How Should You Plan Your Studies for ACCA Papers

Effective planning before starting studying and preparing for your ACCA papers can have far reaching effects. If you plan properly, your study and preparation will be more efficient and effective. Without planning you might be wasting your energies and efforts without getting satisfactory results. Therefore we will provide you some guidance what you should do at the planning stage of your study and preparation.

Before starting your studies and preparation you should take some time out to decide how you plan to study and prepare. If you have already taken some exams, do not wait for the results to arrive because you might end up wasting your two important months.

Scheduling time

The first thing to do at the planning stage is to prepare a time budget. When planning your time schedule you should take into consideration a number of factors. For example you should take into consideration the amount of time you have available to prepare for your exams, the number of exams that you will be taking, the time you will be spending on your job or work (if any), the time you will need for family commitments, and any other things that might need your time. Try to make a draft timetable keeping in view the above mentioned factors.

When you are scheduling your timetable, you keep your timetable flexible and realistic. The timetable that is not flexible and realistic is unlikely to serve its purpose. You should write down your timetable. A written timetable is more likely to secure your motivation and commitment.

Familiarizing with the Syllabus

The next thing that is part of your planning stage is to familiarize yourself with the syllabus of the exams you will be taking. Studying the syllabus will ensure that you focus your attention on the examinable topics. This will also help you in covering the entire range of topics in the syllabus.

The syllabus guide also states the depth to which the topics are examinable. The syllabus refers to the depth as "intellectual level" of a certain topic. You should be aware of the intellectual level of topics and plan your time for the topics according to depth to which it is examinable.

Examiner's Approach Interview

Ones you have familiarized yourself with the syllabus, the next thing to do is to see or read the examiner's approach interviews. These are available on the official website of ACCA. These interviews are very important because they provide you insight into what the examiner will be looking for in the answers in exams. They also provide guidance about which topic areas are more important and how the examiner will approach in the future exams.

Decide upon Study Text

The next thing is to decide which study text you should use for preparation of your exams. It is highly recommended that you use only the approved study text. The approved study texts are reviewed by the ACCA to ensure that the entire syllabus is covered. Multiple approved study texts are available. You should discuss with your tutors and the senior students about which study is better.

Ones you have done all of these things, you are ready to start your studies and preparation.