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?

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

  2. hi mike and john..i need your advice please
    last sitting I had 40%-f5, 46%-f7, 44%-f9 and 44% in f6 please advice on what I should sit for in December considering the changes and the best study strategy. thank you in advance

    • It seems that 4 papers is stretching you too much! I would recommend that you concentrate your efforts into probably just two papers. The ACCA recommend that you take the papers in numerical sequence and I cannot think of any good reason to vary that advice.

      F6 you should certainly attempt in December because the rates and rules will change for the 2015 exams

      I suppose therefore that my recommendation is for F5 and F6

      Let’s see what John has to say!

  4. Hi,

    i failed F8 and F9 for june ’14 sitting,and f8 i already took 3rd time and get 43 marks only.and F9 only 31 marks.now i have tuition for F7 so what is yr advise for this december sitting?

    • What about F7 with F8. For F8 you need no longer to look at any study text – you should now be into a revision kit of past questions and answers. Do you have a senior, colleague, friend, relation that is already qualified and who will be honest with you?

      Ask him / her to look at some of your past exam F8 answer attempts to appraise them critically and try to show you why you continue to fail this paper

      There really is no reason why anyone should not be capable of successfully attempting F8!

  6. Hi,

    Could do with some advice please if possible.

    Unfortunately I need to resit F9 in December as I failed it in June 2014. I sit 2 papers per sitting and I’ve passed F1 – F8. Which paper would you recommend to sit with F9 in December? I’ve heard P2 is really difficult so I’d like to steer away from that one (I think?), so my choices are P1 or P3?

    Thanks in advance,
    Terri

  7. Hello!

    I’m struggling with picking up the best combination for f6. I have F6, F7, F8, F9 left and I don’t know what to choose. Based on the diagrams it is either f7 or f8, what would you suggest?

  9. hi
    i want to ask. if i take p2 p3 p4 p6 for this dec exam, it is tough or not? since i repeated p2 p3. and this is my last semester supposedly. and i am full time student. and i have hard time to make decision which paper i would take for this dec exam. would u help me?
    thank you

    • 4 P level exams is asking a lot of yourself! particularly since you have already tried two and not reached the required standard

      I think if it were me in this situation, I would try to get through the two papers already attempted

      What do you mean “and this is my last semester ”

      Are you time barred by ACCA or is this the end of your full-time studies?

      • last semester for me means my learning provider provide one and a half year minimum to finish study.

    • F7 with F9 is quite a popular combination

      As for advice re F7, practice, then practice again and then practice some more, and more and more

      Get hold of a reputable publisher’s revision kit and start in NOW practising the multiple choice questions.

  11. Dear tutor,
    In this Dec session I’ll take F4 n F6 exam.Then I have left F5,7,8&9 sub in part 2.Which is the best combination for next jun series 2015 exam.Someone suggest me that F8 is most suitable for the last combination as is difficult and it includes all area of ideas in f7,9…like that!But I don’t know clearly,so plz give me some advice in order to pass the combination sub in first attempt.Thz in advance…

    • Why not F5 and F7? And why do you want to believe the word of someone else who says F8 is difficult? Different students find different papers difficult. You may find F8 to be incredibly straight-forward, but struggle with a paper that your friend found to be easy.

      F5 and F7 is as good a combination as any. F7 with F8 is a popular combination but that would leave you with F5 with F9 and that’s not such a good idea? Although it’s a popular choice I believe that John warns of the possibility that you could confuse the issues from those two papers

      I’d go for F5 with F7 followed by F8 with F9

      Ok?

      • As Mike said in his reply to you, F5 and F9 together is not such a good idea. Although they both have the word ‘management’ in the title, performance management is very different to financial management. You are certainly allowed to do them together, but you risk causing yourself a lot of confusion.

  12. hi I am new to OT but am hoping to get the most and best from here.i need advice based on my effort and concidering the December changes. I had 40% in F5, 46% in F7 and 44% in f9 I also attempted tax 40% should I try to do all these papers again.if so what would be the best strategy to use

    • I would suggest that you tried to take on too much last time – 4 exams in one sitting is very hard to achieve.
      In December I would restrict it to just perhaps 2 exams (F5 and F6). It is better to take a bit longer to get through all the exams, rather than to fail many on the way. I would certainly take F6 as one of them because all the tax rules will change if you wait until June next year.

      The syllabuses for all four of the exams will be the same in December as last June, and so you do not have extra things to learn.

      You should go through the relevant free lectures on here to really revise properly what you learned before, but most importantly you should practice as many questions as possible.
      I assume that already have Revision/Exam kits. However for F5 (and F7 and F9 is you choose to take them), the December exam will include a section with multiple choice questions. It would therefore be worthwhile getting new Revision/Exam Kits for these papers so that you can practice this different style of question. (For F6 this does not apply, and so your existing Revision Kit is sufficient)

      Do make use of our Ask the ACCA Tutor forums – if there is anything you are not clear about, then do ask in the forums and we will do our best to help.

    • It very much depends which exam you are talking about – for most of the exams there have been some changes in the syllabus. In some cases fairly minor, but in others more substantial. Also, for Papers F4 to F9 (excluding F6) you will be aware that the format (layout) of the exams are changing for December. If you are referring to one of these papers then certainly you should get a new Revision Kit in order to get practice on this type of question.
      Whether or not you need a new Study Text depends on which paper.

      • Sorry – I didn’t notice that you said before it was P1 馃檨

        Best is to ask the question in the P1 Ask the ACCA Tutor Forum, and Mike (the P1 tutor) will be able to help you.

  14. Hey Mike and John,
    I was almost giving up but I passed F7 after 2 trials,Now what is the best combination in F series should I take?.My problem is time management since am a full time working mother of 2 7yrs and 3yrs.Can I take 2 papers and still make I am tired of being a failure or I stick to 1 paper and concentrate on it,many thanks to open tuition and for the past papers.

    • Hi Monasha

      Having lived through the trials of trying to work and at the same time help to look after a young family, I appreciate your dilemma. But the answer lies within you! How much time can you devote to studying after the children are in bed? Is it possible for Gran to look after them – maybe for a day at weekends – or babysit them for a couple of hours each evening?

      Is the father around to take some of the pressure off you to give you those precious extra study time hours.

      You don’t say which F level papers you are faced with. please give me an idea and thenwe can see whether 2 in one sitting is possible and let me know how many hours per week you can put into this. And be realistic when you estimate the hours available!

      • Thanks Mike,

        I can only depend on the father over the weekends the grannie lives away from us but I can get extra help if I organize myself though quite expensive.Well about which paper,I tried F4 and F5 and failed I almost gave up,I went ahead for F6 and F7 and passed F7.So please advice on which paper I should try to tackle.

        Thank you in advance.

      • Hi again – so you have F4 – F9 excluding F7 and you have already tried F4 and F5. Right so far?

        I think you should have another go at F4 – it’s cbe from 19 November (do you have a local cbe centre) and enter also for F5

        Spend the rest of August, September and October working on your F4 with a bit of F5 thrown in for variety and interest (50% / 50% F4 and F5 throughout October and up to 12 November). Then concentrate / focus on F4 and take the F4 cbe as soon as you are able after November 19.

        Spend the rest of November studying F5 and do that exam in December

        You are presumably aware that all the F level exams will now have a percentage of mcqs in there so you’ll need as a minimum new revision kits so you can get plenty of practice of mcqs and there will be some on this site soon

      • Hey Mike,
        To be precise I am in Mombasa,Kenya.I don’t know much about the CBE unless I check out for that but I believe its possible.Do you think the past papers on open tuition will still be useful with the new changes on exam structures which I believe are meant to be beneficial to us.I forgot to mention that I passed F7 after joining OT to me its my Savior,So I will still depend on that whats your take on that.
        Thank you once again.

      • The new formats for the F level papers do not affect the syllabus content (minor changes) so the recorded lectures are still fine (except where the refer to question numbers and the format of the paper.

        Nice to have you as a member of the OT family and, remember, we are always here to help you

  15. Dear Sir ,

    First of All thanks to Sir. Mike Little for F7 , I passed my Paper F7 and F8 in first attempt , now I am confused in taking the further papers most of my colleagues told me that to take 3 Papers i.e. F9, P1, P2 but some told me not to take 3 I should go with 2 Papers and that would be F9, P2 . as F9 and P2 are both tough Papers and need extensive practice, I would be very grateful to you if you give me some advice on what should I do ? I mean should I take 3 papers or 2 and how should I prepare for this session a study plan would be very helpful although I am attending my college I am a full time student but still I watch OT Lectures .

    Thank You in Advance

    • Dear John Sir ,

      First of All thanks to Sir. Mike Little for F7 , I passed my Paper F7 and F8 in first attempt , now I am confused in taking the further papers most of my colleagues told me that to take 3 Papers i.e. F9, P1, P2 but some told me not to take 3 I should go with 2 Papers and that would be F9, P2 . as F9 and P2 are both tough Papers and need extensive practice, I would be very grateful to you if you give me some advice on what should I do ? I mean should I take 3 papers or 2 and how should I prepare for this session a study plan would be very helpful although I am attending my college I am a full time student but still I watch OT Lectures .

      Thank You in Advance

      • Congratulations on passing F7 and F8 – I will pass your thanks on to Mike.

        F9 and P2 certainly are both tough papers, but I would take them in numerical order (as the ACCA recommend). If you decide to take 2 papers, then F9 and P1; whereas if you decide to take three papers then F9, P1 and P2.

        As to whether to take 2 or 3 papers, it so much depends on how much time you have available for studying. You say that you are a full time student. If you are studying ACCA at college then certainly you should be able to cope with 3 papers. However, if you are studying something else at college and therefore studying for ACCA at home in the evenings/weekends then obviously time is more limited and 2 papers would be better.

        We cannot produce a study plan for you – so much depends on what time you have available, and only you know that. Essentially you should work through the free lectures on here for whichever papers you decide to do, and leave plenty of time to practice every question in your Revision/Exam Kits – it is practice that is so essential.

        (and obviously when you have any problems then ask them in the relevant Ask the ACCA Tutor Forum and we will do our best to help.)

      • Dear John Sir ,

        Thanks for the reply .

        Yes I am a fulltime student and studying ACCA in an Approved College of ACCA and as you said I have much free time i.e I have 3 Days classes and 4 days off , so can I take 3 papers ?

        I will try to cover P1 from OT as well and any other issues which I face I would try to post them in OT Ask Tutor Forum.

  16. hi John
    am revising for f6 & f7 for December 14 what advice do you
    have for me in passing this time around. Because I want to pass very well.
    thank you and stay blessed for you are doing a good job.

    • Hi Monica

      The best advice that I can give you is obviously to study, but then to practice, practice and practice.

      You don’t say whether you or taking F6 and F7 for the first time, or are retaking.
      Whichever it is, you should download our free Course Notes and use them while watching our free lectures.

      Make sure that you obtain a Revision/Exam Kit from one of the approved publishers and practice every question. Do not look at the answers until you have had a good go yourself, and then learn from your mistakes.

      If you are unclear about anything then do ask for help in the relevant Ask the Tutor forum.

      Finally, read the reply from Mike Little to Sharlene (further down this page). Everything he has written about preparing a study schedule is relevant for any ACCA exams.

    • Hi

      I am sorry that you failed F5, but having got 45 there is no reason why you should not be able to pass in December.
      Practicing questions is vital – if you do not have a Revision/Exam Kit from one of the approved publishers then do get one (and if you do have one, then consider getting one from another publisher so that you have different questions to try).
      Remember also that in December all the F papers will have a section A containing multiple choice questions. We will be uploading shortly tests containing this type of question so that you can practice, but a new Revision Kit will have lots of them.

      Do think carefully about whether or not you will have the time to study for all three papers. It is certainly possible, but there are a lot of rules to learn for F6. F9 is much more about understanding, but be careful – many people think F5 and F9 are similar, but this is not the case and can cause confusion.

      With regard to planning a work schedule, do read what Mike has written lower down this page in reply to Sharlene. Although she is taking different papers, everything he has written is equally applicable to all papers.

      (and as Mike has written, do make use of our Ask the Tutor Forums if you have any problems – we will do our best to help 馃檪 )

      • They are both good, so it is hard to choose between them.

        Were you happy with the style and the content of the BPP Paper F5 book? If you were then probably best to stay with BPP. (If not then maybe change 馃檪 )

  19. Do what all the prize-winning students do! Organise a schedule showing those days and hours that you have set aside for revision (F8) and for studying (P1)

    Make sure that you build into that schedule some leisure time for family, friends, birthday parties, friends’ weddings, sporting activities and whatever else you spend leisure time on.

    Build into the schedule regular breaks – maximum concentration time according to a recent American study is 45 minutes

    Try to do 2 sessions per evening for 4 evenings in the week and 8 sessions (at least!) for either Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully you can motivate yourself to doing another 3 or 4 sessions on the other weekend day

    Revise whatever you were taught in P1 in the evening as you travel home or when you get home (don’t do this if you’re driving)

    If you’re on public transport, try flipping through F8 pass cards or P1 mnemonics or just the opentuition course notes for F8 or P1

    Enlist the help of your family (see if they can take some of your own other workload off you – cooking, cleaning, ironing, and whatever else it is that women do and promise them that you’ll make it up to them after you have passed your exams. Hopefully they won’t remember your promise)

    Tell your friends what your plans are and ask them please not to invite you out except on one or two evenings per week – Friday night lime and one other?

    As you plan your schedule, make it achievable! Don’t plan for 16 hours a day revision after work or 24 hours a day at weekend. If it’s not achievable, it’s demotivating and will have completely the opposite effect that you are trying to achieve

    Decide early on which chapters for which paper you’re going to be looking at on which days at which time – and then stick to that time allocation!

    And keep asking questions on opentuition – we are here to help you 馃檪

  20. Hi Mike and John

    just wanted to let you know you all are doing a great job. with your assistance I passed all my F papers except for the June 2014 sitting I failed F8. I have already started studying for P1 now I have to do two theory papers for December 2014 sitting which I am not excited about since I don’t particulary like reading that much. can you give me some advice on studying for two theory papers . Factoring full time job 8-5 self studying F8 attending classes for P1

Leave a Reply