*** F9 December 2014 Exam was.. Instant Poll and comments ***

It’s like the exam team said to each other “let us gather the most difficult objectives the world has ever seen” something about yield curve sloping upward or downward I was like wth.?!?! Not sure of 40 marks pure disaster!

link is attached:

https://www.webropolsurveys.com/Answer/SurveyParticipation.aspx?SDID=Uni881233&SID=a434d9d6-56e8-43c2-8021-e00687fa8cb9&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ACCA&utm_campaign=5093279_SDS+-+ACCA+Exam+Feedback+Survey+-+List+No+1&dm_i=47A,315ZZ,7LLIH9,AWH5M,1&dy=400879090

MCQ was just too tricky despite the fact tht i had done the revision kit questions almost twice.

The paper was fair. I love the new format because its easier to finish the papervon time. However, multiple choice, especially tge theory part was tricky

Hi All,

I failed this exam in June – feeling like i had actually done enough to pass when i left the exam hall. When the results were released i was shocked to score only 41 so i came on this forum and saw most people were of the same opinion (even people who passed!) that they had been underscored by about 10 marks. My only options were to pay for a remark but with the end result definitely not going to change i decided to cut my losses and re enter for the December exam!

I worked very very hard around working commitments to study each evening and all weekends up to exam. As like most of you trying to cover the entire syllabus was a task in itself.

By the time i sat the exam i felt more confident than i had before.

In the reading time of the MCQ’s i like others could have left the room and any confidence i did have was definitely wiped out in minutes.

Some of the words used i had never heard of and i am in total agreement with ALOT of people on here who for one reason or another think they’re unfair or tricks – surely this is NOT the right way to examine students fairly!

I have been following comments on here and totally agree with people who believe the ACCA should not be allowed to set exams paper of this level of difficulty and obviously its certainly the majority that felt this way so surely we cannot all be wrong!

I used OT and another provider to study F9 and my tutor from the other provider have actually commented themselves saying “the f9 exam was a disgrace in their opinion”

I appreciate now OT have released their ‘sugggested answers’ some of you may have relaxed a little and as your answers agreed with OT you are not as fuming about the MCQ as you were originally but i ask you in February when the results are out if you fail by a couple of marks it will be too late to voice your opinion other than pay for the remark.

Another issue i find unbelievable is even after the release of the suggestion answers their is still adjusted answers or answers STILL in debate. If people are still debating the answers now (with text books in front of us) how are students expected to make decisions based on the exam day under time constraints and general exam pressure to complete the rest of the paper.

I agree with the person who suggested we should do a petition to the ACCA with all our names on. Whether you now think you might have ‘just’ passed or whether you think you have calculated a comfortable pass, if you originally thought or still think that the MCQs were particular tricky and unfair you need to be a part of this for it to be half effective.

I have seen the survey that has just been posted maybe if we all complete this will be enough but then again i am not sure as we certainly won’t receive a written response.

What do others think about petition or completing the online feedback form?

Thanks

@shelly10 said:
Hi All,

I failed this exam in June – feeling like i had actually done enough to pass when i left the exam hall. When the results were released i was shocked to score only 41 so i came on this forum and saw most people were of the same opinion (even people who passed!) that they had been underscored by about 10 marks. My only options were to pay for a remark but with the end result definitely not going to change i decided to cut my losses and re enter for the December exam!

*Abbreviated quote*

What do others think about petition or completing the online feedback form?

Thanks

I also took F9 in June I felt worst case I would get 55 with a strict marker. I ended up failing with 43 marks which really surprised me! I also saw most people felt they were taken down by 10 marks across the board. Seeing as the pass rate is usually 40% perhaps they had 60% candidates set to pass so they adjusted?

I too worked my ass off for 6 months, I did the revision kit twice over (BPP) / watched all OT lectures again and practised past papers. I could select 20 random MCQs from the kit and get 90% of them correct. Then comes exam day – the MCQs felt fair arithmetically but the knowledge ones were stupid – there were no clear cut answers for a few of them. Very subjective ie which answer is the most correct – gimme a break! This really is not fair and does not test our knowledge and application in a clear cut way. Even I believe one of the Qs was so subjective that the OT tutor decided to change his original answer. This should not be happening – if it was a clear one way answer there would be only one possible solution.

Now moving on to the Part B questions is again a story of them throwing curve balls left and right by changing the information they provide or asking for an answer that we have not gone through anything of the sort in our Revision kits. This is not P4 and I do not think it fair at our level to have to know that. Why would they make it too rigorous for rigor sake? The specimen exam was so straight forward – but all Qs in this session were not representative.

Further thoughts?

Frankly speaking the new format is not healthy for Professional Level. So I may say that Section A is suitable for Certificate Level only.

It looks like we have lost our usual truck and started following Certificates level. Why could 40 marks be subsidized to multiple choice. We are professional so lets continue with old format

I also agree. In June I was expecting at least 55 but when results were known it was 46. And I also was shocked. This time did new exam kit of Kaplan 2 times, watched some videos of Opentuition (not all of them) and was very confident that this time I will score more but questions in MCQ part were very difficult. In OT online f9 tests it took in general max 40-50 minutes to complete the tests but this time in exam it took 82 minutes to compelte MCQs plus some questions are tricky and were not mentioned in books. And the rest of the questions in B part was designed in such a way that it is hard to do everything in this time-frame.
ACCA is earning money and is interested in our failures that’s all.

I also sat F4 which was 70% multiple choice. But I felt this worked as the Law is very knowledge based and has only one answer usually for these exams as they are rules and facts. I feel F9 is less suited to multiple choice.

Section A was too tricky as was expected, and Section B was quite normal to be tested

The paper was tough. multiple choice questions…aaaah not good mmmh!