Wrong decision

poppinna

Hi,

Im in the middle of technician level and have to say it's painful. I just realised that going to last level of AAT was bad decision and too much work for only 3papers exceptions of ACCA.

Put it together 4 exams,1 simulation, 1 project and portfolio are just not worth it for ACCA exceptions of 3 foundation papers, so if you just finished intermediate and really want to go for further studying (ACCA,CIMA) please take my advise. You don't need AAT full membership if you have ACCA or CIMA.

Good Luck!!!

Poppinna

Ed1

Well, that's very helpful advice. Thanks for making complete sense.

Richard

poppinna wrote: »

Hi,

Im in the middle of technician level and have to say it's painful. I just realised that going to last level of AAT was bad decision and too much work for only 3papers exceptions of ACCA.

Put it together 4 exams,1 simulation, 1 project and portfolio are just not worth it for ACCA exceptions of 3 foundation papers, so if you just finished intermediate and really want to go for further studying (ACCA,CIMA) please take my advise. You don't need AAT full membership if you have ACCA or CIMA.

Good Luck!!!

Poppinna

Four people that I have worked with have started ACCA or CIMA after completion of AAT, and only 1 person has been able to complete ACCA.

If you were to give up AAT now, not only will you have wasted time in completing intermediate and part of technician, but if you also have to give up ACCA/CIMA for whatever reason at a later stage, you will have no professional qualification.

However, if you complete AAT, you will always have that should all else fail.

anniem

Richard wrote: »

Four people that I have worked with have started ACCA or CIMA after completion of AAT, and only 1 person has been able to complete ACCA.

If you were to give up AAT now, not only will you have wasted time in completing intermediate and part of technician, but if you also have to give up ACCA/CIMA for whatever reason at a later stage, you will have no professional qualification.

However, if you complete AAT, you will always have that should all else fail.

I didn't realise there was such a high drop-out rate Richard; these seem like very wise words from you!

Anna

Andypandy

As a late starter after raising kids there's no way I could go straight onto ACCA, confidence-wise. My college tutors are fantastic even though they once had a job just convincing me to do intermediate - it had been 20 years since my A levels. AAT's the best thing I did & I think I'll plod along at my own pace thankyou!

Hayman

Andypandy wrote: »

As a late starter after raising kids there's no way I could go straight onto ACCA, confidence-wise. My college tutors are fantastic even though they once had a job just convincing me to do intermediate - it had been 20 years since my A levels. AAT's the best thing I did & I think I'll plod along at my own pace thankyou!

Andypandy

Great to hear your comments, as I feel the same way!!

I have just completed AAT Technician I feel so great full for all the support from my college tutors and also proud in my achievements that I have completed the whole course!!!

Chris023

I agree with others here.

I was a tad disapointed by learning that I would only being exempt from the first 3 papers of ACCA which are multiple choice I may add!

However I think it is a waste to only do Intermediate and then move onto ACCA. Especially as by completing technician you will have MAAT under your name and you would have completed a professional qualification.

You do have a lot more exams and information to learn at technician level but it is quite achieveable within a year with enough forward planning and commitment to studying

The AAT Technician level provides a really good grounding for the ACCA and I think you would be thankful having completed Technician & having that suject knowledge & study skills to move on to ACCA

taskey

I agree with all of the above.

i am home study and i am out in germany, so to do the AAT before contemplating anything else was the best way to go. if i want a break from studying, once i have completed the AAT, i have that in my CV.

i do agree that the AAT leads you onto further qualifications and it does give you a good ground for further.

Tracy

Portsmouth_AAT

Chris023 wrote: »

I agree with others here.

I was a tad disapointed by learning that I would only being exempt from the first 3 papers of ACCA which are multiple choice I may add!

However I think it is a waste to only do Intermediate and then move onto ACCA. Especially as by completing technician you will have MAAT under your name and you would have completed a professional qualification.

You do have a lot more exams and information to learn at technician level but it is quite achieveable within a year with enough forward planning and commitment to studying

The AAT Technician level provides a really good grounding for the ACCA and I think you would be thankful having completed Technician & having that suject knowledge & study skills to move on to ACCA

I felt the same, I am very pleased to only have one AAT exam lef to be MAAT but was VERY to learn of only 3 exeptons for ACCA. I think it is very harsh and the fact that you can go straight onto ACCA without it is tempting, although I only realised that when my employer said thats th next route for me!!!! :mad2:

But I have to say after letting the news settle in I am still proud to have studied the AAT and like others have said once you have it its there for life, yet ACCA if you drop out you have nothing and it is a bigger commitment of time etc. :thumbup:

In all honestly looking back though If I had of known about ACCA I may have gone straight for that route!! (Sorry AAT):blushing:

Should AAT not be looking at reviewing the exemptions to make the AAT first more favourable? Just my thoughts.

messedup89

i suppose it should be based on which options you chose. If u did the audit skills test you should be exempt from that paper, if you did tax you should be exempt from that. I made the right choice in choosing aat first. Would have struggled if i started with acca. And if i cant do acca atleast i've got aat qualification to fall back on

Portsmouth_AAT

messedup89 wrote: »

i suppose it should be based on which options you chose. If u did the audit skills test you should be exempt from that paper, if you did tax you should be exempt from that. I made the right choice in choosing aat first. Would have struggled if i started with acca. And if i cant do acca atleast i've got aat qualification to fall back on

Thats exactly what I mean with revising the exemptions, I done the Audit and personal tax so wld prefer an exemption on them (dream world i know!!) But just think its a bit old fashioned to just say straight 3 exemptions when the uits you study are optional on AAT.

The AAT is a good course and I agree I would have probably struggeled with ACCA straight away!! and the AAT will be with me for life!! :thumbup1:

AK002

There is alot more to learn in the audit side than just what AAT teach.

The AAT would need to bulk up the paper (alot) to warrant being exempt from the ACCA one.

Portsmouth_AAT

AK002 wrote: »

There is alot more to learn in the audit side than just what AAT teach.

The AAT would need to bulk up the paper (alot) to warrant being exempt from the ACCA one.

Fair enough, it was only a simulation but worth a try!!

Bluewednesday

I have to say that I did the AAT tax units and there was still more to learn with the ACCA tax paper.

The exemptions are decided by ACCA not AAT by the way.

cs_1988

I was quite that there was no tax exemption, but at least i have the basic knowledge! I am doing F4 and F5 in December, Really Really Really not looking forward to Law!!!!

NeilH

Hi

Well I went on to do CIMA after Technician but had considered doing ACCA before I did AAT by home study.

ACCA might only grant exemptions from 3 papers but AAT Technician only contains marginally more study than those 3 ACCA papers. Firstly, DFS compares quite well to the F3 paper, management accounting for Technician is 2 papers but the content of these are combined into ACCA paper F2 (one paper, but still the same content/study to do). ACCA knowledge papers may be MCQ (by computer) but they’re not the “random guess” type, you still need to do the working etc to arrive at an answer – if they were so easy the pass rates would be higher than they are.

This leaves you with one other exam, which may not compare in content to F1 but does compare in terms of study to do etc and gives you a good "heads up" for the ACCA tax papers. So the only real extra is the simulation and project. Whilst this is evidently a pain, you do have the benefit of added flexibility of when you can do these and can redo any necessary work on these as and when you want to. Also, the simulations (particulalry audit) will give you another "heads up" for other papers in ACCA. As for the project, you might be finding it a struggle but it’s a breeze compared to the middle stage papers of ACCA or CIMA.

At the end of the day, if AAT causes you this much grief how are you going to get through a Chartered qualification?

Neil

jorja1986

Having failed my tech exams twice now I do not understand why you would go to all the trouble of studying foundation & intermediate & then (for want of a better term) "drop out" & study ACCA. I was considering leaving AAT & just going straight into the certificate papers of CIMA, but after long consideration I decided that I was not going to let all my previous years hard work be of little benefit.

All of my colleagues have completed the AAT tech levels before going further on through and many have said that the AAT Tech has helped considerably. Going through some of the papers I have found that this is true, not only do you get a good understanding of the theory but damn those simulations and projects make you good at writing reports :laugh:

There are so many topics to be covered that no one body will be able to give the same exemptions for all different exams.