Giving up

cornflower

I am about to give up my DFS now. I am sooo fed up. my revision course was cancelled by my college in Leeds then Peugeot and Sandy Hood cancelled their courses and I am at my wits end with all my revision. Why do these tutors take it out on us?? I am really feeling low.:mad2:

I need some help. Iam really down.

Carrie.

SandyHood

Carrie
Your question is very fair

Peugeot and Sandy Hood cancelled their courses and I am at my wits end with all my revision. Why do these tutors take it out on us??

I run exam revision courses up and down the country, and over the years have held these in:
Manchester
Oxford and Oxfordshire
Bath
Many areas of London
Essex
West Sussex
Hampshire
Bath

The answer to the question:
Why did the planned course in Leeds for November 2008 not go ahead?

Lack of interest

I feel genuinely sorry for you, but as you can imagine there is a point at which a revision course becomes viable. We tend to look at 8 students as that point, as that enables me to pay the various costs associated with such a venture.
As I am based on the southcoast, I would need to travel up the night before so that I am fresh for the day.

I have just returned home from the second of two revision weekends in London. Some of the students were from Yorkshire, and had travelled south and found accommodation in London to enable them to attend.

I can't help thinking that they would have saved money if they had gone to Leeds for the weekend over 1st 2nd November. If that had happened we would have probably had a viable number to go ahead. Sadly, for all of us (and I know that Peugeot was very disappointed) our planned revision session in Leeds did not generate a viable number of students.

carla030698

Im also really concerned with my exams, 2 weeks ago, I looked at the practice exam paper and didnt know where to start, but after 2 weeks of thourogh revising I can just about answer most of the questions!
I know the layout and can answer the calculated questions because from going over and over them i have learned the general formulas to them. The bits im going to struggle with are the written bits such as the IAS's but im just hoping that by getting most of the other questions right I can afford to lose marks in those areas.
I plan to make a list of al of my weaker points and I know you shouldnt really have to swot on the morning of the exam, but im going to read the notes a few times in the morning in hope that my memory dosnt fail me! :scared:

Londina

I had the same disappointment with Sandy Hoods' revision course a couple of years ago....it was cancelled at the last minute...:thumbdown:

jackie

Hi,

This may seem really harsh but the cancelled revision courses are water under the bridge now. :ohmy: The exams are very soon and as you are entered you might as well buckle down and do your very best.
For the weaker areas why not put a post on the forum for help, keep going over and over past papers, make notes of your weaknesses and then work on them.
You have got this far and you can do it, think positive:thumbup:

Good Luck, you can do this.....

Jackie

crispy

Is there any particular part that you are having trouble with ? Post with your queries so that maybe others here can help ?

Practicing with the older exams would be a good idea, also remember that you do not have to get everything right 100% (I know I didn't) in order to pass. Above all try and stay positive, this really helps when entering an exam.

Marg22

Hi Cornflower

I agree with Jackie it is in the past so leave it behind.

I am rather concerned about the IAS standards because there is 20 to learn, but first and foremost make sure that you can answer all of these IAS questions on the AAT exam papers, because they repeat them. The first paper testing this was June 2006. It must be annoying to say the least to the examiner if students don't get these right.

I have read a large number of the chief assessors reports and they seem to realise that there is an overload in this area. I think they mark a little more lenient when they test a new standard.

One of the most important thing to remember is the management of time in the exam.

Good Luck to everyone taking exams.

Marg

entfac

I can offer online revision helpin all areas of the Tecchnician syllabus.

E-mail me for more info.

entfac@hotmail.co.uk

entfac

I can offer online revision help in all areas of the Technician syllabus.

E-mail me for more info.

entfac@hotmail.co.uk

peugeot

Hi Cornflower,

I can only offer my sincere apologies about the revision courses not going ahead. However, as Sandy has pointed out we had a "minimum" number of students that needed to be booked on the courses in order to make them viable. This did not happen. However, next year I am planning to do more DFS revision courses across the country, though hopefully these will not be applicable to you!

I fully understand your anxieties. However in order to help you, here is a list of "tips" that I was going to give to students to pass DFS in December:

• In section A make sure you have basic knowledge of all the examinable standards. There are lots of IAS/IFRS in issue but not all of them are examinable! Don't fall into the trap of revising those that are not examinable.
• Practise lots of consolidation questions as this will be required in section A.
• Make sure you know how to define assets, liabilities and equity.
• Make sure you can write about accounting standards as a question is likely on these at DFS level.
• Show all your workings on a separate page in the answer booklet. Even if an answer is totally wrong you can still get credit if the marker can see your approach.
• Make sure you know how to prepare cash flow statements under IAS 7 and not FRS 1. Under IAS 7 only three classifications are used, whereas nine are used in FRS 1!
• In section B make sure you know how and why ratios are calculated as you will be expected to comment on the ratios to demonstrate you can do more than just calculate them.
• Make sure you follow the examiner's request. If asked for a report, make sure you do a report.
• Do not focus too heavily on consolidated accounts at the expense of section B. Remember competence has to be shown in both sections therefore spending a disproportionate amount of time on consolidated financial statements and the IFRS's will mean you run the risk of passing section A and failing section B, therefore failing DFS!
• Practise as many exam standard questions and past papers as possible.
• Focus your attention to those areas of DFS you find particularly difficult and strengthen your weaknesses in this area.

Once again, please accept my apologies for the cancellation of the revision day but there is still time to get a pass on this paper!

Please also fee free to email me or PM me if you (or anyone else studying DFS) needs any assistance.

Kind regards
Steve

mark130273

peugeot wrote: »

Hi Cornflower,

I can only offer my sincere apologies about the revision courses not going ahead. However, as Sandy has pointed out we had a "minimum" number of students that needed to be booked on the courses in order to make them viable. This did not happen. However, next year I am planning to do more DFS revision courses across the country, though hopefully these will not be applicable to you!

I fully understand your anxieties. However in order to help you, here is a list of "tips" that I was going to give to students to pass DFS in December:

• In section A make sure you have basic knowledge of all the examinable standards. There are lots of IAS/IFRS in issue but not all of them are examinable! Don't fall into the trap of revising those that are not examinable.
• Practise lots of consolidation questions as this will be required in section A.
• Make sure you know how to define assets, liabilities and equity.
• Make sure you can write about accounting standards as a question is likely on these at DFS level.
• Show all your workings on a separate page in the answer booklet. Even if an answer is totally wrong you can still get credit if the marker can see your approach.
• Make sure you know how to prepare cash flow statements under IAS 7 and not FRS 1. Under IAS 7 only three classifications are used, whereas nine are used in FRS 1!
• In section B make sure you know how and why ratios are calculated as you will be expected to comment on the ratios to demonstrate you can do more than just calculate them.
• Make sure you follow the examiner's request. If asked for a report, make sure you do a report.
• Do not focus too heavily on consolidated accounts at the expense of section B. Remember competence has to be shown in both sections therefore spending a disproportionate amount of time on consolidated financial statements and the IFRS's will mean you run the risk of passing section A and failing section B, therefore failing DFS!
• Practise as many exam standard questions and past papers as possible.
• Focus your attention to those areas of DFS you find particularly difficult and strengthen your weaknesses in this area.

Once again, please accept my apologies for the cancellation of the revision day but there is still time to get a pass on this paper!

Please also fee free to email me or PM me if you (or anyone else studying DFS) needs any assistance.

Kind regards
Steve

well steve , have you a little hint on how we should remember all those ifas ias ? find it hard to rememebr them all !

jackie

Hi,

I made little flash cards with the IAS's etc had them laminated, punched a hole through the corner, tied them together and took them EVERYWHERE....
I had some very strange looks whilst in Tesco checkouts, in Barlays bank but my husband drew the line when I got them out whilst waiting for dinner in a restuarant!!
They work!!

Jackie

2cool

Never Back Down Never Quit!!!

peugeot

Hi Mark,

This is probably THE most common question asked by students after the number 1 commonly asked question "what percentage do we need to pass!!!"

My advice to remember the accounting standards is to use those 'flash' cards mentioned above. From my discussions with various students both on email and via PM, I have concluded that students tend to get 'bogged down' with the accounting standards.

Most students say that they will only ever learn the odd couple because there's only ever a couple of them ever examined. This is called 'question spotting' and is lethal in my opinion! You only need a basic understanding of the core requirements of each examinable IAS. For example IAS 2 'Inventories' remember lower of cost and net realisable value. IAS 16 'Property Plant and Equipment' write down what constitutes 'cost', what 'subsequent expenditure' can be capitalised and what cannot, the depreciation calculation and what 'impairment' means.

By writing down the core requirements of each standard on a card and using that as a revision aid will mean your revision is much more effective than rote-learning each examinable accounting standard. Most accounting standards are vast and you are not expected to be an accounting standard 'guru' in the examination so don't get too bogged down with them all.

Kind regards
steve

mark130273

peugeot wrote: »

Hi Mark,

This is probably THE most common question asked by students after the number 1 commonly asked question "what percentage do we need to pass!!!"

My advice to remember the accounting standards is to use those 'flash' cards mentioned above. From my discussions with various students both on email and via PM, I have concluded that students tend to get 'bogged down' with the accounting standards.

Most students say that they will only ever learn the odd couple because there's only ever a couple of them ever examined. This is called 'question spotting' and is lethal in my opinion! You only need a basic understanding of the core requirements of each examinable IAS. For example IAS 2 'Inventories' remember lower of cost and net realisable value. IAS 16 'Property Plant and Equipment' write down what constitutes 'cost', what 'subsequent expenditure' can be capitalised and what cannot, the depreciation calculation and what 'impairment' means.

By writing down the core requirements of each standard on a card and using that as a revision aid will mean your revision is much more effective than rote-learning each examinable accounting standard. Most accounting standards are vast and you are not expected to be an accounting standard 'guru' in the examination so don't get too bogged down with them all.

Kind regards
steve

the worst think we got was a 12 pages list of ias and ifas from our tutor with everything under each and every code?we all just looked at it a FILED it...

would beeen a lot easier if we had a small list with basic knowledge of what there were ?