Level 3 Course Structure

JennaLou

Hi All,

I know every learning provider will be different but was looking for some general idea on study time for each unit.

I started L3 at my local college in Sept 2011 2nights a week. So far we have done cash management & AP1 & sat the exams for them before xmas. Since returning in Jan we have studied AP2, which I find fairly straight forward. We was told the exam would be at the end of Jan but to date the exam has still not been booked. I email the head of department (who books exams) on 7th Feb but have had no reply with a date. We are on half term this week though.

I am getting a little concerned that we still have 5 exams to sit and the college closes at the end of June and we are almost at the end of Feb.

Last year with L2 at the same college we sat the final exam on the last day of college and was told if we did not feel ready then or failed, we would have to come back during the day to study and resit. I can not do days, I am on the evening class.

How long is the study time for Cost & Rev, Spreadsheets, VAT & PEAF?

Maybe I am just worrying as 5 exams in 4 months seems alot.

MarkT

Hi Jenna,

5 exams in 4 months is not too bad. I too am in a college, but, I am a little surprised that the course tutor has not given you a date. We were given all our exam dates at the beginning of the year in September.

In answer to your question though, we are on a 2 night per week schedule and I'll break down the weeks per unit as far as we're concerned.

AP1 - 9 weeks
AP2 - 7 weeks
CRS - 18 weeks
SPSW - 5 weeks
PEAF - 5 weeks
CMGT - 7 weeks
ITX - 4 weeks

We currently have 1 exam per month. Our first was before Christmas and next week we sit AP2.

Hope this helps

janwal

Hi

I am studying at local college & have already done AP1, SPSW,PAEF & ITX. We are doing AP2 on 27th March, CRS beginning of May & CMGT mid June. So this will give us a couple of weeks spare at the end to do any resits, once we have done CRS our tutor is going to sart using the spare time to prep us for level 4

Jan

JennaLou

MarkT wrote: »

Hi Jenna,

5 exams in 4 months is not too bad. I too am in a college, but, I am a little surprised that the course tutor has not given you a date. We were given all our exam dates at the beginning of the year in September.

In answer to your question though, we are on a 2 night per week schedule and I'll break down the weeks per unit as far as we're concerned.

AP1 - 9 weeks
AP2 - 7 weeks
CRS - 18 weeks
SPSW - 5 weeks
PEAF - 5 weeks
CMGT - 7 weeks
ITX - 4 weeks

We currently have 1 exam per month. Our first was before Christmas and next week we sit AP2.

Hope this helps

We study a unit and then do the exam before moving onto the next one. I find this ideal but the problem is not everyone feels confident to do the exam at the same time so the original study time gets stretched out and we sit them later than planned.

JennaLou

janwal wrote: »

Hi

I am studying at local college & have already done AP1, SPSW,PAEF & ITX. We are doing AP2 on 27th March, CRS beginning of May & CMGT mid June. So this will give us a couple of weeks spare at the end to do any resits, once we have done CRS our tutor is going to sart using the spare time to prep us for level 4

Jan

We still have CRS, ITX, SPSW & PEAF to learn. There is only 19 weeks till the end of June and then there is another 3 weeks of holidays. I have heard some real horror stories about CRS and that is what I am most worried we will not have enough time to do.

Jan, how easy/hard is PEAF? I know last year with WEAF we did not do any studying at college and was just told to read the book at home and then we would be OK to sit exam. I must admit it was not at all what I was expecting. Is PEAF the same, just basically reading?

Thanks

Louise89

Depending on your learning provider and when they hold classes you can go as fast or as slow as you like.

I'm with Kaplan and I did Level 3 in 6 months (one semester) but I know people who are doing it in 12 months (two semesters)

1 day a week (I also did a couple of weeks at the weekend)

AP1 - 5 weeks
AP2 - 3 weeks
CRS - 6 weeks
SPSW - 4 weeks
PEAF - 3 weeks
CMGT - 3 weeks
ITX - 3 weeks

Hope this helps.

Louise89

PEAF is basically rope learning, not that difficult, but a little boring.

MarkT

JennaLou wrote: »

We study a unit and then do the exam before moving onto the next one. I find this ideal but the problem is not everyone feels confident to do the exam at the same time so the original study time gets stretched out and we sit them later than planned.

I hear you. It would seem that your college is not acting entirely in your best interests if this is indeed what they're doing. A secondary school would not be teaching their students for GCSE's and then push the examination dates back due to members of the year not being ready.

I don't know you and therefore cannot tell you what you should do. But, if you are confident in your studying, it pains me to say this, but you may be better off completing this year with the college and going home study with one of the more reputable service providers advocated by many of the members of this forum for level 4 - ICAS (level 4) takes a while to complete and I'd hate to think how long your college would take on that subject.

Best of luck, but keep at it!

MarkT

Louise89 wrote: »

Depending on your learning provider and when they hold classes you can go as fast or as slow as you like.

I'm with Kaplan and I did Level 3 in 6 months (one semester) but I know people who are doing it in 12 months (two semesters)

1 day a week (I also did a couple of weeks at the weekend)

AP1 - 5 weeks
AP2 - 3 weeks
CRS - 6 weeks
SPSW - 4 weeks
PEAF - 3 weeks
CMGT - 3 weeks
ITX - 3 weeks

Hope this helps.

CRS - 6 weeks?? :scared:

That would freak me out a little - I'm more than confident that I will be ok on that subject and was a little surprised at how long we had for it, but I personally found it a little more difficult than AP1 & 2

Louise89

Yeah we had 6 days on that subject... 4 days tuition and 2 days exam prep if I recall correctly.

It was okay, once you understand the concepts and how to apply them its not difficult at all. The exam I found the hardest was AP2, I really thought I had failed it, but I didn't

JennaLou

MarkT wrote: »

I hear you. It would seem that your college is not acting entirely in your best interests if this is indeed what they're doing. A secondary school would not be teaching their students for GCSE's and then push the examination dates back due to members of the year not being ready.

I don't know you and therefore cannot tell you what you should do. But, if you are confident in your studying, it pains me to say this, but you may be better off completing this year with the college and going home study with one of the more reputable service providers advocated by many of the members of this forum for level 4 - ICAS (level 4) takes a while to complete and I'd hate to think how long your college would take on that subject.

Best of luck, but keep at it!

I know, it is a bit of a pain not being able to sit the exam when I am ready. I was at the end of Jan and just seem to be wasting my time, petrol and parking money going to class to 'revise'. I might email the tutor and ask to be booked in to take them exam next week, at least that way I can get an head start on reading the CRS book.

Louise89

JennaLou wrote: »

We study a unit and then do the exam before moving onto the next one. I find this ideal but the problem is not everyone feels confident to do the exam at the same time so the original study time gets stretched out and we sit them later than planned.

We also do this, however we can book the exams for whenever, depending availability, which is quite good.

Also, I think thats ridiculous, not everyone learns at the same pace, so why hold back brighter students just to keep the whole class at the same pace? If you are ready to sit the exam, then I think you should be able to sit it... unless your college are unable to provide more than one exam sitting?