Wish I hadn't looked at the past exam papers

sharonj

I've only just started unit 5 of the Advanced Certificate and am working my way through the tutorial book. I just thought I would take a look at the exam paper for FRA to see what it looks like. I've only just finished chapter 7 dealing with depreciation of fixed assets and I did struggle with it a little bit. The whole disposals acc, depreciation acc and provision for depreciation acc etc etc confused me for a while but I think I've sort of cracked it. Anyway, looking at the previous exam papers has scared me completely. I'm due to take the exam at the end of this year so obviously I've technically got plenty of time yet but does anyone ever feel like "I'll never be able to do this" ??

I don't work in accounts at the moment, I work in banking and I think I would feel more confident if I already worked in a relevant accounting field. Maybe it's just self doubt, but I hope that one day I wake up and think, actually, I know exactly what everything means and can just do it without thinking about it.....I hope this day comes.......soon.

mikes

when i did it last year, i was taking a long time to remember where everything went. I did have some basic understanding of the difference between accruals and prepayments, but not where they went in the accounts.

I went through each adjustment in turn, until i knew where they went and doing practice P&L accounts and Balance sheets. By the time i got to the final one, i was becoming more used to them.

For my revision i wrote up a mock example of the P&L and BS, indidicating where everything went onto a blank postcard and looked at that whenever i had the chance, so that it all sunk in.

I know it does sound daunting now, but dont worry, by the time the exam comes around, you will be used to it as well.

Best of luck.

sharonj

Thanks for the advice, I know you're right about practicing and by the exam I should feel much more confident, fingers crossed. I just have to try not to stress about it and it should hopefully all fall in to place.

Pencil

When I first started doing FRA I didn't think I would ever remember it all. By the time the exams came around I started to wonder why I was worrying. It all starts to slot into place a little bit at a time. We were advised not to look at any past papers until we had covered all the syllabus, purely because we would have been sent into a fit of panic. The first practice paper was really hard but by the time I sat the real paper the P&L and balance sheet layouts had been lodged into my brain and it all went fine.

Nobody can be expected to know how to complete the exam straight away, it all takes a little patience, hard work and big dollop of determination on the side.

Best of luck :thumbup1:

Andypandy

You'll be so glad you did it when you're a renowned expert in huge global demand (in a few years time). THINK POSITIVE!!!!!

sharonj

Thanks for all your replies. I know now that I should not have looked at the exam paper till much nearer the time. I just thought I would try and prepare myself for what was in store which, obviously knowing that I still haven't covered half of it yet was a big mistake. I will try and relax a little and just take it as it comes and try not to force the information into my brain. I just hope it sinks in naturally.

As for being in high demand that would be flippin fantastic but at this point, just being able to remember what I learned the previous day would be a big help.

Lele

June exams 09

f*g difficult comparing to the past papers!!!
I am getting ready for the re-sit in December and I do work in the accounts lol
not funny actually....:(

Ed1

sharonj wrote: »

I've only just started unit 5 of the Advanced Certificate and am working my way through the tutorial book. I just thought I would take a look at the exam paper for FRA to see what it looks like. I've only just finished chapter 7 dealing with depreciation of fixed assets and I did struggle with it a little bit. The whole disposals acc, depreciation acc and provision for depreciation acc etc etc confused me for a while but I think I've sort of cracked it. Anyway, looking at the previous exam papers has scared me completely. I'm due to take the exam at the end of this year so obviously I've technically got plenty of time yet but does anyone ever feel like "I'll never be able to do this" ??

I don't work in accounts at the moment, I work in banking and I think I would feel more confident if I already worked in a relevant accounting field. Maybe it's just self doubt, but I hope that one day I wake up and think, actually, I know exactly what everything means and can just do it without thinking about it.....I hope this day comes.......soon.

You have a huge amount of time until your exam(s); the topic you've started studying is easily doable within the timeframe you've specified.

Are you registered with the AAT?

If so, you have access to a great online resource for FRA and all it encompasses.

Register with the AAT first, then come back here....

sharonj

Ed1 wrote: »

You have a huge amount of time until your exam(s); the topic you've started studying is easily doable within the timeframe you've specified.

Are you registered with the AAT?

If so, you have access to a great online resource for FRA and all it encompasses.

Register with the AAT first, then come back here....

Hi Ed

I am registered with the AAT. What online resource do you mean, I'm working from the Osborne books at the mo and they are quite good but any extra info would definately be useful. Thanks.

Lele,

I hope you do better with the resit in December. You've made me feel a little bit better as I thought that if you already worked in accounts you would be at a major advantage but some of the subjects covered I suppose would not be covered when working in an accounting role and would be difficult no matter what field you work in. Here's hoping for good luck and plenty of confidence in December.

Ed1

Log-in to the main website, then go to:

Home - MyAAT - Qualification - Revision tools for Unit 5 – Financial Records and Accounts (FRA)

sharonj

Ed1 wrote: »

Log-in to the main website, then go to:

Home - MyAAT - Qualification - Revision tools for Unit 5 – Financial Records and Accounts (FRA)

Hi Ed

I've just found the revision tools for unit 5. They're really good and very detailed. I would never have known they were there so thanks for that. They will come in very very handy. Had to do a search on "revision tools" though as even though I went to the qualifications page, it didn't seem to be listed for some reason so if anyone else wants to find them and can't seem to, if you search for them in the search box they do come up.

Ed1

They are very useful and I can guarantee that once you've been through all the e-learning sessions you will find the past papers far less daunting.

steveJ

Ed, thanks alot for putting us on to the elearning tools. This has really helped with my revision. Me and Sharon are in roughly the same place studying wise and i can understand what shes going through. Depreciation, provision for depreciation etc etc.

Thanks alot:thumbup1:

Vics

Seriously guys once your exam comes round you'll know the work. It does seem very daunting now but you get to a point where you'll see the question and just know.

I was quite concerned about my FRA paper but passed it (surprisingly) first time.

By the time you sit the exam you'll be prepared. Remain confident and everything will be ok. honest :thumbup1:

sharonj

Vics wrote: »

Seriously guys once your exam comes round you'll know the work. It does seem very daunting now but you get to a point where you'll see the question and just know.

I was quite concerned about my FRA paper but passed it (surprisingly) first time.

By the time you sit the exam you'll be prepared. Remain confident and everything will be ok. honest :thumbup1:

I wish I had the confidence now, that's all, but thanks, It's still good to hear from people who've gone through it and come out of the other side. It is definately getting easier...ish but I find that the more new information I fill my head with, I start to forget little bits of the previous things I've learned. I need some kind of cork to keep all the information in my brain, anyone know of such a device??

aj7861

Good luck mate, expecting my results next week and i am 110% sure that i failed FRA, it was written very very poorly, really pi55ed at that!!!

oh confused one

I agree - v badly worded tbh - although many people have said it was just like one of the past papers - there seem to be loads of peeps on here who found the wording misleading as well.

Lena

sharonj wrote: »

I've only just started unit 5 of the Advanced Certificate and am working my way through the tutorial book. I just thought I would take a look at the exam paper for FRA to see what it looks like. I've only just finished chapter 7 dealing with depreciation of fixed assets and I did struggle with it a little bit. The whole disposals acc, depreciation acc and provision for depreciation acc etc etc confused me for a while but I think I've sort of cracked it. Anyway, looking at the previous exam papers has scared me completely. I'm due to take the exam at the end of this year so obviously I've technically got plenty of time yet but does anyone ever feel like "I'll never be able to do this" ??

I don't work in accounts at the moment, I work in banking and I think I would feel more confident if I already worked in a relevant accounting field. Maybe it's just self doubt, but I hope that one day I wake up and think, actually, I know exactly what everything means and can just do it without thinking about it.....I hope this day comes.......soon.

Hi Sharonj, I am exactly at the same place as you, working my way through the unit 5 book, the chapter about depreciation was quite ok but I got stuck on accruals and prepayments, grr... (have to check out the recommended revision tools later)... While I don't work in accounts either, I find it quite challenging to keep studying and to motivate myself, but I just take it slowly, do a little bit every day, giving my brain some time to digest all the new information... I know all the hard work will pay off one day... (even if that day if still way off in the future)
So, self doubt is normal in this situation;), but in those moments remember you are not the only one, and we will manage somehow, fingers crossed:001_smile:...

ps. Forgot to add, love the "Flight of the Conchords" , they're so funny...

sharonj

Lena wrote: »

Hi Sharonj, I am exactly at the same place as you, working my way through the unit 5 book, the chapter about depreciation was quite ok but I got stuck on accruals and prepayments, grr... (have to check out the recommended revision tools later)... While I don't work in accounts either, I find it quite challenging to keep studying and to motivate myself, but I just take it slowly, do a little bit every day, giving my brain some time to digest all the new information... I know all the hard work will pay off one day... (even if that day if still way off in the future)
So, self doubt is normal in this situation;), but in those moments remember you are not the only one, and we will manage somehow, fingers crossed:001_smile:...

ps. Forgot to add, love the "Flight of the Conchords" , they're so funny...

Thanks Lena, it's so good to hear other people are in the same boat. Also good when people you know are studying the same topic so you can always be reassured if you start to doubt yourself. Since initially posting this thread I've got a bit more to grips with the depreciation, prepayment, accural thing and I've submitted a short test to my training provider and got a distinction. My tutor's comment on my returned test was 'oh ye of little faith', I just need to have more confidence and trust that if I work hard at this I will do ok.

p.s Glad someone else loves Flight of the conchords, think they're flippin fantastic, can't get their songs out of my head all day at work.

s_deards

Hi
I'm a couple of chapters ahead finishing the chapter on Extended trial balances which brings it all together. After constantly phoning my sister (who is an accountant) asking continuous questions and saying I'm never going to get this. I then went back over the previous chapters with depreciation, prepayments, accruals etc and last night feel like I may be getting somewhere after actually being able to do an extended trial balance question without too many mistakes rather than looking at it thinking, 'what does that mean, don't even know where to start'.
This is the first time i've logged on to the AAT forum and I can see its going to be a massive help and support.
Good luck with the rest of the Unit. I'm considering doing both exams in December for the Advanced Certificate, am I totally crazy?? If I can put a good dent into Unit 5 in the next couple of weeks I thought I might aim for that. Is anybody else doing this?

cs_1988

I'm guessing it's FRA your on about? To be honest, the text book is a lot to take in, it's when you start doing questions it hits! I tend to get sooo bored reading the textbook, that i end up skipping pages, then wonder why i cant do it!!!

But, it's when you go through the past exam papers, example questions that it sinks in!

Alicia

I did both exams for the advanced certificate in June - they were fine!! 2 weeks before the exams all i did was practice papers, over and over again and found it repeated itself in the June 09 exams!! So not too bad!!xXx

sharonj

s_deards wrote: »

Hi
I'm a couple of chapters ahead finishing the chapter on Extended trial balances which brings it all together. After constantly phoning my sister (who is an accountant) asking continuous questions and saying I'm never going to get this. I then went back over the previous chapters with depreciation, prepayments, accruals etc and last night feel like I may be getting somewhere after actually being able to do an extended trial balance question without too many mistakes rather than looking at it thinking, 'what does that mean, don't even know where to start'.
This is the first time i've logged on to the AAT forum and I can see its going to be a massive help and support.
Good luck with the rest of the Unit. I'm considering doing both exams in December for the Advanced Certificate, am I totally crazy?? If I can put a good dent into Unit 5 in the next couple of weeks I thought I might aim for that. Is anybody else doing this?

Hi

I know what you mean about it all coming together. I think I'm not too bad now on depreciation, accruals and prepayments. I am hoping to do both the FRA and ECR in December but am possibly considering doing the computer based exams instead of the paper ones then just in case I'm not ready to take the exam in December I'm not under any pressure. Haven't made my mind up yet but am definately considering it.

I do think the AAT forum is really helpful, especially if, like me, you are studying via distance learning. It makes such a difference to be able to see how everyone else is finding certain chapters. I'm on holiday from work at the moment for a couple of weeks and haven't done any studying since the exam results came out. I really need to get back on track. I have a short test due in on 27/08 for chapters 9-13 of the osborne book for FRA. I've only just read chapter 9 and haven't even worked through any of the questions yet. Don't think my short test will be in on time somehow.:ohmy: Good luck with your studies.

Portsmouth_AAT

Pencil wrote: »

When I first started doing FRA I didn't think I would ever remember it all. By the time the exams came around I started to wonder why I was worrying. It all starts to slot into place a little bit at a time. We were advised not to look at any past papers until we had covered all the syllabus, purely because we would have been sent into a fit of panic. The first practice paper was really hard but by the time I sat the real paper the P&L and balance sheet layouts had been lodged into my brain and it all went fine.

Nobody can be expected to know how to complete the exam straight away, it all takes a little patience, hard work and big dollop of determination on the side.

Best of luck :thumbup1:

THIS is so right, my college advised us not to look and scare ourselves as the working through the txt books build up to the exam when you first start learnig you arent expected to know whats needed for the exam otherwise wld be pointless studying!!!

If however you complete the books and still panic then its time to worry!!!!! :confused1:

reddwarf

The osborne site has a lovely (jest!) quite nice anyway! little quiz on ECR and FRA -


http://www.osbornebooks.co.uk/costing_tutorial_resources

here's one

kellyriddell

I have just done exactly the same thing i'm taking book keeping 2 days next week and going straight to intermmediate and starting with unit 5 on Saturday and just thought I'd have a quick look at past exam papers and scared myself stupid! Written a post on chat in a state of panic! Will 2 days book keeping, working in accounts and tutorials for unit 5 get me through the exam in December???