AAT Level 4 Diploma in Accounting

Hopeipassx

Hi,

Can anyone help me with deciding whether or not to complete the above split over 2 years or take it over 1. The tutor says how difficult it will be over 1 and recommends we take over 2 years.

I was hoping to get in all out of the way next year but now in 2 minds. Ive passed all my exams so far so I think Ill be okay with it next year but saying that its meant to be a lot more difficult.

Ive got no comittments at home like kids etc, so realisticly have got the time. However it would be great to get my life back!!! lol. I also dont intend to progress any further once level 4 completed so I am in no immediate rush to finish it.

Has anyone completed level 4 over 1 year in my situation and dow did they find it??

coojee

Why don't you do distance learning and then you can take it at your own pace?

deborahcarpenter

I did level 4 in one year at my local college whilst working full time, kids and running a small business.
I dont see why you cant do it in a year.

welshwizard

We have 20 - 30 learners a year (99% of the total amount for L4) who complete in one year. The groups are a mix of full time and part time so there is no real divide. I would say that success at L4 relies on:

Your willingness to work outside of college/classes
The motivation you have to complete the qualification

If you feel it's too much to do in one year, be careful how you split the work. Many providers do an 18 month course where you spend one year on the formal teaching and then the remainder on the ICAS report. ICAS is the one thing that drags people down and is often the unit that results in people not achieving.

Hope this helps your decision making.

(By the way - I did AAT NVQ L4 in 1 year and found it OK - but then I was motivated)

Rinske

welshwizard wrote: »

(By the way - I did AAT NVQ L4 in 1 year and found it OK - but then I was motivated)

Same here, I did it in one year, but in distance learning. I was planning to do it in 18 months, and took 2 units in the first half year, but then had some opportunity coming up to take some online classes for one unit and went for that, while already studying two other units. At that point I decided I might as well do the project in the mean time as well, so finished four units in half a year.

If I'd do it again, I'd spread it out to 3 units per half year instead, but I do think it's doable!

welshwizard wrote: »

Your willingness to work outside of college/classes
The motivation you have to complete the qualification

This is the main point though. It really depends on your motivation and time you put into it.

Also consider your own learning style, are you fast in picking things up or are you rereading a lot, just to take it in?

Hopeipassx

Cheers thanks guys, I was all along planning to do it in 1 year, the only thing that made me doubt it was when recently our tutor advised everyone to take over 2 years due to workload.

JohnC

I am currently taking Level 4, I am doing it over one year on a Wednesday. Our tutor was off ill for 11 weeks and neither the AAT nor our college provided a replacement tutor until late this January, We should be finished everything now, but are currently just starting the Financial Performance Unit. We have a Financial Statement CBA resit this Wednesday because we were unprepared when we first sat it at the end of January, our budgeting CBA was aborted due to a cockup between the college and the AAT and that is been staggered due to work commitments from fellow students. So I would say yes it can be done in one year. Have fun!!!!!

pirate

I took my Tax exams last June and took the financials statments and the budgeting exams in December and passed them.
I would have done the project but have had to wait for the new standards as I missed the december deadline with my distance learner for draft submission, didnt realise; this was due to the new standards coming into play..without this I would have spent the last six months doing my project.
So I do beleive its possible

babsa

I am waiting on my last exam result for level 4.
I have completed it in a year. It's been hard work. I only work 4 days and found myself at college in the Library studying, i'd take my daughter to school go to college and then pick her up at 3.30pm. You need to but the study in but it pays off in the long run.

My friend went to a different college and is doing it over 18 months.

It's hard going doing 2 subjects at the same time. I would recommend that you get some work done over the summer. Learn some IAS's (get A student's guide to International Finanical Reporting Standards by Claire Finch). Also have a look through the project and try to get it out of the way, then you can get on with the examable subject when you start in September. (We used BPP Internal Control and Accounting System ICAS book) If you want any more information just inbox me.

I self studied the Personal Tax over the Easter holidays. I spent 2 weeks working through the text book and question bank went back to college and sat the exam at the end of the 2nd week back.

Hope this helps.

stephleedz

Hi there,

I hope you don't mind me interrupting I have been reading this thread and found it very interesting. I am literally just about to take my last exam at level 3 and will hopefully start level 4 in September. Can I ask what 2 options you have both chosen from
The following:

Personal tax
Business tax
Auditing
Cash management

Any particular reason for your decision? The reason for me asking is because I am still undecided...I have totally rules out auditing as I am a lot ether with numbers then with wording! I am hoping to study ACCA later in life also and have been told the two taxes are a better choice???

Hope you are both able to give me some/any advice???

Thanks in advance

Steph

pirate

I chose the two tax exams as I want to run my own business doing tax.
I had heard auditing was hard but for me I didnt even consider it as I wanted to tax so I can provide this
As I did the old standards Diploma pathway Cash Management and Credit Control was compulsory at Level 3, although I would say it was more of a level 4 topic. #
Ultimately it depends were you want to be and what you want to do with your qualification I think.
HTH

stephleedz

Thank you. What did you think of doing business and personal tax? Did you feel they overlapped at all? Its just hard to decide because I don't really know what I'm letting myself in for??

Steph

pirate

Steph

I had no problem in doing business and personal tax together

From memory I think some of the things slightly overlap like shares but Personal Tax is pretty straight forward and I found it helped to do the subjects together as I was totlaly focused on tax for that time.

Again it depends on your time frame and your availability to study and so on.

I wanted to complete what was remaining of level 3 and level 4 within a year to meet my personal goals. I did Personal Tax and business Tax at the same sitting last June ie 2010. I did this first as if I were to fail I would then have the oppotunity to retake in dec and it would be based on the same Finance Act. This wont apply under the new standards as exams now take place throughout the year.

I think it helps to have a timetable and try to stickwith it otherwise things may run on

My timetable was to do the 2 tax exams in June 2010, then the other 3 compulsory exams in December, start the project in Jan 2011 and complete remaining skills tests by Easter 2011. I have done all this bar the project as I was told that I was too late in January under the old standards to start it, so was forced to wait until June to compete under the new standards which took my proposed end date until Sept 2011.
All of this is just to illustrate that if you start with your end goal you can work back and see if you can fit it all in in the time you have.

Cash Management and Credit control was a really interesting subject; but it depends if you are going to use this stuff in your role. I didnt have a choice as it was compulsory

HTH

stephleedz

Thank you for your response this has put my mind at rest some what!

PAMDILL

I picked cash and credit management and auditing as I had no interest in tax. I sat the CCMC assessment last Saturday and am just starting into Audit. I must admit after seeing people talking about Personal Tax I am wondering if I madethe right decision regarding audit.

coojee

PAMDILL wrote: »

I picked cash and credit management and auditing as I had no interest in tax. I sat the CCMC assessment last Saturday and am just starting into Audit. I must admit after seeing people talking about Personal Tax I am wondering if I madethe right decision regarding audit.

Tax is much easier than auditing unless you work in external audit. There's very few people who have no interest in tax, it affects everyone everyday of their lives. If nothing else people should know how to check that they've paid the right amount of tax themselves. Whereas auditing has no relevance to anyone outside of auditing.

uknitty

I picked auditing because I did unit 15 on the "old" standards which exempts me from Credit Control at level 4 on the new standards so I only have to do one more unit.

I'm combining my level 4 with CFAB. I'd need to sit both tax papers to claim exemption from the CFAB paper, but I also need auditing to claim exemption form the management unit.

I'm missing out doing the tax papers via AAT as I plan to pay to sit the CFAB tax paper ( rather than pay to sit tax units with AAT and also pay £60 to claim the exemption, its certainly going to be cheaper in my circumstances to just do to the one CFAB exam paper !)

Part of me wonders though if the papers are any easier via AAT. Because of the familiar format they would probably feel eaiser even if the content is comparable to the CFAB sylabus. I'm tempted to drop back and do them if I have the money and I think it may be easier to pass via AAT ! For now though my plan is to just do auditing as my "option".

ETA if I didn't have my unit 15 exemption and had to pick 2 units I would have done tax because they are of more use, and apparantly more straightforward !

Chelle

stephleedz wrote: »

Hi there,

I hope you don't mind me interrupting I have been reading this thread and found it very interesting. I am literally just about to take my last exam at level 3 and will hopefully start level 4 in September. Can I ask what 2 options you have both chosen from
The following:

Personal tax
Business tax
Auditing
Cash management

Any particular reason for your decision? The reason for me asking is because I am still undecided...I have totally rules out auditing as I am a lot ether with numbers then with wording! I am hoping to study ACCA later in life also and have been told the two taxes are a better choice???

Hope you are both able to give me some/any advice???

Thanks in advance

Steph

I'm going to be starting Level 4 in September and none of the colleges around this area are giving you the option anymore, you have to do Personal Tax and Credit Management!

babsa

I did Credit Management at college and should of done Audit has this was what the college was teaching. I had no interest in Audit at all so I self studied the Personal Tax. I still would like to do the business tax. ( Need to give myself a big kick).
Good Luck