Tips on Passing Your Professional Accounting Exams
Professional Accounting Exams such as ACCA, CIMA, CPA and ICAN are very demanding and requires some special skills in passing them. In as mush as there is no substitute to possessing the required knowledge, equipping yourself with the right kind of exam skills will enhance your chances of passing the exam. Below are some of the tips you can apply:
Know the format of the exam: you will do yourself a lot of good by simply getting yourself familiarized with the format of the question. This you can do by solving a good number of past questions. You can start by initially auditing few of the past question i.e reading the questions and going straight to the answer. Do it to about four past questions before attempting to complete past questions without referring to the answer. This technique helps build confidence, then as the date of the exam approaches, try completing a couple of questions under strict exam condition.
Understand what the examiner is looking for. This you can do by reading the question properly. Many candidates answer an assumed question in the examination hall. This approach will not help you pass your professional exam. Try and be comfortable with the following terms:
- Describe
- Evaluate
- State
- Explain
- Outline
- Advice
- Report
Consult your dictionary for their exact meaning.
Time management technique in the exam hall is very important. Allocate your time appropriately to each mark in the question ACCA for example allows up to 1.8 Minute for each mark. This translates into 45 Minute for a 25 mark question. If you find yourself struggling with a question and the allocated time elapses, leave it and more. For computational question, if you discover an error, only correct the original and leave the rest. This will save you a lot of time and examines are likely to be lenient with you on this situation.
Learn to revise right. The method I highly recommend is the use of Audio books. It helps you remain learned at all time. Even while on the move, you can download the Audio revision book onto your ipod and listen to it in place of music.
The Cruz of the matter still remains that you must understand the question- very important. If you find yourself in a position to answer two question in one way, it is probable you are wrong in both question- READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY.
Get motivated, apply all you read in this article and join the prestigious league of accountants out there. Bye for now.
