Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free Notes, Lectures, Tests and Forums for ACCA and CIMA exams

20% off ACCA & CIMA Books

OpenTuition recommends the new interactive BPP books for March and June 2025 exams.
Get your discount code >>

Which is the best combination of ACCA Papers?

VIVA

Many students have problems choosing which combination of ACCA exams to sit. We have conducted a survey, and over a 1,000 students participated.

Here are the results:

2 ACCA Papers – the best combination

2 ACCA papers best combination

2 ACCA papers

3 ACCA Papers – the best combination

3 ACCA Papers best combination

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi, I wondered whether you may be able to advise me if possible please?

    I am looking to sit 3 exams in Decemeber, and need to choose between F6, F7, F8 and F9.

    Which 3 would you recommend sitting together?

    Many thanks,
    Tim

    • Hi Tim

      The ACCA recommend that you tackle these exams in sequence so 6,7 and 8 would be the answer

      Thinking ahead, and assuming you pass the 3 that you settle on, next June sees the last F and then ?????

      Yes, P1 and probably P2 following the ACCA advice.

      P2 is a big step up from F7 and it would be difficult to follow P2 consolidations if you haven’t suffered F7

      Ok, so F7 is a must for this December.

      F8 is a lot of common sense and some technical knowledge. Given that you are an intelligent person, (I’m assuming!) then I don’t believe that the stress of studying F8 will be too great

      So that’s F7 and F8 so far.

      What little I know about F6 and F9 …. it’s difficult for me to make that choice.

      I imagine that F6 would be the one to get out of the way.

      That would leave F9 for June 2015 and that would be a good basis for the equivalent P level option paper

      This looks like I’m leaning heavily towards F6, F7 and F8!

      Hope that helps

  2. Dear John Moffat,
    I’ve been following ur video lectures on f9 and must commend that they are really helpful. I have challenge on my study time $ I think this made me to fail 3 papers(f5 f6 and f7) last attempt was June 2011. But now I want to resit f7 and attempt f9 in Dec’14. Is dis doable. Pls advise what other study style can I adopt considering the fact that am full time worker. Your advise will be most appreciated. Tnx

    • Hi Ogama

      Thank you for the comment about the lectures 🙂

      Certainly resitting F7 and attempting F9 should be doable. (Although I do not understand why you do not want to rest F5 and/or F6 while the knowledge is still more fresh in your mind).

      With regard to study style, you do not say what you method of studying has been in the past. My suggestion (whichever papers you decide to take in December) is that you watch all of our free lectures (using with them our free Course Notes), and that when you feel confident in the topics you practice as many questions as you can. For this you really should obtain a Revision/Exam Kit from one of the approved publishers – they contain lots of exam standard questions to practice on. Try the questions yourself first (without looking to the answers) and only afterwards check with the answer and learn from your mistakes.

      In particular, spend time thinking about the written parts of questions. In F7 and F9 there are a lot of marks for the written parts – too many people concentrate solely on the calculations and lose marks on the written parts.

      Finally, if you have any problems or are confused about anything, then do ask in the relevant Ask the ACCA Tutor forums. We will do our best to try and help.

  3. Hello everyone,

    Firstly, thanks for sharing your knowledge about the ACCA. Really helpful.

    One question:

    I have just passed F5 and F6 with 74% and 71% respectively and only by self-study and working full time

    What do you think of sitting F7-F8-F9 assisting classes?

    About the Oxford Brooke’s degree. I opted in when I registered and I have the English qualification as well, Is there anything else I need to do?

    Thank you in advance!

  4. Hi – I have passed all other f papers – hope to sit f6 and f7 in December (I’ve already studied both syllabus but will need to revise!) I’d also like to take on one of compulsory p exams in December – what would you suggest p1 2 or 3 or am I being unrealistic?
    Thanks

    • If you are confident that you have the time to revise properly for F6 and F7, then I suggest you take P1. (The ACCA suggest that you take the papers in numerical order)

      But do make sure that you revision of F6 and F7 includes lots of question practice. It is practising exam standard questions that is more important than anything else 🙂

  5. Hi I was advised to do combine F6 nd F9 with F5 in dec cos my retake F5 and I think it was my lack of time mgt dt y I did pass so if I practice questn a lot. Nd revise it,guess it will be ok.so will the combination go

  8. sir,

    can you please advice me the best way to study P4 & P5 for december 2014 exams, like should i depend more on study text or else should i just use course notes and revision kit (along side with your video lectures). thank you

  9. i have not yet started to study for the December 2014 exams i work full time (8 to 5 Monday to Friday) do you think it is possible to start study both P1 and P2 for the exams in December

    • Yes! By all means. What I suggest for P1 is repetitive reading through the course notes free on this site. It should take not much longer than 2 hours – just reading through. Do that 3 or 4 times. Then open a revision kit of past exam questions and plan what you would have written for those questions if they had faced you in an exam environment

      Check your plan against the printed solution

      Then do the next one, and the next one and the next one and the ne ……

      You get the idea

      For P2, read through the free course notes and appreciate the solutions

      2 or 3 times

      Now, get into a revision kit (and be prepared for a major shock!) but don’t get disheartened.

      Try the past exam questions and check your efforts against the solutions.

      Appreciate where you went wrong and then do them again, and again, and aga….. you get the idea

      Then, when you come across something you really cannot understand, post again

      And then it’s December

  10. Hi,

    I will be sitting my first two ACCA exams in Dec 2014. I am exempt from F1-F4, I am unsure which papers to sit, are there any suggestions as to what papers I should begin with? I was also unsure what a suitable pairing woukd be for F5 as I will not be doing F4? Sorry if this has already been answered before.

    Thank you.

    • The ACCA recommends that you attempt the exams in the same sequence as their numbers (not a big issue, but that’s what they recommend)

      Because those first three are all cbe (are you near an approved cbe centre?) there really is no issue about when to take them

      As for a partner for F5, it seems that F6 or F7 would go well with that (even F8 bit not F9)

      Hope that helps

      • Thanks for the reply.

        If I was to sit them as follows:
        F5 & F6,
        F7 & F8,
        F9 & P1
        or is there a better option which would suit P1?

        Thank you,
        Priya

      • Your plan is very sensible (and F9 and P1 together does make sense also – it is good to take a calculation paper (F9) together with a written paper (P1)).

      • However, would F5 and F6 be too hard when the exams come round and they are the day after each other? And if (worst case scenario), I fail F6, will all the tax rules be different next year?

      • Well, answering your second question first, yes, the tax rules will change.

        The basic principles of governments raising money through taxation doesn’t change though so the fundamental elements remain the same

        The fact that the exams are on consecutive days shouldn’t be a problem – how much F6 learning were you planning to leave to that last 24 hours before the exam!?

      • Ha I’m not much of crammer. I study consistently throughout the year, just 3hrs and 15mins exams two days in a row would be tiring but doable I guess. Thanks for your help.

  12. i have already studied f8 which i will re sit in dec 14 attempt..now is it better to take p1 and p2 along with f8 or p2 and p3..btw i want to take p2 p3 i just need ur advice..my all other F level papers are clear.

    • Hmm, I think maybe just P2 – it’s one BIG step up from F7!!

      If you insist on three papers (including the F8 resit) maybe think about entering for F8 with P1 and P3.

      Most students seem to like mixing a written paper with a numbers paper but P2 is one heck of a numbers paper so maybe try the other 2 P essentials

      • well i am more comfortable with p2 so i want 2 choose bw p1 and p3 which one is easier..?? i cant handle too much theory 3 theory papers at a time.

      • Hi

        I keep being asked “Which paper is easier?” and I keep being reminded of the presenter on “Who wants to be a millionaire?” who annoyingly keeps saying “These questions are only easy if you know the answers”

        It’s the same with ACCA exam papers – they’re all easy if you know your stuff

        The ACCA recommend that you take the papers in sequence so why not go for F8 resit, P1 and P2?

    • No – you have to complete your F papers (or be taking them at the same time).

      The only think that you could do is register for F4, F9 and P1, but then not attend for F9. However you would not be refunded the exam fee for F9.

    • You can, but it will mean losing an exam entry fee. You could enter for F4, F9 and P1 but simply not turn up for F9

      Why not instead enter for F9 and P1 and aim to do the F4 with effect from 19 November when F4 becomes available to be attempted on line. Of course, that means that you should have near to you an approved cbe examination centre

  17. I am new to the ACCA and have just gained exenption of paperF1 , I would want to take paper F2 and F3 through CBE in November and then take Papers F4 and 8 in December 2014. Please advice

    • Taking F2 and F3 by CBE in November should be no problem, provided that you have a CBE centre in your area (I do not know which country you are in). You can find a list of CBE providers on the ACCA website.

      Is there any special reason for wishing to take F4 and F8 in December? You are certainly allowed to, but I ask because both papers are written (as opposed to calculations) and most people prefer to mix the papers. The ACCA recommend that the papers are taken in numerical order, which would make F4 and F5 maybe a better choice. (Especially since F5 is a continuation of F2, and you would just have been studying for F2)

      F4 will be available as CBE from 19 November, and so for that paper you are not fixed to a December date.

      Whatever you decide, do not underestimate the level of difficulty. It is important that you start studying now.
      We have free lectures and Course Notes for all of the papers. You should also get hold of a Revision/Exam Kit from one of the approved publishers. They contain lots of exam standard questions and the more practice you get the better.

      If you have any problems with your studies, then do ask on the relevant Ask the ACCA Tutor forum and we will try to help.

  18. Hi Delson

    Three papers may be too much. If you were to read John Moffat’s recent posts about F5 and F9 and about how they are not really closely related, he suggests that by trying the two together could cause you some degree of confusion

    Are F5 and F9 your last two at the F level? I presume they must be if you’re talking about moving on into P2

    P2 is itself a really tough paper so trying that together with F9 which yoiu have already failed once could be too much.

    However, F5 with F9 is itself not a good combination.

    But, if those are the only 2 F level papers left, then try those two and forget about P level until next June

    Hope that helps but sorry to appear to be so negative

  19. I have papers F6-P1 left to complete. I am looking to complete 2exams in Dec ’14 and 3exams in June ’15. What order would you recommend? I was thinking F6 & F8 followed by F7, F9 and P1?

    • That sounds like a reasonable plan although maybe F7, F9 and P1 could be sen as ambitious.

      If you’re prepared to potentially waste an exam entry fee, you could maybe do the three exams F6, F7 and F8 in December.

      If you should happen to fail 1 of them, then at least you will have done a lot of work in that area so a resit with the F9 and P1 would not be so bad

      What do you think?

      • I am afraid that you cannot take F7, F8 and P1 in December.
        You have to finish your F papers before starting your P papers (or be taking them at the same time)

        Sorry 🙁

Leave a Reply