the role of the audit committee

      Try the planning exercise and see how you go on

      Do it for a complete exam – take 50 minutes over it (100 marks / 2)

      Make sure that you address EVERY part of all three questions that you select (and don’t forget to read the question that you decide not to attempt – there could be one or two relevant points in there that could usefully be incorporated into the three that you DO go for)

      Try it, and let me know how you go on

  6. Hi,

    Are all these videos up to date? From chapter 1 till chapter 15, all valid for the current sitting Dec 2014? As it says 2010 and the old name of the Paper.

    I am preparing to write P1, P3 and P5 this sitting and have spent a lot of time on other papers instead so for P1 is it sufficient to go through these videos and the BPP revision Kit? Please advice.. thanks.

    • Hi, yes, they are all still current. I have recorded a new introduction but have yet to send it to Admin to upload instead of the old one.

      The notes and lectures together with the revision kit should be enough – of course, as always, it depends upon individual students, their motivation, their self-discipline, other demands on their time …. all manner of matters that could affect the effectiveness of studying but, yes, the notes + lectures + revision kit question practice should be enough

  8. Its my 3rd attempt in December 2014 of P1 ( 1st 38% 2nd 46%)and 2nd p3(39%) now m thinking 3 paper I.e. p1 p3 and p6 wht shoud I do to pas these paper.??? Especially for p3

    Note:advise for p1 n p6 also valuable

    • Hi Muazzam

      Sorry to hear you sad news. Clearly I cannot comment about where you are going wrong in P1 without seeing your script.

      However, for you to be scoring in the 30s suggests that there’s something fundamentally wrong in what you’re doing.

      It’s my firm belief that the biggest cause of student failure in the exams is poor technique – it cannot be a lack of knowledge because you wouldn’t go into that exam room if you didn’t feel that you had a reasonable chance of success

      Have you read the exam technique articles on this site for P1, P3 and “General” They may help

      There are 2 articles in Student Accountant archives from maybe 2 years ago by 2 members of the P3 marking team – they could help

      Post your question on the P3 Ask the Tutor and see what Gromit advises.

      And try this – it’s a bit of advice I gave to a P7 student this morning and it’s something we do in class to emphasise the point. It may just help.

      Get hold of a reputable revision kit.

      Read a question requirement.

      Divide the number of marks for the question by 2. That’s the number of minutes you have to plan an answer.

      Ok, plan an answer. Just one word bullet points are ideal.

      At the end of your planning time, stop. Count up the number of different points you have planned to write in a full answer.

      Did you get half marks?

      Check the printed solution to see what you missed. See if the solution has managed to get two separate points out of just one of yours.

      Did you manage to score more than half in each and every part of the question requirements?

      Do this exercise again and again and again ….. until you’re totally sick of doing it.

      And then do it some more.

      I believe that the biggest cause of failure in this exam is an inability to score enough separate points within the time allocation. And that ability has to be spread across all the parts of those questions that you attempt

      Try it, and see what you think

  9. Hello guys, I just failed my first trial on P1 after study for 2 weeks.
    I am planning to take 3 papers one shot (P1, P2 nad P3)
    Can anyone share experience as whether it is too burden?
    Is it possible if I start my revision from now for all the 3 papers?

    • It depends what else you have on your plate? Work? Family? Social life? Sick relatives? Motivation?

      If you are able to devote the time (maybe 5 hours per day every day) then yes, it’s possible. If you can manage more than 5 productive hours in the day, great! That will improve your chances of success each additional hour spent studying.

      But start NOW!

  12. Are these lectures still valid even though it says December 2010 on the slide? And the lecturer also mentions that this paper is no longer going to be there. I guess these are the old lectures but still applicable now???

  15. hello
    I am taking P1 for December 2014 & want to make a pair with either P2 or P3 but confused…………………..:( please anyone tell me which pair proves to be the best…?

  17. Dear prof,

    With due respect, I think that joke about Burkina Faso is in bad taste. Burkinabes have and use mobile phones like you in Uk and myself in Nigeria. They also use the latest tablets and apps that you and I use even though it is a small country. The world has become a global village. So these things have become very commonplace even in Burkina Faso. I suggest that you edit out that part of the lecture which I consider very offensive.

  19. Hello Sir,

    I’ve been studying since mid-January and I’ve just finished reading the entire BBP text, I’m now preparing to watch videos followed by practicing past papers in May. However I find this course very boring and dry, I fall asleep very easily and don’t feel very interested in this topic. Written exams are my weakest by far as I have great difficulty expressing my opinions in written format especially under exam conditions and time constraints, I enjoy other paper composing mostly of calculations. Can you please offer some advise on what I need to do in order to become interested and able to pass P1 this coming June?

    Thank you

    • Its all about the mindset …. you have just convinced your self that you are purely an accountant and anything relating to managing an organisation and its strategies is beyond you…there should be room for flexibility. We are the next CEOs and CFOs … P1and P3 are the fundamental skills needed to achieve those goals…. let’s chance our mindset and lets stay self motivated.

      • Thank you Sir,
        Your online lecturers are very helpful as always, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that we cannot thank you enough for providing. I am changing my mindset as I am determined to pass at the first attempt, I’m also reading technical articles and examiner’s reviews which gives great insight into exam techniques and presentation.
        Have a great day,
        Sonria

  20. Hello,

    I’m planning to sit P1 for June 2014 session. Unfortunatelly I do not have lot of time to study because I’m travelling a lot during the next 2 months but I would like to take at least p1 pecause there is a time pressure for me to finalise ACCA courses.
    What would be your advice for studing?
    I’ve git BPP materials (including course notes) and now I would like to start by accessing the OT lecturers.
    Thank you very much for your support.

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