PEV,PCR - bad at maths :(

lizrochford

Hi

Just wondered how many others have got through these exams who struggle with maths and I mean even basic maths, I'm finding these two units a real challenge as my maths is poor as I didn't do well at school. Just need some confidence boosting really.

Liz

angela27

Hi Liz me and you both maths was my worse subject and school and what i got the lowes mark for and i struggle with PEV also i prefer the financial units better for eg drafting financial statements, my plan is to go through tons of past papers, dont worry hun your not alone and there are people in my class in the same position, the course doesnt actually come together or make sense to me until i start to attempt the past papers, go for it the exams are a couple of months off so plenty of time to practice for the exams. x

[Deleted User]

You will actually be surprised at how little maths is involved with accounting. Maths was one of my favourite subjects at school and one of the reasons I got into accounting but it is rarely used.

I think the key to accounting is methodology. If you understand the principles of what you are doing and why it is done that way, then you should be able to approach any exam and feel comfortable. I tend to break every process down into the smallest component and build it back into a process after I have understood each part. :thumbup1:

SandyHood

Rather than under estimate the maths in PEV and PCR, have a look at the examiner's report for the last few exams.
Time and again, basic maths skills are cited as stubbling blocks for a lot of candidates.
When the PEV examiner Cliff Floyd meets up with lecturers for master classes he advocates maths sessions for students, often at the beginning of these units. That way you have the under-pinning skills before adding the accounting concepts.

It is well worth taking a couple of hours off from your accounting work, and going back over some basic arithmetic. Once you've done that, then go back to the accounts and you'll only be applying the accounting and not having to face them both at the same time.

I even think that Cliff Floyd recommends specific arithmetical topics in one of the examiner's reports for PEV.

Good luck.

mark057

I was not always brilliant at maths at school and passed the PEV and PCR papers.

I think it's a complete misconception that to be a good accountant you have to be a maths genius.

There is so much more to being an accountant or prospective one than good numeracy skills. An understanding and interest in the business world is a general quality required as is a logical mind in order to account for figures accurately.

As I said I'm not maths genius but have effectvely passed the AAT.

Mark

Marg22

I do agree with what everyone has said.

I also think that getting your head around the scenario quickly gives you the edge in an exam, so having a good memory also helps and a logical approach.

Marg

mark130273

lizrochford wrote: »

Hi

Just wondered how many others have got through these exams who struggle with maths and I mean even basic maths, I'm finding these two units a real challenge as my maths is poor as I didn't do well at school. Just need some confidence boosting really.

Liz

so why go into accountancy if your maths is bad?:confused1:

Gem7321

mark130273 wrote: »

so why go into accountancy if your maths is bad?:confused1:

You don't need to be good at or enjoy maths to be an accountant, you need to be logical and you've got a calculator for the maths part!

Sonny_L

The two often go hand in hand though. Doesn't matter if you can't get your head around polynomials, calculas or quadratic equations I agree. But I think you need to be competent enough to understand the underlying mathematical concepts of depreciation, time series etc.

Somebody who struggles with basic maths like this is unlikely to be logically minded and it is indeed a strange career choice.

But then again....

I like the look of Sandy's advice rather than just sweeping a weakness under the carpet. Give maths another go, you're not at school anymore, you have a career path decided and you can study the subject within a context (accountancy!) you probably won't struggle with the basics after all!

umerali2003

well i think mathematics have nothing 2 do with MAC (pev and pcr) .. i was very good in mathematic in my school .. but still struggle 2 pass MAC and thats the only subject holding me 2 get qualified .. i think da bloke here mentioned about getting your head into the scenerio thats wat matters plus u need 2 apply the logic in a quick time because the time is real short and completing the paper on time is another challenge in MAC ( PEC AND PCR)
any ways wish u all a very good luck for this one and i hope every body nails it hard this time :thumbup1:

lizrochford

Sonny_L wrote: »

Somebody who struggles with basic maths like this is unlikely to be logically minded and it is indeed a strange career choice.

But then again....

Thanks for all your messages, my job involves accountant work and I've never really needed to use that much maths (spreadsheets and calculators!). I do not think it is a strange career choice as I find it a challenge to face the one subject I always struggled with at school that combined with I love my job, that along with I missed most of secondary school lessons due to bullying so I was always behind everyone else.

I did ask my tutor some months ago if someone who really struggled could get through this and he said if I was prepared to put some extra work in I would pass. I agree with one comment about having a good memory and my memory is quite good at retaining things so hopefully I'll be ok.