ECR Dilema

anniebabe

Hi Guys

Input needed here!

What to do ???

My college are not providing any help to get me through my ECR Simulation and I am really struggling.
Cant find anyone to help me - even Kaplan are only offering just a sim and no tuition, so I am stuck between struggling on my own and getting upset or moving to the new qualification and having to do 3 extra units, sooooo fed up.

Not sure what to do for the best. feel very let down with all this especially after the fiasco at the exam the other day.

Rinske

Keep going on the sim if you can. It's one sim or three new units.

Stick to it, keep practicing and practicing those sims.

For the rest, ask help here. Ask specific questions on stuff you don't understand and you have a good chance on getting different explanations, which will make sense in the end.

You will be so happy once you get this one, but if you swap over now, you might end up with the feeling that ECR sims is just something you can't do....

anniebabe

Hi Rinske
Yes your probably right - really fed up with college for not helping me through this one.
Just seem to be really struggling with it - as you will probably know it is very much different from the exam. just feel like ive been dumped off by the road side cause no-one else is doing it.

Rinske

I know it's different, but if you look at the techniques asked, rather than the questions, a lot is the same again. (Doesn't help I know).

I'm sorry, I have only studied them at the same time, as I did the FRA and ECR exam in one week and the week after I had my sims for ECR, FRA and unit 7 planned in two days all together, so I can't really remember them anymore. It felt like so much in the end it all went through as a blur and I can't say which questions were showing up where!

I don't know, but I'm sure if you ask enough questions and stick to it, you will be fine!

And really, if the college isn't much help, just keep asking them here and there are plenty people to help you.

Marga

Annie

ECR is quite difficult to grasp so give yourself some credit for trying!!!

When i took my exam last year although i thought i was well prepared some areas were really out of the blue and although i atempted them i struggled and was sure i had failed. To my surprise i passed!!

Sorry if i am asking this cause i cannot remember

Are you doing the Diploma pathway on the old standards? are you on level 3? if so you still have until June 2011 to sit the ECR paper if i am not mistaken

The way to look at this paper in my opinion is to keep yourself organised.

Get an example of each question from the past papers and go through it understanding why each step has been taken even if they are little ones

Cant remember much of it but for example on the cards thing there is FIFO, LIFO and AVCO, get an example of each

On the OAR's get an example of each ...
Limiting factors
Get an example of each ...

NBV positive or negative with or without disposal etc

Make sure that all the different scenarios that can happen you have them covered by examples ...and then that is your Study Book.

DO the past papers again with that Study book you have prepared looking at them as if they were examples/exercises .....this way you have something that you have written and for some reason stays in your head better...

As Rinske said here there are plenty of people to help ....ask specific questions that you get stuck on...

And most finally DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!

sdv

anniebabe wrote: »

Hi Guys

Input needed here!

What to do ???

My college are not providing any help to get me through my ECR Simulation and I am really struggling.
Cant find anyone to help me - even Kaplan are only offering just a sim and no tuition, so I am stuck between struggling on my own and getting upset or moving to the new qualification and having to do 3 extra units, sooooo fed up.

Not sure what to do for the best. feel very let down with all this especially after the fiasco at the exam the other day.

I may soud harsh but I hope I give a practical advise.

From what I have read from your posts, it appears that you are not sure that you will have passed the ECR exam paper. You were surprised by limiting factor question.

The exam that you have sat is an NVQ based and in theory you should demonstrate 100% competency.

The skills tests are more challenging the ECR exams. You really need guidence and support at every level of the skills test.

Unfortunately, your college and/or other service providers are not offering this service puts you at a masive disadvantage.

However, if you transfer to the new QCF, the costing paper is a doddle. have a look on the AAT website and attempt the sample assessment paper and with half the knowledge that you have, you will fly through it.

unfortunately, you will have to do 2 more units- 1- Ethics and 2 Spreadsheet.

I assume that you have acheived unit 5 and unit 7 under the old NVQ which will exempt you from all other units under the new QCF standard.

1 Ethics is not bad at all. Osbourne books is good and is do-able in 6 to 8 weeks
2 Spreadsheet - unknown at present! standards looks Ok but sample assessments are not yet available. The only thing that you may have to learn is the piviot tables. -plenty of resources for the on the youtube

In conclusion, I would wait until I get my results for ECR exams. If you pass it then attempting skills tests is sensible, otherwise convert to QCF route.

If you attempt Skills test now and say you pass it but fail the Exams, you can only re-take at the last ECR sitting in June 2011, and there is no guarantee that you will pass it. There may be problems of centres not offering revision cosurses. I believe Sany and Steve have stopped offering their god send courses,but but I may be wrong.

anniebabe

SDF - so if I take my simulation and pass it - but then say fail my December exam and then June what would happen - surely there must be something in place to convert to the new standards?
I am under the impression that I can take a paper or computer based exam - as my college were rather hacked off that I chose to do the paper exam and AAT said I was entitled to do either but had to wait till results came out before doing a computer exam if I failed the paper.
I have now contacted Premier Training and they are saying they are willing to do me a simulation with tutoring for £130.
I have already completed Unit 7 simulation and Unit 5 Exam and simulation and according to Student Services under new standards if i pass Unit 6 exam I would have to do 3 extra units, cash management, spreadsheets and ethics.
Also yes I did struggle with the limiting factor question, but it sounds like i wasnt on my own, the layout was totally different to anything given on any past paper as you had to complete the headings and the amounts yourself and the question was very odd looking, so i am not beating myself up about that one because i worked extreeeemly hard for that exam. and I believe the pass mark is 70%.
Oh and thanks for the input Marga. I do not intend on giving into ECR.

sdv

anniebabe wrote: »

SDF - so if I take my simulation and pass it - but then say fail my December exam and then June what would happen - surely there must be something in place to convert to the new standards?

if you fail either simulation or the exam you have not completed unit 6 fully. you need to pass both, the exams and skills test. if you fail the Dec exams the next available exams to re take are in june 2011 (the last sitting)

There is no credit given under the QCF for partial completion of unit 6

anniebabe wrote: »

I am under the impression that I can take a paper or computer based exam -

If you have not transfered to QCF standards you can only acheive AAT Intermediate under NVQ by attempting paper based exams and skills tests

You can only give CBA if you convert to QCF standards and paper base exams are then not available to you.

Currently you have a choice of either paper base route or CBA but not both.

anniebabe wrote: »

AAT said I was entitled to do either but had to wait till results came out before doing a computer exam if I failed the paper.

You are entitled to do either, but once decided to do a CBA, you can not go back to do a paper base exam, thus wait for the result to see if you have passed it. With CBA you can attempt the assessment every week if you have to. The results are instantaneous.

anniebabe wrote: »

I have now contacted Premier Training and they are saying they are willing to do me a simulation with tutoring for £130.

This is good news. But I'd still advise you to wait for the results in feb before attempting the skills test. If you have passed the exams then it makes perfect sense to attempt the skills test. Skills test are much tougher then the paper based exams. on the other hand CBA are fairly easy. Go and do the practice CBA available on the AAT website.

The down side ofcourse is that you will have to do CBA for Ethics, Cash Management and Spreadsheets.

The upside is that you can qualify ASAP and not wait for June exam sitting. You may also experience difficulties in finding a venue that may offer a paper based exams in June.

anniebabe wrote: »

and I believe the pass mark is 70%.

Nobody knows what the passing marks are for NVQ paper based exams. But you may be right as under the QCF standards you are required to acheive 70% to pass the exams

anniebabe wrote: »

I do not intend on giving into ECR.

It seems that you have made up your mind.

good luck with your decision.

Rinske

Hey Anniebabe,

If you are in doubt whether to swap or not, why not wait till you get the exam results before deciding to take premiers training offer. Would you be able to get by with studying on your own till then? Using the forums for help and your books for reference and some old skilltests to track where you need to focus on?

Have you done a full practice ECR sim yet, just to find out where you struggle most with? And I don't mean to do all questions at once, unless you feel confident, but just do it one question at the time and find a way to make sense of it.

I'm quite sure you will be fine and you will get there with hard study, just don't let it get a mental block with the feeling that you can't do it get in your way.

anniebabe

SDF

I still dont understand about the computer exam because last term our class definately did NVQ route with simulations and then a computer exam.
I was the only one to do a simulation and then a paper exam for FRA everyone else did CBEs.
I understand that on the new route they are only doing computer exams and paper is going.
Yes I have made a decision not to give into ECR - I dont walk away from things that easily.

RINSKE
I have several past simulations to work with and answers - but I am really stuck with understanding what they want from me - with regards to the memos and quite a few other questions. If I did not have the answers to them I would be clueless with quite a lot of it.
I am getting rather disheartened with it all - especially with the way college have dumped me off when they new I had to do a simulation, so I havent had any help completing one at all, just went to class and sat my exam and now they have started the next unit - I only paid to do this one unit again - as I missed 90% of unit 6 last term due to my mother being seriously ill. If id of known they werent going to help me I would have gone to Kaplan instead who had given me a quote but they are a lot further away from me.
I will just have to try and battle through it on my own and if I get stuck ask for help here. cant see any other way atm. I dont really want to have to do 3 extra units.

anniebabe

I am presuming that Premier Training are ok to work with - I havent noticed anything bad said about them on here.

Rinske

Hi Annie,

Level 3 had CBA's already available for FRA and ECR. I haven't done them, but heard of others who did it via CBA rather than paper exams.

As for the skillstest:

Try and go through one of the past simulations, do one calculation question at the time, try and work it out with the model answer next to it if you got troubles with it, and ignore the memos for now. Once you feel all confident on the numerical questions, have a look at the first memo. Usually it's related to one of the calculations you did. Read the model answer, try and find points they highlighted and see if you understand why they raise those points. Based on those, once you see what they pick, try and understand why, if there is any significance to it and based on that, go back to the question and try and answer it yourself.

It sounds silly as you answer a question you just read the model answer from, but the idea is to get an understanding of why they picked certain points and to see and get there yourself. So that once you understand why they picked those points, you can pick them out yourself and deal with questions in that way.

Don't let yourself get disheartened, just think of it as a new challenge and a better way to learn it.

anniebabe

Thank you for the advice Rinske, I will take it on board and try my best.

Rinske

Just don't forget to ask any specific questions!

emma123

anniebabe wrote: »

I am presuming that Premier Training are ok to work with - I havent noticed anything bad said about them on here.

I'm with them and I've had no probs with them. I think they're v good. My tutors brilliant help

anniebabe

thats good to hear then.

anniebabe

Just cant get myself motivated this week after the fiasco with the exam and then the simulation.

Rinske

Give yourself a break hun, hardly anyone goes back straight to studying on the same subject, after they just took the exam and had a very stressful exam. Give yourself the weekend off and start fresh next week! Focussing on the sim, rather than the exam, might take your mind of the exam for a bit.

anniebabe

Your probably right, I just cant get into it at the moment, still upset about whats happened.

SandyHood

Anniebabe

You describe yourself as being "up-North"
I recently heard from a former student who has started teaching in the SE Lancashire area

If you are looking for some one-to-one tuition from someone who was completing her own simulation/skill test in unit 6 not very long ago (and has completed CIMA this year) she could be very helpful for you.

Alternatively, North Wales is the base for Eagle Education - AAT Accountancy Course Specialist in Wrexham. This is smaller than Kaplan and BPP and has a narrow focus on student success in AAT.

You may wish to call it a day with your studies for the time being, and start again in January - I certainly did that with my CIMA classes. Breaks away from study are very valuable and often under estimated.

We won't have another CIMA class until February next year. This allows all the students who had their (social) lives taken away for 12 weeks, to have a life and hopefully some fun before we hit the grindstone again.

anniebabe

Thanks for your Input Sandy - I have emailed you.