Anyone working towards a career in accountancy will have their sights firmly fixed on the ACCA exams, one of the most challenging set of hurdles along the long hard, road to becoming a chartered certified accountant. Whilst having an extensive knowledge of the subject matter is of paramount importance when preparing for any form of examination, it can be equally important to understand how to make the most of your opportunities to study. The following tips will help you to make the most of your time.

Make Use of Your Peers

One of the best ways to ensure that you make the most of your time in the lead up to the exam is to make use of your peers. Whilst your tutors will be able to supply you with the knowledge you will need to pass, finding a group of like minded hardworking people will provide an atmosphere of support that will allow you to make the most of this knowledge.

‘Peer pressure’ is generally interpreted as a negative term. It implies situations in which a person is pushed out of their comfort zone. However, in the build up to your exams a friendly shove out of your comfort zone can be just what you need! Being around people who are striving towards the same goals as you will reassure you that the workload can be managed, and motivate you to keep going.

Self Motivation

At some pint however, you are going to have to find some time alone with your study materials in which to revise and practice. Given the large workload you’ll be trying to fit into an already busy lifestyle, the temptation to take as many breaks as possible will be hard to resist.

With no tutor stood over you it can be hard to keep putting the required pressure on yourself needed to study (especially as you’ll be getting plenty of pressure from other sources.) This is the time to remember your motivation for taking the exam. After all you chose to follow this path and you had your own reasons for doing so. Focus on your long term goals and think about where you want this exam to lead you in life. Of course, you may also find motivation in looking at the other side of the coin. If it helps, imagine the impact failing the exams may have on your ambitions and finances, but don’t let a fear of failure paralyze you. You need to keep pushing!

Focused Study

When working on your own it is easy to forget the principles of learning you have been following whilst engaged on your course. For instance, your tutors will focus with you for months at a time on a particular area of study before moving on. However, when it comes to re-learning subject matter people often flit between subject areas at random, perhaps believing that the variety will help keep them ‘fresh’ and perceptive.

Unfortunately, it has been shown, time and again, that this is not the most effective way to learn. You need to immerse yourself in a particular area of study and focus on it intensively. This will dramatically improve your ability to take on and retain information compared to a random, piecemeal approach.

You will also want to test yourself before moving off from any particular point. Don’t kid yourself that, just because you’ve read something, you know it. If you don’t test yourself, you won’t retain what you’ve learnt at those of hours of reading will have been in vain.

Practice in Exam Conditions

Finally, you will want to recreate the conditions under which you will be taking your test. There’s no escaping the fact that sitting an examination is almost as much of a trial physically as it is mentally and even emotionally. To sit still at a small desk and write in silence for three straight hours is, in of itself, something of an athletic feat and, just as with any other physically demanding activity, you should not attempt it without having practiced working under such conditions before hand. It takes a lot of self discipline but the rewards are huge. If you are comfortable in exam conditions you will be calmer, more relaxed and, as a result, in a better position to make all of your hard work count when it matters most.