Study skills

ACCA students need to work hard to pass their exams. Many are studying while
working and trying to balance other aspects of their lives. One of the ways in
which tuition providers can really help is to identify how to make the time spent
studying as effective as possible. Studying in the right way is essential and
tuition providers have a real opportunity to add value by making sure that
students understand this.

Below are some key messages about study skills for tuition providers to pass on
to their students.

Cover the whole syllabus

Students should ensure that they have covered the whole syllabus – especially at
fundamentals level where all questions are compulsory. Focussing on some
areas of the syllabus and ignoring others could lead to students not being able to
answer a question. It’s harder for a student to get 50% if their paper is only
being marked out of a possible 75% because they have missed out a question.

“In order to be confident of a pass, candidates need an all round knowledge of

the breadth of the syllabus.” – F7 examiner’s interview, 2009.

Make use of available resources

There are lots of resources and materials which can help students to study more
effectively. Tuition providers can reinforce this by referring to these resources
where appropriate:
1. Information directly from the examiners. For example examiners’
approach articles, examiners’ reports, technical articles and interviews.
2. Official Publishers’ study texts. These have been reviewed by the
examiners to ensure an appropriate coverage of the syllabus.
3. Syllabus and study guides, and past papers. Past papers in particular
provide an invaluable opportunity for students to practice.

Cover any gaps

Students who are exempted from any underpinning ACCA papers must ensure
they are familiar with the content of those papers when preparing for later ones.
Tuition providers should make sure that students understand the need to
familiarise themselves with the syllabus and study guide, read through the
relevant text, and attempt past exam questions from the exempted paper.
Plan revision
Tuition providers can help students identify the ways in which they learn most
effectively. Different students have different learning styles, for example some
may learn well simply by reading and absorbing information whereas others may
need to take a more active approach, for example by discussing subjects with
other students or trying exam questions.

By making sure that you cover a number of different styles of learning in lectures,
and drawing students’ attention to the way in which they learn, you will be able
to help them identify the best way for them to study.

Question practice
Question practice is an essential part of exam preparation and students should be
encouraged to incorporate this into their study from an early stage. Past papers
are available on accaglobal.com and practice questions are also available in the
Official Publisher materials.

Recreate exam conditions

It is important to emphasise to students the importance of recreating exam
conditions during revision. It is vital that they become accustomed to the
pressure of an exam – they should practise questions without referring to the
answers, and in particular they should adhere to the time constraints of a real
exam. Running mock exams for students – and making participation in them
compulsory – is a good way to reinforce this important message.