Best Of
Re: AVSY exam window 10-14 July
Had my synoptic on the 10th. A number of students had crashing computers and inoperative downloads - about 5 out of 30 so maybe better than it was in May but not fixed. Luckily the only oddity that I had was any written item - like emails or ethics questions would not accept input from the cursor keys so any corrections had to be using the mouse. Very strange and frustrating. 4 of us went out for a drink afterwards (one a mess on the floor after downloads not working) and all had the same cursor key issue. So more widespread.
Through the year in the ethics module we have consistently been taught that under professional competence and due care we should ensure we have enough time to do the task at hand in a careful methodical way to ensure errors do not happen. In this spreadsheet exam it is designed to ensure we rush, do not check and skim read instructions in order to try to rattle through the tasks in too little time. As many ethics scenarios end with a requirement to resign I hope that the people who designed the spreadsheet exam and implemented it are currently considering their position as I would say that they are bringing the AAT in to disrepute. As a body that produces exam syllabuses and sets exams on them they should show competence and that seems to be lacking in this module.
Disgruntled of Durham.
Through the year in the ethics module we have consistently been taught that under professional competence and due care we should ensure we have enough time to do the task at hand in a careful methodical way to ensure errors do not happen. In this spreadsheet exam it is designed to ensure we rush, do not check and skim read instructions in order to try to rattle through the tasks in too little time. As many ethics scenarios end with a requirement to resign I hope that the people who designed the spreadsheet exam and implemented it are currently considering their position as I would say that they are bringing the AAT in to disrepute. As a body that produces exam syllabuses and sets exams on them they should show competence and that seems to be lacking in this module.
Disgruntled of Durham.
Re: Levels 3 and 4 Synoptic success rates
Relevance - a Level 3 Synoptic assessment should be based on Level 3 material and not on Level 4 Budgeting style tasks.
Content - the assessment should not unfairly disadvantage students compared to students sitting the AQ13 Spreadsheets assessment and it clearly does. I should know I have been teaching the unit for the last 6 years.
You said it - you found it easy because you have a significant amount of Excel experience. Not all students do though, and students who have done extremely well in all of the accounting units should not be failing L3 because of poor performance in this assessment.
I agree Spreadsheets are an important everyday tool for accountants, but this is an accounting qualification not an advanced spreadsheet qualification.
Content - the assessment should not unfairly disadvantage students compared to students sitting the AQ13 Spreadsheets assessment and it clearly does. I should know I have been teaching the unit for the last 6 years.
You said it - you found it easy because you have a significant amount of Excel experience. Not all students do though, and students who have done extremely well in all of the accounting units should not be failing L3 because of poor performance in this assessment.
I agree Spreadsheets are an important everyday tool for accountants, but this is an accounting qualification not an advanced spreadsheet qualification.
Re: Problems with the Synoptic Level 4 assessment marking??
I've scraped by with 71%. I'm relieved I passed but my other results have all been over 90% so it's not great. I booked a resit weeks ago so I'll try again this coming week but can't imagine I'll do much better.I urge you to put in a complaint to AAT- I feel simply re-sitting is just putting more money in their pockets and not actually challenging them on this. Clearly something is terribly wrong when you've been achieving grades over 90% and just scraped a pass for this one. This really needs to be reviewed. The more of us speak up the better. It is also about helping students after us actually achieve the AAT qualification. We all expected it to be challenging- I have like many of you devoted evenings and most weekends to a strict study regime which should be apparent in our results. However the goal post is so far away I literally have no idea what they are even looking for when marking our exams. I will not let this go and hope each and everyone of you will speak up.. Pass or not we all deserved a lot more
Re: Exam question
@KEROUAC- Speaking from own experience, it is not unrealistic to study level 3 on your own. I think the point to consider isn't so much the level of difficulty with learning materials (I use Osborne) but whether you'd prefer the camaraderie in a group setting and most importantly whether one has the discipline to keep to own study schedule with no accountability from a tutor.
I'd highly recommend buying all the workbooks as well if you're going down the self-study path.
Best of luck to you whatever you decide in the end.
I'd highly recommend buying all the workbooks as well if you're going down the self-study path.
Best of luck to you whatever you decide in the end.
Re: Exam question
Thanks very much for the replies. I'm 51 and was a bit worried about feeling like I'd stick out like a sore thumb going into exams with some youngsters so you've eased my mind a bit. I'm also stuck in a bit of a rut in my job and hoping this can help me move forward.You will be fine. Going to college is fun too. Meet all different people from different places. Do it!! (and by the time you do, AAT will hopefully have sorted out the cock up that has been the implementation of synoptics!!)
Re: Exam question
I wouldn't worry about your age at all. I had no problems.
Re: Exam question
total mix of ages on my level 2 and level 3 from 21ish to over 50. I did level 2 last year and level 3 this year and I'm nearly 40.
4 core exams; VAT, Costing (management accounts), Advanced Bookkeeping and Final Accounts Preparation. Fifth and final exam is the dreaded Synoptic everyone is banging on about. This consists of 60% where you can be tested on anything form the previous 4 plus ethics and 40% spreadsheets.
Old style AAT was Ethics exam and Spreadsheet exam so 6 in total.
4 core exams; VAT, Costing (management accounts), Advanced Bookkeeping and Final Accounts Preparation. Fifth and final exam is the dreaded Synoptic everyone is banging on about. This consists of 60% where you can be tested on anything form the previous 4 plus ethics and 40% spreadsheets.
Old style AAT was Ethics exam and Spreadsheet exam so 6 in total.
Re: Exam question
There are 5 separate exams spaced out over the year - Advanced bookkeeping, Final Accounts Preparation, Management Accounting: Costing and Indirect Tax. The final exam is a synoptic exam which is in 2 parts. The first part includes Ethics and a mixture of questions from the previous 4 exams. The second part is spreadsheets scenarios. I am 50 and started level 3 in September attending college 1 day a week and doing homework and further studies at home. I have worked in a finance job for many years and I don't think I would have got through it just doing the online course. Personally I think it is important to attend college for at least one day a week as this really helped me. Out class was a mixture of ages ranging from school leavers up to 50+
Re: Has anyone appealed L4 synoptic from june 30 results?
I haven't but was considering it. I got 61% (bad, I know) on the exam (sat 18th May). I haven't heard great things from Appeals, most people have advised to put that money towards another resit and have another go. I have now sat my resit (yesterday) and I just have everything crossed for a better outcome.
To add;
If you are perhaps much closer to 70% then maybe it is worth it. My biggest confusion was a terrible result for Question 6, which I felt I did well in.
To add;
If you are perhaps much closer to 70% then maybe it is worth it. My biggest confusion was a terrible result for Question 6, which I felt I did well in.
Re: Level 3 synoptic exam
I sat mine on Thursday evening and it was horrific. The first part is fine, the same as the other 4 exams we have sat this year, a tried a tested platform. But the spreadsheets exam was a farce!
For a start why have these 2 exams been randomly lumped together? There is no relevance whatsoever ever and a 3 hour 15min exam seems harsh.
All 18 students in my class struggled with constant tabbing from question to answer (why it can't be printed is beyond me?) the time given is not enough to complete a competent piece of work. I managed to upload all 3 spreadsheets with 20 seconds to spare. I didn't have time to check any of them or to go back and fill in the little bits I missed. One other massive problem is the timer! Once you open any of the 3 spread sheets you can't see the timer without having to keep tabbing back into the AAT exam screen.
I hope the wave of negative feedback will result in the AAT doing the right thing for student re: grades because I didn't pay £2,000 to be an exam guinnie pig
For a start why have these 2 exams been randomly lumped together? There is no relevance whatsoever ever and a 3 hour 15min exam seems harsh.
All 18 students in my class struggled with constant tabbing from question to answer (why it can't be printed is beyond me?) the time given is not enough to complete a competent piece of work. I managed to upload all 3 spreadsheets with 20 seconds to spare. I didn't have time to check any of them or to go back and fill in the little bits I missed. One other massive problem is the timer! Once you open any of the 3 spread sheets you can't see the timer without having to keep tabbing back into the AAT exam screen.
I hope the wave of negative feedback will result in the AAT doing the right thing for student re: grades because I didn't pay £2,000 to be an exam guinnie pig