4 Effective Ways to Pass Your ACCA Exam

Do you really want to pass your ACCA exams? That may seem like a silly question, but there are vital resources that students should be using to ensure they pass. If you’re not using them, you’re putting your result on the line. Let’s put it this way; it’s not that we think you don’t want to pass. It’s more that you’re looking for an easier way to do it or want to pass on your own terms. Unfortunately, that’s not the way ACCA exams work!

The 60/40 Rule

Commitment is essential in the time leading up to your exams. We always follow a 60/40 rule which is we can help you 60% of the way, but after that, the extra 40% is up to you. To use the right resources, focus daily, use our advice or the examiner’s, get in your study time etc.

We know it can be tempting to skip over a topic that’s proving difficult or not review past exams, but ultimately these are the things that matter if you want to get 51%. So, let’s look at four essential resources you can use to give yourself the best chance of passing this time around.

1. ACCA Examiner Reports

For some reason, most students don’t take the time to review the Examiner Reports. However, there’s no better starting point than these reports. What you’ll find in these reports are the reasons that students fail and what you need to do to pass. It tells you the 3 or 4 things to avoid doing if you want to pass or the 3 or 4 things to do if you want to avoid failing. In these reports, the person writing the exam outlines what they are looking for and what not to do to pass!

These reports are released after each sitting and are the ultimate guide to tips on passing. In fact, we believe these reports are so valuable that our tutors go through them and create short videos with an overview of the essential findings and advice.

Tip: The Examiner Reports are the best list of information you will get for your upcoming exam. It’s everything the examiner wants you to do and avoid! Ignore them at your peril.

2. CBE Tool

As you probably know, the exams are now all computer-based. Sitting an exam online is different from a paper-based one, so practice is required to ensure you know what to expect and upskill on the tools necessary.What won’t help is getting the exam and printing it off to fill in. You may be practising questions but not in the right way. So when it comes to exam day, you won’t be comfortable with the CBE format, which could cause you to lose time, and stress and ultimately fail, not due to your knowledge but due to your lack of experience with the tool.

Remember, people, write and type differently. So it would be best if you taught yourself to type as you write. When you register, you get more in the flow while typing – if you’re not used to it – it can be slower and result in more formal writing. Also, an examiner can quickly tell between someone who has practised a CBE tool and someone who hasn’t.

Tip: Using a CBE tool is the best way to gain experience and ensure you’re ready when exam time comes. Check out ours if you want to try it out.

Looking to pass your ACCA exams? Register for free with our Basic Plan to explore the platform and get access to ACCA resources and exam insights.

3. Mock Exams

The following resource is crucial: If you don’t practice, you won’t pass. It really is that simple! Many students say that they don’t do a mock because they have no time; it makes them nervous, or they don’t want to do poorly. All of those feelings are valid, but if you don’t sit a mock and get it marked, you’ll never find out the areas you can improve on to get those extra marks or the places you are doing well.

We always say to students that there’s no such thing as a bad mock. Think about your exam as a driving test. How many people pass their test without taking a lesson? You have to be prepared to pass and commit to practising driving and knowing road signs, the mechanics of a car, etc. Your ACCA exams are the same.

Don’t treat it like an exam if you’re worried about a mock. Instead, treat it as a learning experience and replicate the knowledge you’ll have in the actual exam. The more times you can practice, the more likely you will be comfortable and confident, so you pass on the day.

Tip:

1. Don’t leave it until your exam to learn where you’re going wrong.
2. Do mocks in advance, so you have the experience, know the issues and have time to fix them.
3. Allow yourself to have a plan of attack in the exam, e.g. do the big questions first or focus on the OTs.

4. Technical articles

Students find these very easy to ignore, but these can help you pass like the Examiner report! If there’s a technical article released, it is an indicator that it’s an area that an examiner may focus on or a topic that students need to know more about as it may come up in the exam.

For example, the last SBR examiner’s report linked to a technical article released a few months before that subsequently came up in the exam. So, if students had read that article, they would have been familiar with the question and had no issue with answering it well.

Tip: Examiners write these technical articles because the subject is on their mind, and they’ve written for clarification! Pay attention to these articles as they can be a great indicator of a question.

Conclusion

So that’s it; 4 effective ways to help you pass your exam with only a few weeks to go! They may all be resources you know about, but taking action and using them is critical. Build them into your revision timetable to ensure that you are armed with everything possible come exam time. You’ll end up feeling more confident and prepared when it really counts.