Level 4 on my own...

kkedra

hi All,
I've done level 2 and almost level 3 with Kaplan distance learning but i'm looking to do level 4 on my one due to my current employment situation. Previous employer paid for my level2&3. Has anybody done level 4 without buying a package from the provider?Do I have to pay more for exams in Level 4 as they have to be marked? are there any difficulties?
thank you,
Kasia

Nps

Hi Kasia,

It's perfectly possible to do most of level 4 on your own. Many of us here have done so. The exams cost the same (though some centres may add on an admin charge, but not all do).

Unfortunately you still need a provider for ICAS as it is not possible to do that on your own. You should expect to pay just over £200 for that (in total).

From experience I can recommend www.foyles.co.uk for your text books as they seem to be the cheapest and you can also get 20% off with the code BPPFOY2 (if you buy the BPP books). I've saved a fortune using it.

Nps

Oh and if you are having difficulty with any particular bits, you can post on here and someone will help you. I've finished AAT but I regularly check for people asking for help with practice questions as I find it useful revision.

kkedra

Thank you so much for your reply! I will get the books from my friend who just finished level 4 so that is sorted I may keep using Kaplan for my exams, will have to ring them and see if the price for the exams is the same as for their students. So I'm gonna have to buy a ICAS unit from a provider.Any recommendations?

omega man

I am with Kaplan distance learning exams, are £55 a pop and ICAS is anything from £200-£251.

Nps

My local Kaplan charged a £15 admin fee on top of the AAT exam fee. BPP just charged me the exam fee. I get the impression though, that it varies from centre to centre even within the same company.

Nps

Unfortunately I am not the best person to give an ICAS provider recommendation as I wasn't very impressed with mine. I've heard of others who went with the same provider who had no problems so I may just have been unlucky.

Whirlwind

Hello,

I selfstudied most of levels 3 and 4 with BPP books (online classroom for API, APII & FNST) and found them brillinat for ICAS too.

This forum has been amazing for support along the way - I only found it when I was on level 4.

kkedra

thank you all for your posts!
so do you know what is that they charge over £200 for this ICAS?

omega man

I paid £251 which included 8hrs of video stuff,it also included £6 postage,you get a very thick textbook to go through and they have to pay a tutor to guide you through and mark your work.But i think you can get it for £30 less if you do not have the videos.

coojee

omega man wrote: »

I paid £251 which included 8hrs of video stuff,it also included £6 postage,you get a very thick textbook to go through and they have to pay a tutor to guide you through and mark your work.But i think you can get it for £30 less if you do not have the videos.

Yes, it's the tutor support that you're paying for. You'll be submitting several drafts which need to be reviewed and feedback given, it's not just one off marking like the other units.

omega man

Coojee- we people who do case studies can only have 3 drafts/submissions,i think it is more for work place studies and you have more time too.

coojee

omega man wrote: »

Coojee- we people who do case studies can only have 3 drafts/submissions,i think it is more for work place studies and you have more time too.

You should be allowed the same number of submissions regardless of whether you're doing a case study or workplace and there are 5 allowed. Most students get it done in 3 drafts but there are another 2 available if needed. In any case even 3 drafts need reviewing and feedback given.

omega man

Coojee- Yes my case study says it is 5 attempts.Maybe the videos kaplan have given me are outdated ones as they say 3 strikes and your out.That may have been the case at one point,oh well paying for outdated material i am.

janwal

kkedra wrote: »

Thank you so much for your reply! I will get the books from my friend who just finished level 4 so that is sorted I may keep using Kaplan for my exams, will have to ring them and see if the price for the exams is the same as for their students. So I'm gonna have to buy a ICAS unit from a provider.Any recommendations?

Using a friends books will save you a lot but if you plan to do the Personal Tax option, you will need an uptodate book because of the changes in tax codes.

Good luck with level 4