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Level 2 Sage Instant Accounts

dolytaydolytay Just JoinedRegistered Posts: 3
in AAT Level 2 (Level 5 in Scotland)
Hi All


I started AAT level 2 in September 2012 with premier. So far I have passed all and about to start the Sage . There are 6 books for the sage instant accounts which makes it very daunting for just one module.
Please I will appreciate any advise on how anyone managed this module and the duration.


Thanks in advance

Comments

  • SashaDellaSashaDella Trusted Regular Registered Posts: 362
    I did this and read through all the books, its a good idea to go through them and it really didnt take that long to go through them (i promise) although does get a little boring! Its easy to learn as its basically ALL practical.

    The reason they are so large is because it explains thoroughly how to do everything.

    The mock test that Sage give you access to is the best indicator of how the real exam is

    I would say, for me it was the easiest to pass (I've never even used Sage before)

    Hint... make notes of nominal account numbers and shortcut keys (i.e. F12) and there functions.

    You can read through your notes during the exam and they ask these sorts of questions!

    Good Luck, you'll be fine :)
  • GtsbabyGtsbaby Just Joined Registered Posts: 4
    SashaDella wrote: »

    Hint... make notes of nominal account numbers and shortcut keys (i.e. F12) and there functions.

    You can read through your notes during the exam and they ask these sorts of questions!

    So what exactly am I allowed to take into my Sage exam note wise?
    I have not been told I am allowed to take anything in but with having a very new to AAT but experienced Sage tutor I am not sure she is aware AAT rules.
  • SashaDellaSashaDella Trusted Regular Registered Posts: 362
    I did my exam in the workplace, When you read the Sage instructions it advises you can have the study material infront of you.

    However they make the exam only 1 hour long for a reason. ( So therefore its best to bring your own quick notes in)

    Call Premier and ask them for more details... they are going to be able to re-confirm this for you.

    Have a play round with the sage programme and use the practise questions given!
  • SashaDellaSashaDella Trusted Regular Registered Posts: 362
    If your interested I'll send over my notes?
  • GtsbabyGtsbaby Just Joined Registered Posts: 4
    SashaDella wrote: »
    If your interested I'll send over my notes?

    That would be great thanks.
  • CeeJaySixCeeJaySix Well-Known Registered Posts: 645
    As you're sitting the Sage Cert rather than the CBP, it's an open-book exam you can sit at home with no supervision. The only thing that makes it slightly tricky is that the exam software locks down your computer so you cannot access Sage at the same time. The workbooks are excellent for learning the software, but the exam seems to test almost pointless things - eg. in which menu can you find xx option? Now I'm very familiar with computer but apart from daily-used options I normally have to glance through a couple of menus to find what I want. You can't do that in the exam - three strikes and you're out! So as above, make a point of learning what goes where in the software!
  • NpsNps Experienced Mentor Registered Posts: 782
    CeeJaySix has summed up the online exam rather well. I'm exactly the same, if I'm looking for a menu, I just click at the top and then move along to the right one. With the Sage exam, if you don't click in exactly the right place straight away it registers as a mistake, then after 3 mistakes, you fail the question, even though in real life, you would have completed the task quite happily. I expect I failed most of the scenario questions, even though in real life, I'd have had no problems with them (I passed overall so perhaps they are not worth many marks). What annoyed me was, they make you take a really basic mock test first to show you the type of questions to expect and how to answer them (eg. multiple choice questions with only one correct answer or multiple choice questions with 2+ answers to tick). All very straightforward, and then bam, the first questions are all practical scenario questions which need far more explanation than how to click the right button in a multiple choice question! I even thought there was a time limit on the question as I couldn't understand why I kept being moved on to the next question, so started trying to do them quicker, it was only after a few questions I realised that you're only allowed a limited number of mouse clicks.

    The other thing I found strange was that the exam (I did Sage 50) is made up of 4 sections to complete in an hour, but you have to submit each section before you can go on to the next. So once you have gone on to section 2 you can't go back to section 1. You have to assume that all 4 sections are similar in length (you are not told this) and assume you need to spend 15mins on each one. So if you found one section hard but then found yourself with 5 mins to spare at the end of the exam, you can't go back to the section you were unsure about.

    As mentioned before you can't have Sage open at the same time as the exam but there is no guidance as to whether or not you can use Google for the multiple choice questions. You could argue that googling the answers is no different to looking them up in the study texts (but quicker).

    I'm sitting level 2 Sage 50 soon and will be far better prepared now I know how the exams are structured.
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