The Best Order to do ACCA Exams In - VIVA Financial Tuition

You have a lot of variety on there, from the Law paper, to Performance Management, Taxation, Financial Reporting, Audit Assurance and Financial Management. And ... CIMAACCAKnowledgeCentreAboutOurstoryContactFAQsMyAccountACCATheBestOrdertodoACCAExamsInConfusedabouttherightorderinwhichtotakeyourACCAexams?Neverfear!ToptutorJamesWrighthassomesageadvice.JamesWrightSeniorLectureratUniversityofLincolnInthisarticleI'mgoingtowalkyouthroughthebestorderinwhichtocompletetheACCAexams.Orinotherwords,what'stheoptimalcombinationthatIwouldrecommendthatyouattemptinordertomaximiseyourchancesofpassing.Asyoucanprobablysee,thisarticleisonthelongside-butitgoesintoeverysingledetail,relayingallofmyexperiencefrombeingastudentofACCAandnowatutor.Forthoseofyouwhohavenotcomeacrossmebefore:mynameisJamesWrightandonmyACCAchannelIhelpstudentsaroundtheworldtopasstheirupcomingACCAexams.Asyoucanseefrommychannel'scomments,Ifrequentlyencounterquestionsalongthelinesof"James,whatshouldIdoaboutthiscombination?";"Whataboutthisprofessionalpaper?";"WhatabouttheseAppliedSkills?"WhatfollowswouldbetheidealapproachthatI'dbeimplementing,ifIwasinyourshoesagainandhadupcomingACCAexams.I'mgoingtogothroughallofthedetailsavailabletoyouontheACCAwebsite(youcanfollowalongbyclickingthislink,whichwilltakeyouthroughtotheACCAformatonthis).Sofirstoff,whatyouneedtobeawareofisthenaturalpassratesandthebreakdownofallthedifferentlevels.Firstwe'vegottheappliedknowledgeexams,comprisedofBusinessandTechnology(BT),theManagementAccounting(MA)examandtheFinancialAccounting(FA)exam.Thekeynumberslistedbelowarethepassratesfortheseexams.Andasyoucansee,thefurtheronyougetintoACCAjourney,thelowerthepassratesget.ThisiswhyI'vesetupmyYouTubechannel,tohelpyoupassallofyourexamsandnavigateyourwaythroughastheexamsbecomemorechallenging.‍Now,afteryou’vefinishedyourAppliedKnowledgeexams(that'sthefirstlittlechunkupthereofthethree)you'rethengoingtomoveontoyourAppliedSkillsexams.Youhavealotofvarietyonthere,fromtheLawpaper,toPerformanceManagement,Taxation,FinancialReporting,AuditAssuranceandFinancialManagement.AndyoucanseethattheAuditAssuranceoneandthePerformanceManagementonesaregenerallythemostdifficultintermsofpassrates.Thenonceyoucompleteallofthose,you'regettingontowhatarecalledtheStrategicProfessionalexams,whereyou'vegottwocompuslorypapers-SBRandSBL-andfourpapersfromwhichyouhavetopickandpasstwo.Thisdecisionisreallykey,sowe'lldiscussthisinmoredetaillateron.Amongthesefouroptions,you'vegotAdvancedFinancialManagement,AdvancedPerformanceManagement,AdvancedTaxationandAdvancedAuditAssurance.Lookingatthosepasspercentagesabove,it'snaturaltogetabitworried!Butdon'tdespair,thisiswhyIdowhatIdo!We'lltalkaboutthismorebelow.Overall,you'regoingtobedoing13examsintotal,unlessyou'vereceivedanyexemptionsordoneotherqualificationsthatwillqualifyasa"pass"foroneoftheexams.Butwe'llalsotalkaboutthatmoreaswegothroughthisarticle.AnotherquestionIgetallthetimeis:"James,whatwouldbeyourrecommendedtextbookshere?WhatshouldIbuyinordertopassmyACCAexams?"Well,I'vegotyoucovered.InthedescriptionboxofthevideoversionofthisarticleIhaveputlinkstoallofthestudytexts,alloftherevisionpacks,alloftheflicknotes,ifyouwanttopurchaseanEbookorstudyrevisiontoolsforyourupcomingACCAexams.ThesearewhatIusedtouseasastudent,soIrecommendthemtoallofmycurrentstudentsaswell.Justclickonthelinksandfeelfreetogoandcheckthemout.Theywilldefinitelyhelpandarealluptodateaswell.SonowI'mgoingtosharewithyouwhatIbelievetobetheperfectformula,whateveryoursituation,togetyouthroughthose13exams.ForanyonewhoisnewtoACCA,orwhowantstogettoknowmoreaboutit,orperhapsyou'restraightoutofuniversity-youshouldknowthattherearefourexamsittingseveryyear.ThefirstoneisinMarch,thenextoneisinJune,thenextinSeptember,andtheoneafterthatinDecember.Ofcoursethere'snoonesizefitsallstrategywhenitcomestostudying.IunderstandbecauseIwenttocollegewithloadsofACCAstudents.I'vedoneonlinetuition.Iteachstudentsfacetoface,Ihelpthemoutnowwithfreevideosonline.Andeveryonehasdifferentcommitmentsandchallenges.Inthisarticle,I'mgoingtotakethatintoaccount.Ifforinstanceyouworkfulltime,likeIhadtodo,youmayhavetonegotiatedifferentcontractsaboutyourstudyleave.Ihadtodoeveningclasses,Ialsohadtodoaweekendclass,sometimestakeadayoff.OtherACCAstudentshavechildrentotakecareof.Ialsoknowotherstudentsthatdon'thaveajobatthemoment,butarecurrentlylookingforone-somethingwhichitselfcantakeupalotoftime.SowhatI'mgoingtoadviseinthisarticleisgoingtobebased onthesortofallowabletimethatyou'vegot.You'llcontinuallyseemesay,‘ifyou'vegotalotoftime’.‍AppliedKnowledgeExamsSolet'sstarttowalkandtalkthroughthis.I'mgoingtoassumenowthatwe'reatthestagewherewearestartingfromscratch.You'vejustregisteredasastudent,andyou'rethinkingaboutdoingyourfirstexam.Sofirstofallwe’regoingtobethinkingoftheAppliedKnowledgeexams-BusinessTechnology, ManagementAccounting,andtheFinancialAccountingexamTheseallsortoffitintoanicelittleclusteratthestart.Firstthingtorealiseisthatthey’reallcomputerbased.Oneofthecommonreasonspeoplefailthese,unfortunately,isbecauseoflackoffamiliaritywiththesystem.ThereareloadsoffreeresourcesonACCA'swebsitewhereyoucanpracticetestsandquestionsthatreplicatetheexamsystem.That’sreallyhandytoknowandsomethingyoudefinitelyshouldtakeadvantageof.WithBusinessandTechnology,itwaspreviouslycalledtheAccountantinBusinessexam.It’srecentlybeenupdated.I'mwritingthisinMarch2021,soincaseyou'relookingthroughmyotherpreviousYouTubevideos,don'tworry-they'renotgoingtobeobsolete!Theexamwasjustrebrandedwithadifferentname.Thereasonwhythesethreeexamsaresokeyisthattheybuildonaccountancyfundamentals.Businesstechnology,managementaccounting,financialaccounting...IthinkbacktowhenIwasastudent,wonderingtomyself,"Ohmyword!Alltheseconcepts!HowamIgoingtofitthisintoabusinesscasescenario?AndhowwouldIapplythatintheworkplaceifI'mnotworking?"Well,thisiswhyIreallycarethatyouunderstandandlearnthefundamentals,becausetheysetthefoundationonwhichallthesubsequentexamsarebuilt.You'llhearquitealotofpeoplesaying,"Oh,yeah,Ireallyjustwanttoflythroughthesefirstexams".Well,ifyoudothat,thenyou'regoingtocomeunstucklaterwhenyoucometotheAppliedSkillsexams.Somakesureyouputeverythingintotheseexams.‍RegisterforFreeTXWebinarNext,wehavetoconsidertimeconstraints:whatifyou'vegotlotsoftime?Orwhatifyou'venotgotverymuchtime?Well,ifyou'vegotlotsoftime,Ithinkyoucanactuallystartbystudyingfortwoexamsatthesametime.IrecommendthatyoudotheBusinessandTechnologyexaminconjunctionwiththeManagementAccountingexam.Thatwouldthenleaveyou(assumingthatyoupass)withFinancialAccountingasthefinalexaminthisphase.Aswesawwiththeactualpassratesabove,theseexamsarechallenging,evenattheAppliedKnowledgelevel.ThereasonwhyIsuggestthattheFinancialAccountingshouldremainasyourthirdoption,andtodoitbyitself,istheFinancialAccountingexamrelatescloselytotheFinancialReportingexamandfeedsintoSBRaswell.Soinotherwords,ifyoudon'tunderstandthecoreknowledgeoftheFinancialAccountingexam(maybeyouscrapeapass),it'sreallygoingtohinderyougoingintothenextroundofexams.Ifontheotherhandyouarebusynow,maybeyou'vegotchildren,workingcommitments,andyoujustwanttodooneatatime,well,thenI'drecommendyoustartoffwithBusinessandTechnology,thengoontoManagementAccounting,andthenfinishwithFinancialAccounting.TheotherthingIwanttohighlightwiththeAppliedKnowledgeexamsis:ifyou'regoingtouniversitytostudyoryou'regoingtoanin-persontuitionprovider,youmayneedtodosomeresearchbeforedoingso.Youmayneedtoestablish,forinstance,whethertheycoverpeoplewithexemptions.Andifyouarenewtostudying,canyouapplyfortheexemptionscalculatedviatheACCAwebsite?Thisisonethingtocheckifyou'regoingtoenrollinaprogramme.‍AppliedSkillsExamsSowe'recomingonnowtotheAppliedSkillslevel.We'vecompletedthosefirstthreeexamsandpassedthem.Whatshouldwebestartingwithnext?Justtobecrystalclear,thepotentialexamsthatyouhavenoware:theLawexam(LW),PerformanceManagement(PM),Taxation(TX),FinancialReporting(FR),AuditAssurance(AA)andFinancialManagement(FM).Sixpotentialchoices.WhatIwouldadvisefrommypersonalexperienceistostartwiththeLawexam.Notjustbecauseithasquiteahighpassrate,butbecauseitdoesn'treallylinkintothatmanyotherareasinthesyllabus.Soit'sgoodtojustgetitdoneandsetaside.Ifyouhaveadecentamountofstudytimeavailable,youcouldevengetawaywithpreparingforitinconjunctionwithanotherexamsuchasFinancialReporting.ThereasonIsayFinancialReportingisthatyou'vejustdoneFinancialAccountingandmanyofthekeycoreconceptsofthatwillgointoFinancialReporting,soitwillbefreshinyourmind.Nowoneimportantqualificationhere,anddon'tmakethemistakethatIseesomanystudentsmaking:you'vegottoconsidertheTaxationexamdates.ThereasonforthisisthatfortheUKTaxationexam,therulesandratesandstandardschangequiteregularly.SoyouneedtoplanaheadabitforwhenyouintendtodotheTXexam.I’vesatboththeTaxation(TX)andtheAdvancedTaxation(ATX)exams,andyoualwaysneedtobemindfulthattherulescanchangeforboth.Forthefirstpaper(TX)thenewrules,thenewrates,thenewstandardscomeintoeffectfromtheJunewindow.SowhatthatmeansisifyouweretositandfailinJune,you'restillgoingtohavetheopportunitytosititinSeptemberorDecemberoratworsteveninMarchwithouttherules/standards/rateschanging.LotsofACCAstudentshaveunfortunatelyfallenintothetrapofpreparingfortheirTaxationexamsinMarchandintheeventthattheyfail,theyenduphavingtogetuptodatewiththenewstandards,thresholds,percentagesetcforthesubsequentJuneexam!Sousethesittingdatestoyouradvantage.IfyoucanworkyourschedulesothatyoufirstsittheTaxationexaminJune-orfailingthatinSeptember-thatcouldreallyhelpifyouendupstrugglingatthefirstsitting,asyou'llstillhaveatleast2moreexamsittingstoworkwithtoimproveyourmark.That'sareallykeythingtokeepinmindhere.Someoftheotherexamshavenewsyllabuschangesaswell-namelyPerformanceManagement,AuditAssurance,FinancialReportingandFinancialManagement.ThesechangescomeintoeffectfromSeptember.However,thesearen'tasdrasticasthechangesthattendtooccurintheTaxationsyllabus,butwestillhavetobeawareofthem.KeepaneyeontheACCAwebsite:Gointothesyllabusareas,anditwillshowyouwhatisnewforyourpaperatthisparticulartime.Again,fortheseotherexams,theSeptemberpaperwillbethefirstonethatcontainsanynewstandardsorupdatesthathavebeenintroduced.Thisisalsoagoodplacetomention:Ifyou'recomingoutofuniversitywithaBusinessandFinancedegreeorAccountancyandFinancedegree,thisisthelevelatwhichyourexemptionsmightkickin.Sofindoutwhichonesarecoveredbytheuniversitythatyouhavetopayfortheexemptions,andwhichsubjectsthatperhapsyoudidn'tpickitasanoptionandsowillhavetodo.Thisiswhereuniversitystudentsorgraduateswilltendtodovetailintothesystem.Anotherobviousbutnonethelessimportantconsiderationintermsofdecidingtheorderinwhichtotakeyourexams:whatdoyoupersonallyfindtough!?Formoststudents,AuditAssuranceisgenerallyconsideredtobethetoughestpaper,especiallyatthislevel.FortheAppliedSkillsexams,alongwithPerformanceManagement,thisisthesubjectthatIgetthemostqueriesabout.(You'llfindplentyofvideosontheseonmychannel.Soafterreadingthis,feelfreetocheckthoseout!)Solet'sreviewtherecommendedordertilnow:wesuggestedstartingwiththeLawpaperfirst,andthenmovingontoFinancialReporting.Iwouldthenbeadvisingyoutosaytoyourself:‘Well,whichexamdoIfeelmostcomfortablewithoutofalltheothers?"Oralternatively,"whichareadoIactuallyworkorhaveexperiencein?"Forexample,maybeyoudosomefinancialmanagementorperformancemanagementinyourlineofwork,ormaybeevenaudit!Andalwaysbearinmindwhilemakingthisdecisionwherethattaxpaperisgoingtofitintothatflow.Resitsatthislevelarequitecommongiventhelowpassrates,socontingencyplanningisstronglyrecommended.Iknowstudentsthathavefailedthree,four,maybeevenfivetimes.Soconsideringtheareasthatyou'rerelativelycomfortableincanmakeforalessmessyplanningandschedulingprocess.Formepersonally,Ididn'tworkintheauditsector.AndIknewhowharditwas,soIwantedtodoitbyitself.IplannedcarefullywhentofitintheTaxpaper,andmadesuretoleavetheAuditAssurancepapertillast.Anotherkeythingtonotehere(apointwe'llreturntowiththeStrategicProfessionalexams),isthattherearenotimelimitsonpassingalloftheAppliedexams.Sodon'tstressabouttheamountoftimeittakesyoutodothiscycleofexams.Frankly,theonlymajortime-sensitivedecisionasidefromyourownpersonaltimeconstraintsistheplacementoftheTaxationexaminyourschedule.It'sallaboutyourownpreferences.YoucouldforexampledoPerformanceManagementandFinancialManagementtogetherifyou'restudyingfull-time.Theyaredifficultexamstogetthrough,requiringloadsofquestionpractice,buttheballisinyourcourt.I'vegivenyouallthedetailsaboutwhentheTaxpaperruleschange,whenIwouldadvisetryingtodoit(JuneorSeptember),butmakingsureyou'vegottheLawpaperandtheFinancialReportingexamdoneanddustedbeforehand,thenweighingupwhichoneyoufeelmostcomfortablewith-recognisingthatPerformanceManagementandAuditAssurancearegoingtobeprettytricky.‍StrategicProfessionalExamsSothatcoversalloftheAppliedexams.NowwecometotheStrategicProfessionalexams.Westartwiththe"essentials",thoseexamsthatyouhavetotake-namelytheStrategicBusinessReporting(SBR)andtheStrategicBusinessLeader(SBL)exams.TheseareamixtureofwhatusedtobeknownastheP1(Governance,RiskandEthics),P2(CorporateReporting)andP3(BusinessAnalysis)exams,withSBRcoveringthecontentofP2andSBLbeingamixtureofP1andP3.Now,akeypieceofadvicehere:WhenyoucometotheStrategicProfessionalessentials,you’vegottogoandcompleteyourEthicsandProfessionalSkillsModule(EPSM)beforeyousitthesetwoexams.Why?Because,asACCAitselfhasdiscoveredbasedonresearch(andasitexplicitlystatesonitswebsite),"studentswhocompleteEPSMareupto25%morelikelytopasstheStrategicBusinessLeader(SBL)exam".Thereasonbeingthatyou'regoingtohavetoapplyethicsandethicalprinciplesintheseexams.Andinanyevent,youneedtocompletethatmoduleevenutallyinordertopassyourACCAexamsandtobecomequalifiedoverall.Soyouarebestofdoingitatthispoint,beforeyousityourStrategicProfessionalessentials.I'dalsonoteherethatyoumakesureyou'vedoneandpassedalloftheAppliedSkillsexamsbeforeyouactuallystudyfortheStrategicProfessionalones.Inotherwords,makesureyou'vedoneallthosePerformanceManagement,FinancialManagement,AuditAssuranceexamsbeforeyoucomeontoSBRandSBL.Iknowsomestudentsthataredoing,say,PerformanceManagementandSBLorSBRatthesametime.Andtheyjusthaven’tcompletedthecorecompetencies,they'restilllearningstuff,butit'sactuallybeingappliedinamoretechnicalmannerintheSBLorSBRexams.Somakesureyou'vegotalltheAppliedSkillsexamsunderyourbelt...boxticked.ThendoyourEthicsandProfessionalSkillsModule...boxticked.Becausethekeythinghereistokeepyourmomentumand"flow"goingasmuchaspossible,andthisistheoptimalchronologytodoso.Oneadditionalpieceofadvice,andIhavetobefrankhere.IfyouhavejustscrapedthroughyourAppliedSkillsexams-andwhatImeanbythatismaybeyougotbetween50and55%-thencomingintoyourSBLandSBRexams,you'regoingtohavetogothroughthosecoretextsreally,reallythoroughly.Becausetheygointosignificantdetail,pullingonknowledgefrommanydifferentareas.We'llcomebacktothatinamoment.Now,let'sdoalittlebreakdownofSBLandSBR.ForSBL,whatareasfeedintotheactualSBLexamthataregoingtobenefityou?Becauseincaseyouhaven'tyetlookedintoit,theSBLisacasestudystyleexam,properreal-worldstuff,andyou'regoingtohavetodemonstrateandapplyalotofknowledge.AndthatknoweldgederivesfromseveraloftheAppliedSkilllevelexams-namely PerformanceManagement,AuditAssurance,FinancialReporting.Soifyou'relackinginanyofthoseareas,asIsaid,ifyou'vejustscrapedthrough,it'sreallygoingtoshowupinyourSBLknowledgedemonstrationandapplication.WithSBRontheotherhand,thisisrelatedmoretoFinancialAccountingandFinancialReporting.Ifyou'recomingoutofuniversityoradifferenteducationalprovider,maybeyou'vegotsomeexemptions,andsoyouhavetobeawarethatthisislikelytobeabigstepup.Theseareserious,intenseexams,atahigherstandardthantheAppliedexams.Soyou'relikelygoingtohavetogothroughthosecoretextswithafinetoothcomb,doingreemsofpracticequestionsandputtingthetimein.Theotherthingworthmentioninghere,andI'veheardthisfromafewACCAstudents,istocheckwithyouremployerwhichoftheSBLorSBRexamstheywantyoutositfirst.I'veheardofafewoccasionswherethey'vebeenquitespecificaboutwhichonetheywantdonefirst,becauseitmightactuallyrelatetoanemployee’srolemore.Sojustbeaware,itmaybeworthcheckingonthat.Socheckwithyouremployer,andonceagainbearinmindthatsyllabuschangesalsooccurforthispairofexams.Juneisusuallythelastexambeforeanychangesareintroduced.Sothinkaboutthatwhenyou'reactuallybookingandsittingtheseexams.ButasImentionedbefore,it'susuallynotasmanychangesasoccurintheTaxationexams.Infact,withSBR,theyoftenremovesomeelements,andthenupdateafewotherbitsandpieces.SBRismoreabouttheactualup-to-datestandardsthatarebeingappliedintherealworld.Andyoucouldbetestedontechnicalarticleshere.Soagain,keepacloseeyeonsyllabusannouncementsandupdatesontheACCAwebsite.Itgivesyouanicebreakdown.Now,comingontothekeyquestionofwhichordertodotheseexamsin.Thisiswhereyouneedtobeawareoftheoptionalpapersthatwe’regoingtobemovingontonext.Whichofthosedoyouwanttostartwithnext-AdvancedFinancialManagement,AdvancedPerformanceManagement,AdvancedTaxation,orAdvancedAuditAssurance?ThereasonI'mposingthisquestionisbecauseSBRnicelyandnaturallyflowsintotheAdvancedAuditAssuranceexam.Soifyou'resittingthereandsayingtome,"James,IthinkI'mgoingtobedoingAdvancedAuditAssurance.IworkinanAuditpracticeandfindthatstuffcomesrelativelyeasilytome",well,ImightbeadvisingyouthentodotheSBLexamfirst,andthengoontoSBR.ThiswillthensetyouupnicelytomoveintoAdvancedAuditAssurance.Ontheotherhand,ifyoufinishedyourAppliedSkillslevelwiththeFinancialReportingexam,youmightwanttostartwiththeSBRexamasthatdrawsalotonFinancialReporting.Youthenneedtoaskyourself:"AmIgoingtobedoingtheAdvancedAuditAssurancepaperasmyfirstoptionalexam?"Ifyouare,I'dsaygoaheadanddoSBR,thentheAdvancedAuditAssurance,andthenafterthatdoSBL.Ifyou'renotgoingtobedoingAdvancedAuditAssurancefirst,andyou’vejustfinishedFinancialReportingattheAppliedSkillslevel,thengoaheadanddoSBRfollowedbySBL,andlaterworkoutwhichoftheoptionalexamsyouwanttostartwith.Thekeythingtonoteatthispoint,isyouneedtoalsoconsiderwhatiscalledthesevenyearrule.AsImentionedbefore,inthecaseoftheAppliedexamsabovethereisnotimelimit.Butyoudoneedtoconsiderthesevenyearrule.Whatthismeansis,sayforexampleyoupasstheACCASBLexaminDecember2020.WellthenyouwouldhaveuntilDecember2027tocompletealloftheStrategicProfessionalexams.Unfortunatelyifyoudon'tcompleteitbythen,itwouldbelostandyou'dhavetoresityourSBLexam.NowIknowwhatyou'reprobablythinking:"Oh,sevenyears,that'sloadsoftimetopassmyexams!"Well,theproblemisthatlifecanthrowyouseveral"curveballs".Youmayendupchanginglocationsunexpectedlyforworkorpersonalreasons.Theremayarisesomeunforeseenfamilyissue.Youmayhavechildren,youmaygetmarried,youmayneedtimeoffworktorecoverfromaninjuryoranillness.Oranycombinationoftheabove.Andbeforeyouknowit,sevenyearshaveflownby!Soit'sjusttomakeyouaware:don'ttakeitforgrantedandunnecessarilypostponeorprocrastinate,becauseyouneverknowwhatmighthappen!Sotoreview,andgiveyoumyowntakebasedonpersonalexperience:IwouldprobablywanttostartwiththeSBLexambecauseitdrawsonseveralaspectsofthedifferentAppliedexams,thenI'dbegoingstraightontoSBRandpullingoutmyFinancialReportingandFinancialAccountingnotes.Butagain,italldependsonwhetheryouintendtostarttheoptionalexamswithAdvancedAuditAssurance,whichwasoneoftheexamsthatIdid.So,ifyoucandoSBL,thendoSBR,andthenmoveontoAdvancedAuditAssurance,you'reinagoodrhythm.Theballisreallyinyourcourt,italldependsonyourpreferences.Butitisworthemphasising,thattheotheroptionalexamsasidefromAAAdon'thavemuchoverlapwithprecedingSBLandSBRexams.Therearesomeminorelementsofoverlap,butreallythatlinkbetweenSBRandAdvancedAuditAssuranceisthestrongestone.Nowlet'sfocusmorecloselyontheremainingStrategicProfessionaloptions.Remember,you'vegottopicktwooutoffour.Therearelotsofconsiderationstobearinmind.Thefirstthingtothinkaboutis:whatsectordoyoucurrentlyorintendtoworkin?Whataretheskillsthatyouaremostlikelytowantorneedtobeimplementing?TheotherthingtoconsiderisyourexperienceswiththeAppliedSkillspapers,becausewe’rerelatingthistoAdvanceFinancialManagement,AdvancedPerformanceManagement,AdvancedTaxation,andAdvancedAuditAssurance.Fromtheoriginalpapers-FinancialManagement,PerformanceManagement,TaxationandAuditAssurance-whichofthosedidyouscorethehighestmarksin?Andwhichone(s)didyouactuallyenjoyaswell,becausethese"Advanced"versionsareverytrickypapers.Youwillknowthiswhenyoupickupthetextbooksbecausetheyareconsiderablybigger!Soenjoymentcanreallyhelpyougetthroughthestudyingprocessandmaintainyourmotivation.Asageneralruleofthumb,IalwaysrecommendtostudentsthatfromtheStrategicProfessionallevelonwards,youtakeitoneexamatatime,simplybecausetheseexamsaresodense.Therehasbeenareally,reallylowpassrateacrosstheseexams.SoIoccasionallytutorstudentsonaonetoonebasis,usuallyonthestrategicpapers.Andtheydotakeupalotofyourtime,alotofyourenergy.Soyou’vegottobearthatinmind.Sothesearethebestdecisioncriteriafortheoptionalexams,aswellas"whereareyouworkingand/orwheredoyouintendtowork?"Butjustonemoreconsideration.Andagain,thisissomethingdrawnspecificallyfrommyownextensivepersonalexperience.Fromarealworldperspective-andI'veworkedinvariousareas,variousroles,tutoringnowaswell,andhaveattendedseveralCPD(ContinuousProfessionalDevelopment)eventswithpeoplecominguptomeandaskingmeaboutaccountancyallthetime-IwouldsaytheAdvancedTaxationpaperistheonethathasbenefitedmethemostintherealworld.I'vebeentothoseCPDeventswherethey'vegonethroughinheritancetaxingreatdetail,capitalgainstax,corporationtaxchangesand,ohmyword!IfIhadn’tdonetheAdvancedTaxationpaper,I'dbereallystrugglingrightnowtokeepontopofallthatstuffbecauseIjustwouldn’thavethatcoreknowledgetogroundmyself.I'llalsosaythis:AdvancedTaxationwasthetrickiestexamI'veeverdone!However,itwasalsooneofthemostrewardingexamswhenIpassed.Ifyouwanttohearmoreaboutthat,I'vedoneavideoonhowIpassedit,fromfailingfirsttimetocomingbackandpassingitlater.Socheckitout.Itshouldalsobenefityou.Again,justtoreiterate,wementionedupdatestothesyllabusinthecontextofTaxation(TX).ThesamegoesforAdvancedTaxation(ATX).You’vegottobereallycarefulaboutwhentheyupdateintermsofplanningandscheduling.AswithTX,thefirstsittingofanynewsyllabuschangeswillbeinJune.Sothinktactically.Ontheotherhand,withAdvancedFinancialManagement,AdvancedPerformanceManagementandAdvancedAuditAssurance,anychangestothosepaperstakeeffectfromSeptember.Again,thereareoftenminorchangesandlittleupdates,butnotasdrasticasintheTaxationpapers.Andremember,thesevenyearruleappliestotheseoptionalpapers!Aswereiterated,ifyoupassoneandthensevenyearspassandyouhaven'tcompletedtheACCAqualification,thenyourprogresswillbevoidedandyou'llneedtostartagain.Intheend,whatitreallycomesdowntoisthechoicesthatmakesensetoyoubasedonyourownpersonalcircumstancesandconstraints,incombinationwiththeobjectivefactorsoutlinedinthisarticle.IwouldrecommendalsospeakingtoACCAcolleaguesandfellowstudentsabouttheirexperiences.HavealookatthefreeresourcesonACCA'swebsite,astheseareoftenexcellentsourcesofinsight.WhatIalwayssaytomystudentsis,we'venowgotthemainoutlinesofaplan.Nowyou'vegottogoworkthatplanintoareality.You'vegotplentyofusefulresourceslinkedbelow.Sofeelfreetogoandcheckthemout.They'regoingtoreallyhelpyoutopasstheseexamsandIreallyhopetheadvicehereinisbeneficialtoyouaswell.ThefinalthingI'llsayis,theverybestofluckonyourACCAjourney,whateverstageyoufindyourselfat!‍YoucanfollowJamesWrightonInstagram,Facebook,LinkedInandTikTokformoregreatACCAstudytipsandinsights.ACCAversusAAT:What'stheDifference?Ifyou'reconsideringanaccountingqualificationyou'lllikelyhaveheardofbothACCAandAAT.Inthisarticle,weexplainthedifferencebetweenthetwo.PassingACCAExamsinLessthanaWeekIsitreallypossibletopassanACCAexaminaweek!?ToptutorJamesWrightcertainlythinksso,andinthisarticle,heshowsyoutheway.HowtoSelf-StudyforanACCAExamInthisarticlewe’regoingtowalkyouthroughhowbesttoprepareforthatupcomingACCAexamwhenyou'reself-studying.Therearecertainkeythingsyoushoulddoandothersyoushoulddefinitelyavoidifyou’regoingtosuccessfullygothisroute...