What To Expect Whilst Studying For Your Acca Qualification At ...
What to expect whilst studying for your ACCA
qualification at Kaplan Financial
Welcome to Kaplan Financial. We are a company of dedicated training colleges, attended by
professionals who are studying accountancy, business, management and law qualifications.
A short guide to studying with us for your ACCA qualification is detailed below. Please take
time to read through this guide before you attend your first course, so you know what to
expect.
Course confirmation letter
Once you have enrolled on your course you will be issued with a letter or email, confirming all
the course information. This will include all the dates and times of the specific course(s) you
have booked to attend, together with details of who to contact if you have any queries.
Premises
All of our premises are based in city centres, close to railway stations. Maps can be found on
our website, www.kaplanfinancial.co.uk. If you require any detailed advice on how to get to
your Kaplan centre, please telephone the centre for more information.
Our centres are equipped with the latest technology in the classrooms, together with
excellent student facilities (for example, all centres have Wi-Fi broadband, so you can bring
your laptop and log-on during your breaks if you wish).
Dress code
There is no formal dress code for students – we simply ask you to wear clothes which are
non-offensive and comfortable. The majority of students wear jeans and a T-shirt.
Stationery
You will be required to take with you to every class the following items of stationery:
Lined paper/large notepad - for making notes
Pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, highlighter pen
Calculator - for all subjects that involve calculations
Course materials – these will be given to you on the first day of each course
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Breaks
Each day is made up of 4 teaching sessions. Your individual times will be shown on your
course confirmation letter, but they will be roughly as follows:
09:30 – 11:00
11:15 – 13:00
14:00 – 15:00
15:15 – 16:30
In between sessions, you will have a morning and afternoon break, plus a lunch break. Most
Kaplan premises have refreshment areas either within or next to their premises where you
can purchase food/drink if you wish. Alternatively, you can take a packed lunch with you.
Health & Safety
On the first day, your tutor will explain the local Fire Evacuation procedures and advise you
which day fire alarm testing is carried out in your local centre. Please take note of this
information.
If you are in need of first-aid, please report to reception, from where assistance will be
arranged.
You must sign your class register each day. This is used in the event of an evacuation, and if
you are a sponsored student, it will be reported to your employer that you are absent if you
have not signed the register.
Should you need to leave the college early on a particular please ensure that you notify your
tutor, so that you are not reported as missing in the event of an evacuation.
If you are unsure of any local procedures or information, please speak to reception or your
tutor who will be able to assist you.
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Tuition Course Structure
The tuition course is split into two phases:
For June exams, phase 1 takes place in March and phase 2 in April.
For December exams, phase 1 is in September and phase 2 in October.
What happens in a tuition class?
During a tuition course you will learn from your tutor the key technical knowledge and
information required to pass the exam. New topics will be introduced in sessions throughout
the day. You should participate fully during the day, volunteering answers to any points
raised and asking questions if you are unsure about any topics discussed. Practice questions
will be completed in class, initially as worked examples with the tutor, and then on your own.
Tutor
Your tutor will be available for you to talk to throughout the day, if you would like any
assistance. Please don’t be afraid to ask – that is what they are there for. You will also be
able to contact your tutor when you are not in class – by email, phone or by appointment in
person.
EN-gage paper-based materials
On the first day of the tuition course you will receive a material pack in a folder, containing
class notes, text book, assessment, and, if you have also booked revision, an exam kit and
pocket notes. These materials are yours to keep, so you can annotate and highlight them if
you wish, to make your studying easier. You should take your study materials to each day of
your course, unless advised otherwise by your tutor.
EN-gage online materials
Just before the first course commences, you will be emailed a request to register for EN-
gage. This is the online part of your study materials. You should complete your online
registration and when instructed, enter a user name and password you can remember.
Once registered, you will have access to your online materials whenever and wherever you
log-on, 24 hours a day anywhere in the world via www.EN-gage.co.uk. These will include:
Online version of your text book
Tests, with comparison and analysis reports (more information below)
Tuition course programme
Interim Assessment questions (and later answers)
Final Assessment questions (and later answers)
Key Examinable Areas
Articles
Past real exam questions
Extra items may also be available in future, such as podcasts and discussion boards.
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EN-gage Fixed tests
An important part of your studying and development will be completing your EN-gage online
fixed tests, which help you to gauge your understanding and focus your studies on topics
where you are struggling. There are three different types of test available:
Pre-tuition
Tuition
Pre-revision
Pre-tuition tests
We recommend that you attempt these as soon as you enrol on your course. These are
designed to check that you have the correct basic knowledge required, before you start your
tuition course.
For example, prior to commencing your Financial Reporting (F7) course, you need to ensure
you are confident in recalling the basic principles, formats and theories you learnt when
studying Financial Accounting (F3). This is even more important if you received an
exemption from the F3 paper and therefore did not actually attend a course.
You should attempt the test and if unsuccessful, review the answers and then work through
those topics using your previous study materials, prior to the F7 course. That way, you are
ready to go!
Tuition
You will be set an online fixed test after each session of the tuition course. These should
ideally be completed the same evening. There are computers you can use at your Kaplan
centre, or you can log on anywhere you can access the internet (at home, work or an
internet café).
There are two main purposes to these tests. The first is to allow you to gauge how much of
the day’s course you have understood. You should expect to struggle with these tests at the
start and get low marks, but this is a normal part of the learning process. Completion of these
tests will allow you to identify areas where you are weak and need additional practice to
improve your understanding. You can then focus your studies for the evening around these
areas.
Secondly your tutor will have access to see how the class have performed during their online
tests, and can adapt the next day’s tuition if the group all struggled on a particular topic.
You can retake the fixed tests as many times as you like, so you will be able to revisit
questions if needed. You will also be able to compare your test results to other members of
your class, using our online test comparison reports.
Pre-revision tests
Our specialist ACCA tutors have identified particular topics which students should understand
fully, prior to starting revision. They have then created specific pre-revision tests for you to
complete online, between your initial studies and revision. The tests are not timed, so you
can take as long as you need to work through them; and they have specific topic titles,
allowing you to focus on particular areas.
The aim is for you to attempt these quick tests and identify any areas where you are
struggling. Then, you should study these topics in your own time prior to revision, practising
exam standard, longer questions from the exam kit. This process of ‘testing and analysing
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your strengths and weaknesses then targeting your weaker areas’ should improve your
overall knowledge and understanding by the time you start revision. This in turn will allow
you to start your revision confident that you have a good understanding of the core topics.
Homework
You will be set short homework tasks (e.g. reading up on a topic, practising some questions)
as well as the online fixed tests after each day of the tuition course.
Studying in your own time is an important requirement – you should spend an average of 1
hour per night studying between the start of tuition and the revision course. This amount will
increase greatly towards the exam. You will need to manage your studies – the onus is on
you to use your time effectively. Studying at home is much more difficult than being in the
classroom. Your tutor will guide you as to the key syllabus areas that you need to work on.
Assessments
In addition to the online tests, you are recommended to complete the two written
assessments. The pass mark is 50%. The interim assessment will take place half way
through the tuition between phase 1 and phase 2, with the final assessment at the end of
tuition.
If you are a sponsored student, your assessment results will be forwarded to your training
manager for their information.
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Revision course structure & procedures
These courses will take place in May (for June exams) or November (for December exams).
What happens on a revision course?
This course will focus on exam practice and technique, ensuring you have the skills to pass
the exam on the day. Your tutor (who will normally be the same person who taught you on
tuition) will show you how to work through an exam standard question, and then you will be
asked to attempt questions on your own in class. The tutor will then debrief the questions
for the group, showing why a recommended answer is correct. Tutors will also provide
assistance to students when required.
Materials
On revision you will be provided with an exam kit, which contains lots of sample questions
(and the answers) for you to work through, and pocket notes – handy mini books which will
focus your attention on the key syllabus areas – together with a mock exam.
Mock Exam
Following the revision course, you should sit the mock exam. We recommend that you do
this under exam conditions, to give you the best understanding of how good your exam
technique is. You can submit it for marking and receive both marks and feedback on your
script.
Question Based Day (QBD)
For all Skills, Essentials and Options papers we recommend you also attend a question based
day. This is a one day course, per paper, focusing on exam technique and time
management.
The course takes place after your revision course, a week or two before the exam.
Students will be set an exam standard question and be given an exact amount of time to
complete it in – this will match the time you should allocate in the real exam. Once
completed, the scripts are taken away and marked by a group of professional on-site
markers, guided by your tutor. Whilst the first scripts are being marked, the class will be
answering question 2. Then, you will receive your first script back, with marks and feedback
comments – on both technical content and presentation. This process will continue
throughout the day.
The aim is that you will use the feedback provided to improve both your marks and
confidence throughout the day. It is the nearest thing you will experience to real exam
pressure.
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Exams
A student will normally complete 14 exams as part of their ACCA qualification, unless they
have been granted exemptions by ACCA, based on previous qualifications. For all ACCA
exams, the pass mark is 50%.
Computer Based Exam (CBE)
These are available for papers F1, F2 and F3. They are 2 hour exams attempted on a
computer at your local Kaplan centre.
The questions will be a mix of randomly selected questions, with multiple choice, true/false or
single number entry responses. You can view a demonstration of a CBE by clicking
http://www.accaglobal.com/students/exams/cbes/demo
One of the benefits of a CBE is that should you be unsuccessful, you are able to resit the
exam quickly – usually within the following month.
Please see Kaplan’s separate guidance on taking a computer based exam.
Paper Based Exam
These are available for all ACCA papers and are held at your local ACCA exam centre – not at
Kaplan Financial. For papers F1, F2 and P3 the exams are 2 hours long, however, for the rest
of the papers the exams are 3 hours long, plus 15 minutes reading and planning time.
All paper based exams are on fixed dates in June and December each year – if you miss your
exam you will have to wait 6 months to sit it again. All UK exams start at 10am and you
should arrive at the exam centre 30 minutes early.
You must submit an exam entry directly to ACCA each sitting. We recommend that you enter
for your exams online. Paper based exam fees are payable directly to ACCA. Deadlines are:
For June exams, the exam entry deadline is 15 April
For December exams, the deadline is 15 October
Kaplan student support
You can contact your tutor outside of class if you require help with any technical issues
relating to your studies.
A dedicated customer service team are also available to assist you with any general queries.
In addition, you can use the EN-gage website for more information to help you with your
studies.
If you have any questions, please contact your local Kaplan Financial centre and ask to speak
to the ACCA course manager.
Good luck with your studies!
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