7/27/2019 Revision Strategy
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Keep calm and dont panicLCAs Dianne Ramdeen stresses now is the
time to plan for success no
failure
The nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping. For
some this means looking forward to Christm
parties or bundling up at home in front of a warm fire, however,
for ACCA students it is a sign that the
December exams are creeping up closer and closer. With only a
few weeks left before the exams its
important to refocus your energies once again, consolidate your
knowledge and give yourself that final boos
to make the best use of the time that remains. What should you
be doing now? Ideally at this stage of the
game you would have covered the bulk of the syllabus and should
now be preparing for revision. If you have
not yet managed to familiarise yourself with the core areas of
the syllabus it is not too late so dont despair.
Most students say that they get more done in the last few weeks
before the exam than they do throughout
the rest of the year. So be positive and commit yourself to
covering the remainder of the syllabus, clarifying
ambiguous areas, beginning to tackle past exam papers and most
importantly remaining calm. Begin by
looking at exactly how much study time you will have over the
next few weeks and build a revision timetable
around this. Plan what you will be studying and approximately
how long you will spend remember each are
will not require the same amount of time. Create a quiet space
with no distractions; switch off all phones,
music etc. None of these are in the exam so learn to study
without them. When it comes to studying quality
preferred to quantity. Some people can study for longer periods
uninterrupted whereas others need short
intense bursts find your own style. Aim for at least 45 minutes
of focussed study followed by a short break
The more exam style questions you do the better but do not
attempt questions if you are not familiar with th
subject matter. Revise core topics first and tackle questions
after. Any knowledge gaps can then be filled as
you review answers. Do not simply learn questions, rather, learn
how to answer questions. Too many
students fall into the trap of memorising answers and simply
replicating them in the exam. Questions may
look similar but may not be exactly the same. Learn the
underlying techniques and when to use them.
Once you have achieved proficiency in the core areas of the
syllabus and have moved on to the phase of
question practice, time yourself when doing questions so as to
gauge what can be achieved in the exam.
Work on improving your speed while maintaining accuracy.
Throughout your revision ensure that you are
feeding the brain. Try to have light meals as well as fruits
while you are studying and mild exercise to get th
blood flowing to the brain. It is very tempting but avoid
consuming too much caffeine as this may cause
anxiety and nervous tension. A bit of chocolate always helps
achieve a much needed sugar boost! The night
before the exam Have a hearty meal maybe something with
carbohydrates to give you the energy and
endurance you will need for the next day. And whatever you do
dont make it a late night. Be realistic, you
have invested a lot of time and effort and there is not much
more you can do, a good nights sleep willachieve a great deal more
than a few hours of panic struck cramming. Go to sleep feeling
positive.
The exam day Make sure that you give yourself more than enough
time to get to the exam. Get there early s
that you can settle down. Once in the exam be confident and
calm; it is a marathon not a sprint so pace
yourself. The first 50% of the marks in each question are
usually the easiest to obtain while the last 25% ar
the hardest. Do not spend a disproportionate amount of time on
questions warranting few marks. Read the
questions carefully and answer what is asked. If you know it, do
it, if not move on and come back to it later
Lay out your answers logically, cross reference workings and
write legibly. Be sensible with your answers
common sense goes a long way. Do not doubt yourself in the exam,
be confident and follow your instincts.
After the exam Put it all behind you. Relax, unwind and enjoy
the festivities of the season! You deserve it!
ACCA students need to start their revision earlier, says a
leading examiner. He told delegates at
the ACCAs examiners conference that PQs revision is often poorly
planned and starts too late.The examiner also feels students are
over-reliant on their lecture notes and lecturers. If pass rates
are to ris
he felt that students had to think more about stress management.
Ultimately, he emphasised that PQs need
to take more responsibility for their own success. Another
examiner said that students must learn reflection
It is important, he explained, that they learn where they make
mistakes and where they are weakest. He
said: Many students find it difficult but it [reflection] is an
important part of being an accountant.Tutors
were told that it was time they stepped up to the plate. You
have to impress on students the degree of wor
involved, he said. Sitting exam questions under exam conditions
is vital, rather than just auditing his
answers, he said. Also, memorising past answers is not
effective, another examiner said. Other suggestions
come out of the two-day conference were for students to write
their own revision cards and take part in mor
classroom discussions. The latter was seen as a real help in
opening up the key points of current issues.
