ACCA F1, F2, F3 Exam Tips
How To Pass Acca F1, F2, F3 Exams
 |
| ACCA F1, F2, F3 Exam Tips - Study Material Of Accounting |
Introduction
This
article is provided by Study Material Of Accounting and it discusses important
Acca F1,F2,F3 Exam tips by top tutors and tuition providers to help acca
students..
First
3 ACCA papers F1, F2 and F3 are purely tested via multiple choice
question and so cover whole of the syllabus areas and topics.
Remember: Area or Topic spotting doesn’t help and instead will decrease chances of success in CBE Exams.
F1 – Accountant in Business
It
is purely a theory based paper so it means you have to remember
information flood. The easiest way of remembering this is to take walk
through the specific topic and then collect those information which is
important in that topic and make a note of it. Try drawing things and
their interrelationships so that they could easily be remembered.
As
the name states, Accountant in Business, it is about Business and its
relationships with Accountants. You must make sure that you learn the
key aspects and Keep that in mind area spotting or topics will be going
to make things difficult.
F2 – Management Accounting
This
paper is give key aspects and base about management accounting. It
involves number with theory so you need to work on both sides
simultaneously. Practice number will help you to get the numbers right.
While you must learn theory in order to pass the exam.
Remember formulae
so that you can calculate numbers. There is equal chance of question to
on number in comparison to theory. You must therefore read the whole
syllabus.
F3 – Financial Accounting
Totally
basic financial accounting so you should practice more and more on
double entries and other key areas. They will also help you in other
papers ahead. You must practice at least 1 or 2 full mock before going
to exam hall or CBE center. There are lot practice question available
over internet for this like opentuition gives mocks or revision tests
etc.
Remember
not to spot any specific area, you must do statements, consolidation as
they are most important topic in F3 which is going to be used in F7 –
Financial Reporting paper.
CBE or Manual?
Mostly
students say that computer based exam (CBE) are hard while Manual are
easy. But the fact is not as such. Both are equally tough while CBE have
an advantage over Manual that you can give it at any time and will get
result instantly after paper end. Manual takes time for result so you
will have to wait for it.
Common
thing in CBE and Manual is that paper is based on Multiple Choice
Question so you should not waste your time preparing six months for
manual while you have the option for going towards CBE.
Remember
never spot any specific area in Fundamentals as they are made out whole
syllabus area so there is an equal chance that every area to be tested.
Do start your preparation at least 2 months before CBE if you have
taken more than 1 paper at a time.
ACCA F1, F2, F3 Exam Tips By Kaplan :
Why should I attempt a CBE, rather than a PBE?
We
think that there are more advantages for students to sit a computer
based exam. Please view our comparison table below which should help you
to decide.
| Benefits of taking CBE compared to a PBE | |
|---|---|
| Computer Based Exam (CBE) | Paper Based Exam (PBE) |
| Dates & times are flexible, available throughout the year, so you should be able to select an exam date and time to suit your personal circumstances. | Fixed date per paper, once in June and once in December, starting at 10am GMT. |
| Sat at Kaplan centre (if you are a Kaplan student, this will be a familiar location; you know where to park and how much time it takes to get there, making you more relaxed on the exam day). | Sat at ACCA regional exam centre (formal situation which can put pressure on students, especially if you don’t know the location). |
| Book your exam directly with Kaplan, when it suits you (subject to availability). | Formal ACCA exam entry process with strict deadlines. |
| Answers entered directly on computer, which you can review and amend easily. | Answers marked in official exam answer booklet. Special process to follow to change an answer. |
| Results available immediately at end of exam, so no worrying wait for results. | Results released by the ACCA approximately 9 weeks after each exam sitting |
| Get feedback on marks achieved per topic, so can identify areas for additional study. | No feedback on exam. |
| If necessary, can resit exam almost immediately (subject to CBE availability) whilst topics are still fresh in your mind. | Will have to wait 6 months to resit a paper-based exam. |
How should I prepare for a CBE?
The
whole of the syllabus is examine-able therefore you should have
practiced and be confident in all syllabus areas. To give you the best
chance of passing and full support, we recommend that you join a Kaplan
course. There are various options available: Part-time Pass & Go,
Full-time, Live Online, Online and Distance Learning. Alternatively, you
could purchase separate Kaplan Publishing study materials.
Practice
You
should aim to work as many practice questions as possible. With lots of
practice you will recognise familiar patterns and formats and this will
make it easier in the real exam.
As
a Kaplan student you should also practice questions on MyKaplan.
Answering questions on a computer screen is very different to answering a
paper exam therefore practicing answering computer based questions is
vital.
Read
each question carefully. Sounds obvious, but many students try and find
the question that they are familiar with instead of reading the actual
requirement. The requirement is usually at the end of the question. So,
read the requirement, think about what type of information is needed to
answer the question, and then look for the information.
Don’t spend time making your workings perfect – no one will see them.
Make
sure you are familiar with your calculator – do not buy a new one the
day before your exam! You should know how to use all the relevant
functions and for example, the most efficient way of working out a
percentage. You may wish to consider purchasing a second identical
calculator as a spare too.
All question practice should be attempted under exam conditions and to exam time.
Timing
As
you have 50 questions to complete in 2 hours, it will mean an average
of 2.4 minutes per question. Please be aware that some questions may
require more time than others, so you should be looking at average
timing.
Therefore,
it is recommended that you answer questions in batches of 10 and aim to
do 10 questions in 24 minutes. Practice timing questions in batches and
work out which type of questions will take longer to answer, so you
don’t panic if you go over your 2.4 minutes on a particular question.
Getting help
If
you find that there is a particular topic that you are struggling with
review your course notes and text books before attempting more
questions. Do not waste time writing out revision notes, the best
revision is question practice. You can contact your Kaplan tutor for
assistance too.
If possible, try and think of fun ways to practice – perhaps hold a quiz with colleagues who are also studying.
What types of questions appear on the CBE?
There will be 50 randomly selected multiple choice or single number entry questions:
Each question is worth 2 marks each and the pass mark is 50%. The questions will be a mix:
- Multiple choice (A B C or D; A B or C; A or B)
- True or false
- Select 2 options which match the criteria requested
- Fill in the blank
- Numerical entries (not applicable for paper F1)
What happens during a CBE?
Duration
A
maximum of 2 hours is allotted for a CBE. You should arrive at the exam
location 30 minutes before the actual exam start time, and allow 15
minutes after your exam before you leave.
What to take with you into the exam room
You
must have official photo ID. If you registered before April 2011 you
will need to take your ACCA registration card; alternatively please take
a Drivers License or Passport.
You
are allowed to take into the exam room: pens, pencils, rulers and
calculators (without printout facility or programmable function).
You are NOT permitted to take in the exam room with you: mobile phone, pencil case, books/notes or any other papers/notebooks.
You may wish to take a watch too – although there is a timer on the CBE screen.
What you will be given in your exam
You will be given paper to do your rough workings on.
You will receive printed instructions on the CBE process.
If you are sitting paper F2, you will also be given an ACCA formula sheet.
What you should do when you enter the exam room
Remain silent from when you enter, as you are then under exam conditions.
Sit
at the desk allocated and ensure you are comfortable, adjusting your
chair, the monitor position, keyboard and mouse placement, until you are
happy with the set up.
Read through the ACCA official instructions handed out.
Listen
to the invigilator’s instructions. Ask the invigilator any questions
you have, prior to the commencement of the exam. Raise your hand to ask a
question.
At the start of the exam
You will need to follow the instructions on screen. This will include entering your ACCA registration number and date of birth.
Your
name and the name of the exam will appear on screen – ensure that this
is the correct exam that you are planning to sit. Inform the invigilator
if any of the information is not correct.
There
are then 3 pages of formal instructions on screen to read, before the
invigilator will give you permission to start the exam.
During the exam
Don’t
leave any multiple choice questions unanswered, if you really don’t
know which answer is correct just make a guess. You have a 25% chance of
being correct!
Provided you have time, review each question/ answer at least twice.
At the end of the exam
The CBE will automatically end after your 2 hours are up.
You
can finish early if you are certain that you have completed every
question to the best of your ability, by clicking on the ‘Exit’ icon.
Don’t feel pressured to finish early simply because some other
candidates in the exam room may have done so.
A
summary of your exam will appear – this will show the marks gained in
each main topic area and an overall mark. This is out of 100%. You are
required to achieve 50% or more in order to pass.
Raise
your hand and the invigilator will come over and note your result. When
instructed to do so, print two copies of your provisional results. You
will then be given permission to leave.
What next?
If
you have passed, your result will automatically be uploaded onto the
myACCA section of the ACCA website – this can take up to 7 days.
If you were unsuccessful, you will need to arrange a resit.
Where and when can I take my CBE?
Locations
Kaplan Centres have been accredited by ACCA to hold CBEs. You can book your CBE online for your local center.
When to take your CBE
Kaplan
students normally attempt their CBE approximately one – two weeks after
completing their course, whilst all the information is fresh in their
mind. However, you can opt to take your exam earlier if you feel ready,
or delay if you want to practice more first. The choice is yours.
CBEs
are available all year round, subject to availability, and may be
offered in the week, at the weekend or in the evening, giving you
flexibility of choice. Your local centre will be able to advise you when
the next available date and time is. We recommend that you book your
CBE well in advance, as places do get booked up quite quickly.
ACCA CBE deadlines
There are certain deadlines which may affect your decision as to when to take your CBE.
Under ACCA rules, a student may only sit a maximum of 4 papers in an exam sitting. Sittings run in the following periods:
- June sitting 1 February – 31 July
- December sitting 1 August – 31 January
Therefore,
if you are planning to sit F1 in February, F2 in March and F3 in May,
then you could only sit one exam in June to reach your 4 paper maximum,
regardless of whether that exam is computer or paper-based.
You
are not able to book a CBE until ACCA have provided you with your ACCA
student registration number as this is required to enter you for the
exam.
Can I practice a CBE?
Yes!
In fact we think it is essential that you practice answering questions
on a computer before the real exam, as well as practicing normal written
questions.
Firstly,
all Kaplan students on a course or who have purchased a text book from
Kaplan Publishing, should try our online questions at MyKaplan. These
are short online tests which, when completed, show your score and, if
you got a question wrong, you can review a correct answer explanation.
Once you have completed all the questions on MyKaplan then you should
attempt the CBE pilot on the ACCA website:
As
well as more question practice, you will become familiar with how to
move around the actual CBE screens, giving you confidence and saving you
time in the real exam.
Post a Comment