Forums › ACCA Forums › ACCA AAA Advanced Audit and Assurance Forums › Help how to approach exam
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- November 27, 2012 at 8:09 am #55802
Is it better to answer 1question of partA and then answer both questions in the partB section and then go back to answer the other partA question????
November 27, 2012 at 9:10 am #108839I recommend to begin from part B questions with a strict time management and come back to part A question. I myself usually begin from Part B questions but with a problem of wasting more time by writing more in these part B questions.
See the recent advice on time management from a release by ACCA.
Time management
In an exam, effective time management is vital. If you run out of time, then some questions (or parts) will be left unfinished and marks lost.The key to good time management is to divide the time allowed between the marks available. For example, in a three-hour exam allow 1.8 minutes per mark, and in a two-hour exam allow 1.33 minutes per mark. This allocation gives a rough guide as to how long to spend on a question or part. Candidates often waste time by:
• working on a requirement for longer than necessary because they wish to correct a mistake and amend all related follow on figures
• feeling they have so much to say about a certain requirement that they ‘dump’ all their knowledge in the Candidate Answer Booklet
• persevering for too long with a question even though they are struggling.
Candidates can avoid these problems as follows:
• If you discover an error in a calculation or on a financial statement, only correct the initial error. Don’t waste time making all the follow through corrections. By leaving the original error uncorrected, the only mark(s) lost are those associated with that particular entry or calculation, as ACCA uses a ‘method’ or ‘own figure’ marking policy. If the method adopted is correct, credit will always be given despite incorrect numbers being used.
• Only make as many points as there are marks available. For example, if five marks are available for discussing a theory, only make five (or possibly six) separate points. If the total mark available is a round number, then the examiner usually awards one mark per relevant point made. So, in this situation, even making 10 relevant points will earn no more than the maximum five marks available, and so writing those additional points wastes time.
• If you are struggling to get to grips with a requirement, move on to the next requirement, or even question, leaving enough blank pages in your Candidate Answer Booklet to complete it later. - AuthorPosts
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