How many hours study per week?

jewels.p

Decided to start this as a new thread following on from another one.

I have just started studying Technician Level Diploma Route and wondered if anyone could give me a guide as to how many hours I should look to be studying per week for this level.

I know this level is quite intense but would be grateful for any guidance.

Thanks

RichardK

jewels.p wrote: »

Decided to start this as a new thread following on from another one.

I have just started studying Technician Level Diploma Route and wondered if anyone could give me a guide as to how many hours I should look to be studying per week for this level.

I know this level is quite intense but would be grateful for any guidance.

Thanks

Hi,
I am not sure about the Diploma route and whether you are doing a college course or distance learning.

For NVQ it was about 20 hours a week in addition to 1 day at college. That means about 2-3 hours a night including weekends.

You may have to sacrifice your nightly soap opera. Eastenders etc


I hope this helps.

SandyHood

At Chichester College our rule of thumb is to say if the class takes 3 hours then the homework should take the same.
I would imagine that you will need more time for self-taught study.

Our stduents typically took 3 exams in December PEV DFS and PTC
They are welcome to add their comments here, but I would say:
Exam........Class hours........Homework........Total hours
PEV...............2....ourshome....2work........total h4
DFS...............3....ourshome....3work........total h6
PTC...............2....ourshome....2work........total h4
Total.............7....ourshome....7work.......total h14

It might be that PTC was slightly less
We started in early September and went through to Nov/Dec so that would be approximately 11 weeks.
We also had a Saturday when we did 3 hours of PEV and 3 hours of DFS
So 160 hours would be my estimate. (for 3 units)

RichardK

Hi Sandy,
I see, 14 hours a week for 11 weeks, which is fine for DFS and PTC.


Having done the NVQ technician course I would say that you may need to invest more time than that for PEV, PCR and BTC.

Bear in mind that 1 case study or past exam paper can take at least 2 hours.

20 hours per week was the guide given by our lecturer at the time.

If you just want to pass the exams by the skin of your teeth then you might get away with less hours. If you want to understand the subject matter more and make your chances of passing greater then you need to invest more time.

Investing the time now is of benefit when you finally find work later as you comprehension and understanding of the subject matter will be greater.

When revising for AAT exams remember, it's 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

However, individuals learn at different rates.

Regards

messedup89

Personally 14 hours a week for PEV, PCR & DFS was more than enough (them hours are only due to attending college). Only when it comes down to the last week or 2 do i bump the hours up. Even then i dont think i reach 20hrs a week.
It all depends on you and how you cope with the topics i suppose

steveJ

What is the rough amount people are studying for distance learning ??

I do about 1-1/2 hours a day.

jewels.p

steveJ wrote: »

What is the rough amount people are studying for distance learning ??

I do about 1-1/2 hours a day.

I am doing it Distance Learning too Steve but was a bit concerned when on another post someone said that you needed to study 20 hours a week at this level. There is no way this is possible for me.

steveJ

jewels.p wrote: »

when on another post someone said that you needed to study 20 hours a week at this level. There is no way this is possible for me.

Well i would keep it at whatever you can do. Your studying by distance learning, obviously everyone wants to finish it as quickly as possible, but i say dont worry about that. Stick to what you can do.

Are any of the technician exams computer based yet ?

jewels.p

steveJ wrote: »

Well i would keep it at whatever you can do. Your studying by distance learning, obviously everyone wants to finish it as quickly as possible, but i say dont worry about that. Stick to what you can do.

Are any of the technician exams computer based yet ?

Not as far as I am aware. I am planning on Doing DFS and PTC in June and MAC and BTC in December what is your plan at the moment?

steveJ

Im still on intermediate !
Taking my FRA in two weeks by CBE then looking to do ECR around June/July time.

Take a look around the site to see if the technician level as any exams by computer. You usually only have to give a couple of days notice to sit a CBE.

Rinske

jewels.p wrote: »

I am doing it Distance Learning too Steve but was a bit concerned when on another post someone said that you needed to study 20 hours a week at this level. There is no way this is possible for me.

I am doing the NVQ in distance learning, but I read somewhere that it is on average 18 hours a week to finish in 6 months, 12 hours to finish in a year and 6 hours to do it in 1 1/2 year for Technician. I don't remember where it came from though. And they are just averages.

The good thing about distance learning is that you can do it at your own pace and often that means doing a bit less in a busy time and a bit more in a quiet time.

I usually study at maximum 16 hours per week, which around exam time goes up by a lot if only to keep my nerves under control. I did intermediate in half a year and hope to finish technician as fast as possible, but there is a maximum. I got a full time job, a boyfriend (and cat) who wants attention now and then, and somehow I have to clean the house as well weekly and eat in between.

My work doesn't give me study time off, other then 1 day before the exam and the time of the exams itself, which means that the only study hours I have is after work and in the weekends. I am quite happy if I manage 3 nights a week and the saturday, but if not, I am still happy, because I am studying and making progress.

I did tell my boyfriend not to make any plans on Saturday's as those are study days, so if we go and do something it will be on another day or in the evening. But that's just for me to have at least one study day per week. You could plan one specific evening/ day for that and let people know you can't be disturbed on that day, which I find helps, but that's also personal preference!

Don't be put off by others telling you, you have to study so much each week to pass, it's not, it depends on yourself and it depends on how much time you have spare or want to spent to get the qualification!

PGM

I'm doing ACCA now, I don't do much study until 2 months before the exams and then do 10 to 12 hours per week.

It feels like enough! And not failed yet..

A-Vic

We were told the same as sandy advised to match to hours in class i also add in 3 hours a week split for the unit ten project whether that is gathering eveidence or actually doing the report

messedup89

Rinske wrote: »

which means that the only study hours I have is after work and in the weekends. !

Thats the only study time i have aswell. But i do go to college for AAT sometimes once, maybe twice a month. I guess you could consider that my styudy days

Rinske

I suppose so. I just found it really helps me if I know it's a study day and got a plan for it. Plus by now my boyfriend knows I'm studying on the Saturday and should not invite friends over on that day, other then in the evening.

Because we don't have an office, I usually sit in the living room studying and it just means that if he invites someone over, I have to find another place to study, or that they have go out.

It sounds worse then it is. Usually he doesn't invite people over on those days, because he is studying as well, but his work has now given him time to study at work, so he does hardly any study at all at home.

Marga

i used to do 4 hours on saturday and 4 hours on sunday for Level 2 and part of unit 5 level 3

I did study unit 6 in one month doing 1 hour lunch time daily and then two hours saturday and 2 hours sunday


i believe it depends on your life circumstances too

example i work 9:00am to 5:30pm getting home around 6pm then i do one hour exercise and then cook dinner so around 8pm i am done. i go to bed around 10pm so i have two hours daily to study if i want BUT sometimes i am very tired and others i just want to basically have time to myself and my husband to spend time together watching tv or something

Lately i have been very busy at work (year end analysis etc) so i have been coming back home around 7.30pm with no energy for anything ....so no study


Saturdays and sundays work very well for me to study cause sat i dont lay in (i am one of those people who once is awake cant go back to sleep) so i go for a nice walk first thing in the morning on my way back i go to the market to get fresh food when no one is there (that is like around 8am) come back home prepare coffee, run a laundry and start studying usually is 9am to 11am , break of half an hour to hand the clothes off and then again to start studying again until 1.30pm when i prepare something to eat

then i have the afternoon free and i dont feel bad if i just lazy around watching tv or playing on the pc. sundays are the same but i do get up a little bit later and dont go to the market.

I believe it would be better to do 4h two times a week than an hour/two daily at least for me.

If i wouldnt work i would study mond , wed and fri at least 4 h each day