• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

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

  • ACCA
  • CIMA
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Books
  • Forums
  • Ask AI
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
  • ACCA Forums
  • Ask ACCA Tutor
  • CIMA Forums
  • Ask CIMA Tutor
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Buy/Sell Books
  • All Forums
  • Latest Topics

20% off ACCA & CIMA Books

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

Failed p4 5 times, considering moving to P7

Forums › Ask ACCA Tutor Forums › Ask the Tutor ACCA AAA Exams › Failed p4 5 times, considering moving to P7

  • This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by MikeLittle.
Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • April 20, 2017 at 12:02 am #382756
    Marta
    Member
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 1
    • ☆

    Dear tutor,

    I would like to ask for advice regarding my next move. I just failed P4 for the 5th time (40% fail) All previous attempts I failed at 46-48%. I attended online classes at BPP for the first 2 attempts (learning module as well as revision sessions both times). After that, I continued by myself, since I already had the material and the online resources available from the ACCA website. For this last attempt, I attended the revision course at Kaplan, which I hoped would help me improve my exam technique and clear out any areas I may have troubles with. That did not work either since I failed again.

    I think it is pretty clear I have some issues with the subject and I am considering moving onto an area I may be more comfortable with. My initial plan when it came to choosing the options a couple of years ago was to take P5 and P7; however, I ended up taking P5 and P4 instead. I think it may be time to go back to my initial plan but I would like some expert advice before I make my final decision.

    All of the other exams I passed the first time except P5, which I failed once, and of course this one.

    I work full time with regular 9am-6pm and monthly busy periods for month end and forecasting (so the first 2 weeks of each month tend to be very busy, with late nights etc) but I make sure that does not affect my weekends.

    Is it sensible to start over with a new paper or is it better to keep persevering with P4?
    If I should go for P7, should I enrol into a full course as I have done for all my other papers? What is the best way to tackle P7?
    I think that if I take P7 I should probably start studying soon but I am not likely to be able to sit the exam until either September or December (June is too soon as it clashes with half year at work, September would be ideal but I am worried about the summer holidays and the budgeting period getting the best of me so it may end up being December)

    Thanks in advance for your help and apologies for the very long message

    Regards,

    Marta

    April 20, 2017 at 7:37 am #382772
    MikeLittle
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 27
    • Replies: 23322
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Oh Marta, what a sorry tale of woe that is 🙁

    This sounds to me like a classic examination technique problem! It’s difficult to imagine taking an exam 5 times (particularly after paying for 3 courses) and coming out with a score of 40%

    Think seriously about changing course mid-stream … is it the subject matter or is it a technique problem?

    If it’s technique, we can work on that.

    But if it’s the technical content of the paper, then maybe a switch would be justified

    Have you written to John Moffat and asked his advice about where you may be going wrong with P4?

    If you have already pretty well made your mind up about switching to P7 then consider this

    Dependent upon the time you have available to devote to reading / studying on top of all your work commitments, I wouldn’t necessarily rule out June 2017 … but that depends on motivation and time available

    I found, as a student, that when I had exams 18 months into the future I couldn’t get motivated enough “Oh, they’re not until next year – I needn’t start yet. Besides, I will have forgotten all the stuff that I learn now by the time the exam comes along”

    If you have a target date for taking the June exam, that could put some ooomph into your approach

    Here’s what I recommend to P7 students:

    Don’t spend money on a study text!

    Open a revision kit / exam kit from a reputable publisher and read it, from start to finish, question, answer, question, answer, question, answer, question, answ…. and keep doing that, reading the book from start to finish

    When I say “read” that’s exactly what I mean. Don’t try to learn. Don’t try to memorise. Just read

    Pay attention to the way in which the specific question requirement is addressed

    Notice how many different points are raised in the answers

    Reflect upon the professionalism of the answer

    And read too:

    examiner’s reports

    the last 10 technical articles

    my exam technique article on the P7 home page

    the exam technique article on the P3 (yes, P3) home page “From a marker’s perspective” – this article repeats the advice from my own article but it may reassure you to know that the advice is not mine alone but is supported by no less a person than a member of the P3 marking team

    But, most of all, read that book over and over again and again until 22 May and then post again for the remainder of the advice on how to tackle P7

    OK?

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • The topic ‘Failed p4 5 times, considering moving to P7’ is closed to new replies.

Primary Sidebar

Donate
If you have benefited from our materials, please donate

ACCA News:

ACCA My Exam Performance for non-variant

Applied Skills exams is available NOW

ACCA Options:  “Read the Mind of the Marker” articles

Subscribe to ACCA’s Student Accountant Direct

ACCA CBE 2025 Exams

How was your exam, and what was the exam result?

BT CBE exam was.. | MA CBE exam was..
FA CBE exam was.. | LW CBE exam was..

Donate

If you have benefited from OpenTuition please donate.

PQ Magazine

Latest Comments

  • Salimbek909 on The nature and structure of organisations – ACCA Paper BT
  • Sefater on Chapter 3 – Property Income and Investments – Individuals TX-UK FA2023
  • adityachaudhry on Discounted cash flow techniques (part 3) – ACCA (AFM) lectures
  • nuripamir on ACCA Administrative Review
  • Jherddie on CIMA E3 Chapter 8 Test

Copyright © 2025 · Support · Contact · Advertising · OpenLicense · About · Sitemap · Comments · Log in