Does somebody think the time for MAC exam is too little?

Londina

I'm sure there are too many questions for the 3 hours available....how come other exams paper somebody could manage to finish them in 1 hour and half/2 hours, instead MAC you are 3 hours solid on it and even run out of time? Definately this paper require lots of thinking in order to understand the situation/concept that others units don't require so much.

Any comments about?

Jointy

Is MAC part of technician its just that i thought there was only DFS, BTC, PTC, PEV & PCR.

Londina

MAC is the equivalent of PEV/PCR for the diploma pathway

Jointy

I see thanks for clearing that up :001_smile:

Sonny_L

How do pass rates compare to the rest of the syllabus?

If you start making exams easier you devalue the qualification. Opportunities and salaries for members then go down.

Accountants work under time pressure. Accountancy exams should be time pressured.

Chartered exams are in a different stratosphere when it comes to time pressure. So is ATT.

umerali2003

Sonny_L wrote: »

How do pass rates compare to the rest of the syllabus?

If you start making exams easier you devalue the qualification. Opportunities and salaries for members then go down.

Accountants work under time pressure. Accountancy exams should be time pressured.

Chartered exams are in a different stratosphere when it comes to time pressure. So is ATT.

My friend why MAC Unit 33 is time pressured only why not the other units of AAT ??

Sonny_L

Again, how do pass rates compare? Do Assessor's reports for MAC frequently speak of unfinished papers or signs of rushing?

If MAC is out on it's own (I did NVQ so don't know) then I'd suggest the other exams need to be ramped up.

We're Accountants. We're always fighting the clock at work!! Exams should prepare us for this.

LondonMatt

I didn't find it too time sensitive, I finished with 30 minutes to spare and I had to completely redraft the P&L.

Richard

Sonny_L wrote: »

Again, how do pass rates compare? Do Assessor's reports for MAC frequently speak of unfinished papers or signs of rushing?

If MAC is out on it's own (I did NVQ so don't know) then I'd suggest the other exams need to be ramped up.

We're Accountants. We're always fighting the clock at work!! Exams should prepare us for this.

For the December 08 MAC & PEV sittings the success rates are:

MAC - worldwide 53.6%, UK 70.8%

PEV - worldwide 59.7%, UK 65.3%

I sat MAC in December 2008, and although I found it more time-pressured than other exams I have taken, it was still achievable. I completed the paper, and had time to check it through a few times for mistakes.

Sonny_L

Cheers Richard.

What's your source for those? Not that I don't believe you I'm just wondering.

Richard

Sonny_L wrote: »

Cheers Richard.

What's your source for those? Not that I don't believe you I'm just wondering.

I found this Powerpoint presentation a few days ago:

http://www.aat.org.uk/servlet/file/2009%20conference%20MAC%20PEV%20-%20updated.ppt?ITEM_ENT_ID=19824&download=1%20

There are some more presentations on this page:

http://www.aat.org.uk/centres/content/item18105/

Londina

Sonny_L wrote: »

Accountants work under time pressure. Accountancy exams should be time pressured.

I'm work in practice and I'm under time pressure usually. However I make sure I don't end up having lots of stuff to complete in only 3 hours time!

umerali2003 wrote:

My friend why MAC Unit 33 is time pressured only why not the other units of AAT ?? !

I agreed with what you said!

Sonny_L

MAC's (very high) pass rates have been posted already. It clearly isn't unfairly demanding compared to other AAT exams.

Exam time is hilarious on this forum. People whine, whinge and point the blame at everything but themselves. Then in two months they find out they've passed.

I wish you good luck come results time.

Londina

Sonny_L wrote: »

Exam time is hilarious on this forum. People whine, whinge and point the blame at everything but themselves. Then in two months they find out they've passed.
I wish you good luck come results time.

Sonny, I am not looking for a scapegoat, I know it's my fault if I fail, I didn't revise MAC enough, so I was unprepared. However my point is that other units are archieavable even in 1hour and half, whilst MAC not because the questions are too long or too much, therefore a full 3 hours is required and not time available to reflect/correct something if you come across to any problem.

LondonMatt wrote: »

I didn't find it too time sensitive, I finished with 30 minutes to spare and I had to completely redraft the P&L.

LondonMatt is an example, even someone as good as him managed to finish the paper in 2 hours and half, not earlier like some other good people that can finish DFS and BTC in shorter time.

Richard

Londina wrote: »

However my point is that other units are archieavable even in 1hour and half, whilst MAC not because the questions are too long or too much, therefore a full 3 hours is required and not time available to reflect/correct something if you come across to any problem.

Surely if people are finishing the exams for other subjects in less than the allocated 3hours, then this is a weakness with those exams - if a student can complete DFS in 1hr 30mins could it be argued that the exam is not demanding enough?

As mentioned earlier, the fact that 70%+ passed the exam in December proves that there is sufficient time to complete, and pass, this exam in the allocated time.

Pamela

I took MAC in December and finished in about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Today I sat DFS and took about 2 1/4 hours (apart from not being able to reconcile the cash flow to balance). I spent the rest of the time reworking the cash flow unsucsessfully. I think there will always be some people who finish quicker, it just depends on whether or not the questions come up that we can remember the answers to. PTC and BTC are much less time pressured. In real life we don't need to remember it all we have books etc to refer to, but we all know that any part of the sylabus could be tested.

LondonMatt

Londina wrote: »

LondonMatt is an example, even someone as good as him managed to finish the paper in 2 hours and half, not earlier like some other good people that can finish DFS and BTC in shorter time.

:cool2:



:laugh:

Pamela

I took MAC in December and finished in about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Today I sat DFS and took about 2 1/4 hours (apart from not being able to reconcile the cash flow to balance). I spent the rest of the time reworking the cash flow unsucsessfully. I think there will always be some people who finish quicker, it just depends on whether or not the questions come up that we can remember the answers to. PTC and BTC are much less time pressured. In real life we don't need to remember it all we have books etc to refer to, but we all know that any part of the sylabus could be tested.

Londina

Pamela wrote: »

Today I sat DFS and took about 2 1/4 hours (apart from not being able to reconcile the cash flow to balance). I spent the rest of the time reworking the cash flow unsucsessfully.

Since you spent the rest of the time trying to balance the cash flow, this means that there was time available to review and try to correct your task...something very rarely in MAC.
When I left the exam on Monday, at 2.55 hours, there was still 30 people writing and only 5 managed to leave half hour earlier...

This makes me think something is wrong, but for all of you is fine....obviously you think balancing some figures in a financial statement and re-write a whole budget take the same time!
:001_smile:

Richard

Londina wrote: »

This makes me think something is wrong, but for all of you is fine....obviously you think balancing some figures in a financial statement and re-write a whole budget take the same time!
:001_smile:

Not everyone has the same abilities though, every stduent will have different strengths and weaknesses. While you may think that 'balancing some figures' is easy, other students may not, and it may take them as long to complete a DFS paper, as it would a weaker student taking MAC.

Londina

Richard wrote: »

it may take them as long to complete a DFS paper, as it would a weaker student taking MAC.

But DFS has less tasks than MAC....and it's a fact management accounting is more difficult than financial accounting! why otherwise so many people struggle with it?

I'm still thinking none of you are getting my point...I'm not saying that MAC should be easier, I'm not saying that I'm looking an excuse for my possible failure, I'm saying that the paper is LONGER compared to other units when the subject is also more complex.

Richard

Londina wrote: »

But DFS has less tasks than MAC....and it's a fact management accounting is more difficult than financial accounting! why otherwise so many people struggle with it?

I'm still thinking none of you are getting my point...I'm not saying that MAC should be easier, I'm not saying that I'm looking an excuse for my possible failure, I'm saying that the paper is LONGER compared to other units when the subject is also more complex.

I appreciate what you are saying, and agree that compared to other exams, I probably took longer to complete it. However, I think you are facing a losing battle - if 70+% can complete and pass the exam in the time allowed, then the AAT will not make any changes to it. If there was a very low pass rate, and comments from examiners that students were not completing the papers, then action would need to be taken.

Fiorellino

All the previous exams I have taken in the past, the time available was always enough and managed to finish earlier than others.
This time though it was awful as 3 hours was too little for the many questions there were thrown on the paper exam. Only 4 or 5 magaged to finish earlier and the rest of the canditates including me, took all 3 hours and 15 minutes and still did not have time to complete the index question ( which I left at the end). I could not even check my answers at all!

Anyway I will state this matter in the survey and I hope everyone else will do the same.

Londina

Fiorellino wrote: »

Anyway I will state this matter in the survey and I hope everyone else will do the same.

Definately I will Fiorellino and hope all the others will find the courage too to do it!

Richard wrote: »

if 70+% can complete and pass the exam in the time allowed, then the AAT will not make any changes to it. If there was a very low pass rate, and comments from examiners that students were not completing the papers, then action would need to be taken.

Thanks Richard for the comment, you are right and I'm curious to see what will be the pass rate of this exam this time.
If this 70% is made of strong candidates who manage to finish the exam in 2 hours and 40/50min (instead of 1hour and 30min for other units), what's the chance for a slower candidate, considering he/she also needs time to review and check all the answers before hand in the paper?:huh:

pernickety

There was definitely too many questions crammed in to the MAC exam for the time allowed. I just literally put my pen down 1 minute before, did not have any time to look back and check anything. I had not used the full 15 mins reading time either, nor had I had any particular headaches or panics along the way where I was pulling my hair out over anything. I went through every question at the usual steady pace I always have. I was out really early after last year's exams, no problems at all, more than enough time. Similarly with DFS; if my consolidated account had balanced I would have had over an hour to spare. Just hope that did enough to get through, as ever.

Kanatkins

MAC suggested answers

Has anyone got the suggested answers for MAC 2009?

Londina

pernickety wrote: »

there was definitely too many questions crammed in to the mac exam for the time allowed. I just literally put my pen down 1 minute before, did not have any time to look back and check anything. I had not used the full 15 mins reading time either, nor had i had any particular headaches or panics along the way where i was pulling my hair out over anything. I went through every question at the usual steady pace i always have. I was out really early after last year's exams, no problems at all, more than enough time. Similarly with dfs; if my consolidated account had balanced i would have had over an hour to spare. Just hope that did enough to get through, as ever.

please if everyone shared the same feeling as i, pernickety, and many others, remember to give your feedback regarding this paper, i'm now having a look in the questions and definately there were too many LONG questions for the time given.
Thanks anyone