All About ACCA

SashaDella

Hello

I'm an AAT student currently and I wanted some advice and information about ACCA please. The website didn't work very well !

Can I start studying this now? And what level up from AAT is it?
How much does it cost? Ways to study etc

Just any general information you can give me will be appreciated!!!!

Thanks

Rozzi Rainbow

SashaDella wrote: »

I wanted some advice and information about ACCA please. The website didn't work very well !

I'm not surprised you don't find it easy getting info from there, I have been using it for the past three years and still struggle sometimes, it's not that user friendly!

SashaDella wrote: »

Can I start studying this now? And what level up from AAT is it?

Yes, you can start studying anytime. However, I don't think you'll be able to claim any exemptions until you've completed AAT. When I joined, the registration deadline for sitting ACCA exams in December was 31st August, so if you don't finish AAT by then - and have all your results confirmed - you probably won't be able to sit any ACCA exams till June. Nothing to stop you starting to study before then though.

It is a level up from AAT, but I started with F6 (Tax) and found it followed on very well from AAT Business and Personal tax, with some new bits to learn also.

SashaDella wrote: »

How much does it cost? Ways to study etc

The exams are about £70 ish each, and textbooks are about £30 plus about £20 ish for the revision bank. You can study at BPP/Kaplan, but their courses are a good few hundred pounds for only a few days tuition. The course I went to was very good though. Depending on how confident you are at AAT, you could always self study ACCA just by buying the textbooks. Or alternatively see if any local colleges are running any courses.

SashaDella

I have only just started the AAT really, but found that you don't NEED AAT to do ACCA why don't people just skip AAT and do ACCA straight away?

Thanks for your reply! I'm not sure its feasible at the moment, but its definitely something I'm going to start consider

Rozzi Rainbow

SashaDella wrote: »

I have only just started the AAT really, but found that you don't NEED AAT to do ACCA why don't people just skip AAT and do ACCA straight away?

I see where you're coming from, you'd have to take F1-3, but that is a lot less than studying AAT first! However, I found AAT is a good grounding for ACCA and would have found ACCA much harder if I hadn't completed AAT first. Also ACCA is a long slog, and until you complete it you have no professional qualification. What if you decide to drop out part way through, then you haven't got a lot to show for it. At least by completing AAT first you have an idea of what you're letting yourself in for, and have a professional qualification while you're studying ACCA, and it's something to fall back on if you don't finish ACCA.

SashaDella

Thats a good point! Are there any topics in ACCA that you would compare to level 3 AAT?

Can I be a member of AAT and ACCA at the same time? I think I shall complete the AAT first, and still have CIMA to consider... Im just desperate to move on now!! haha it feels like I'm waiting around alot

Bluewednesday

SashaDella wrote: »

Thats a good point! Are there any topics in ACCA that you would compare to level 3 AAT?

None of the level 3 topics would, the technician topics are similar to the first 3 papers of ACCA. I have to agree with Rozzi Rainbow, you could always tell the AAT students in the class as they were much better prepared than the Uni students or those that came through F1-3.

SashaDella wrote: »

Can I be a member of AAT and ACCA at the same time? I think I shall complete the AAT first, and still have CIMA to consider... Im just desperate to move on now!! haha it feels like I'm waiting around alot

Yes you can but I would seriously concentrate on getting through AAT first and fully understanding every topic that you deal with there, it will pay dividends further on in your studies. All the way through ACCA you must never forget double entry as you will use it in almost every paper and we found the uni students with exemptions sometimes didn't even understand that!

Rozzi Rainbow

SashaDella wrote: »

Are there any topics in ACCA that you would compare to level 3 AAT?

It's been a long time since I studied Level 3, and it was the NVQ back then, I think it's changed a bit now. The only things I can remember that I think were from Level 3 are the discounted cash flows and net present value - these form a major part of the F9 paper, but I certainly wouldn't try that one first. As well as NPV there are lots of other formuale and calculations to learn, it's a tricky paper. Also there were parts from cash control and credit management in I think F9 as well, I took CCCM at Level 4 but I think some people did/do it at Level 3?

I started with F6 Tax and F5 Costing - both of these followed on very well from Level 4 AAT, F5 contains a lot of variance work.

SashaDella wrote: »

Can I be a member of AAT and ACCA at the same time?

Certainly - I am a full member of the AAT and a student member of ACCA. It's twice the subscriptions to pay, but they are tax deductible if you have to pay them yourself (i.e. your employer doesn't pay them for you). AAT do a reduced rate subscription if you go on to further study, but I think this only applies to the AAT full membership subscription, not the AAT student subscription.

As Blue Wednesday says though, I wouldn't try and do too much too quickly!

SashaDella

Thanks BlueWednesday and Rozzi you have both really given me some things to think about! and its great to know that with the AAT behind me I shall feel more prepared than some students on the same course!

This encourages me to finish the AAT!!!