How I studied for ACCA papers

Assalamualaikum, hi guys :) it is about 2 months before ACCA final exam and I thought that it's a good timing to share any tips that could help those taking finals later. So here am I to talk about how I studied ACCA papers, particularly Professional papers. As many of you also want me to share what other sources that we can study, therefore I'll share that here as well.

Fundamental(F) papers

During F level, the way I studied for all papers are almost the same, which are :

• Focus in class

• Reading class notes/textbook

• DO PAST YEAR QUESTIONS (can't emphasize this enough)

Make sure you understand what you're learning during F level cuz that's the basics you need to carry forward to the P level.

Professional(P) papers Okay, this is the part where I want to focus on. For every paper, there is various way of studying and various sources that you can study. P papers require :

• high analytical skills

• less calculations

Hence, you need to STUDY SMARTER and HARDER than you did when you was taking F papers. Take note that my way might not work on some of you. After all, we're different right. And that is your responsibility to find a way that suits you. For me, I admit that my way ain't 100% came from myself. I asked a lot of people for tips but I don't take everything that I listened. I picked some of the advice based on my style and preference. So, you gotta know what you're capable of and trust yourself. If you think my way suits you, go on and let me know if you succeed ;)

Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) For this paper, the most important thing is you must master the basics of the standard. No matter how hard the questions are, as long as you go back to the basics, inshaAllah you can 'goreng' the exam questions nicely. How I studied this paper?

• Textbook : SBR has the thickest textbook and I can't afford to read all of them, so I went thru important parts once to make sure I understand the standards and make it as reference when needed.

• Short notes : This is a MUST cuz SBR has so many standards to be memorized. I'll always keep it on my side for easy access.

• Extra class : Aside from attending uni classes, I also paid for extra classes by Tymba Education on weekends. I really love how Sir Airil taught the standards in a way that is easy to understand and memorize. They provided tips, short notes and so many exercises for the students. You can check out their IG for more info at https://www.instagram.com/tymba.education/

• Exercises for each standard : to understand the standards deeply

• Past year Qs (3x) : once with lecturer, twice by myself

• Read technical articles and examiners' reports

• YouTube videos : I usually watched videos at Silvia of CPDbox, suggested by Ms. Jein. The explanation and illustrations of the standards are just nice, here's the link https://www.youtube.com/c/CPDbox/featured
  

Strategic Business Leader (SBL) This paper is the only ACCA paper that has total exam time of 4 hours. So long right? Tapi time exam tak rasa lama pun. It require speed reading skill but at the same time you have to be able to analyze each words in the exhibits to produce good answers. You cannot blindly read the business case but not understand what you read. It doesn't work that way. You don't have to follow the books when answering the exam questions. All you need is to make the models as guidance when it is applicable, but it's not necessary okay. You also have to act as someone professional when answering the questions. How I studied this paper?

• Textbook : I only went thru it once to understand the whole syllabus

• Short notes : to memorize the models and make it as reference

• Exercises for each topic : you can try to do P1 and P3's past year questions

• Past year Qs (3x)

• Set timer (45 mins) when I read the exhibits for the past year Qs : to practice speed-reading

• Read technical articles and examiners' reports.

• Watch YouTube to understand models and important terms, such as IoT, FinTech, Blockchain, etc. For SBL exam technique tips and model revision, I recommend you to watch these videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD7qEACcR1c&list=LL&index=84 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ4d-l8j0zs&list=LL&index=83 respectively.
  

Advanced Financial Management (AFM) This P paper has the most calculation marks, which is 40%. So you definitely have to know HOW to calculate. The exam paper have so many numbers that you have to be alert and not be confused. You really can't answer the theory questions if you don't understand your own your calculations and how to analyze them. How I studied this paper?

• Focus in class and record ( I record videos in class cuz my lecturer taught so fast haha) : I'll make sure I write everything during the classes

• At night, I'll revise all the exercises done in the class to make sure I understand how the calculations work.

• Textbooks : I read it to understand the theory

• Exercises : Redo the exercises in the class and do past year Qs (2x). Keep practicing to understand where the number comes from and master the calculations.

• Read technical articles and examiners' reports
  

Advanced Performance Management (APM) I love this subject! For me, it's not as difficult as other papers when it comes to learn and understand the syllabus. The book ain't so thick and it doesn't require much memorization. BUT, it's difficult to get marks in exam. SERIOUS TAK TIPU. It really does require logical thinking and high analytical skill. You have to understand and memorize the models because the questions will ask specific model for some requirements. Oh btw, this paper require some calculations. How I studied this paper?

• Focus in class

• Class notes : I don't read textbook, but I do read class notes and slides by Mr. Akbar, my lecturer.

• Understand lecturer's answering style : it can be your guidance on how to make simple but perfect answer

• Do past year Qs (3x)

• Read technical articles and examiners' reports

• YouTube : Some channels that I love to watch are AC Training https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnso1qlYVv4yb_dwwgyCEOA and Vifhe https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1DALkLV8EXr1-nYqNbqmg/videos

Some of you might think why I did the questions 3 times and how did I managed to do all that in such a short period of time. I'm not gonna deny that I am a lil bit nerd when it comes to studying lol. I always started study earlier and be consistent (I studied almost everyday, weekend also). I'm not the type of person who can study last minute. I did the questions repeatedly cuz I couldn't trust my brain 100%. My brain ain't pendrive y'know. I also have study schedule to keep up my progress.

In summary, these are the important points :

1. Focus and don't skip classes : you'll missed so much info if you don't attend a class

2. PRACTICE PAST YEAR Qs !!

3. Time management are so important during the exam. If you don't take care of the time, time will kill you.

4. Make use of ACCA GLOBAL website, all of the info provided in the student section are useful, especially technical articles and examiners' reports. The link : https://www.accaglobal.com/my/en/student/exam-support-resources.html

5. YouTube : I love watching the videos when I was eating or when I was too tired to do questions and read notes. Also, some people are visual learners and auditory learners. Watching interesting videos might help them a lot.

6. Don't be shy. Ask tips or questions from other people. We all need each other.

7. No matter how hard you studied, you might slack off during exams. Probably due to migraine or anxiety. So prepare earlier and relax a day before exam. Take care of yourself, take care of your body. All the best, peeps :) Adios!