Level 3 self study - is it doable?

Zane2201

HI there. I currently have AAT level 2 qualification. Did that last year and thinking bout doing level 3 now. I did level 2 with distance learning (Premier training) but while I was studying I didn't need much tutor help to be honest so I am considering now buying level 3 books and doing it myself this time and sit my exams in my local AAT exam venue. Only question is.....is it possible to book exams and not having training provider? I remember when booking WEAF for level " my training provider - Premier training contacted AAT exam venue to book the exam. So does any one know is it possible to book all level 3 exams without training provider? And what website would you recommend to buy books from?

Jo Clark

Hello

Most definitely! You will need to register with a training provider for Spreadsheets at Level 3 and ICAS (The Project) if you progress to Level 4.

My personal recommendation are the BPP books which you can buy brand new direct from BPP or on Amazon, Blackwells, Foyles etc. You may even be able to purchase second hand sets from this forum or other websites. Just be aware that rules etc change so sometimes it is wise to buy new to ensure you are studying from current material.

If you search the forum there are several discussions about self studying this and subsequent levels. If you ever get stuck with something and are self studying you can post questions for help on this forum and hopefully someone will reply to you so no need to worry about not having a tutor as such.

You can book to sit the exams as an external student at assessment centres, a list of them is available on the AAT website.

Sorry this is bit of a mish mash answer as I'm trying to do too many things at once right now!

Any other questions post them here.


JC

Nps

Wholeheartedly agree with everything Jo has said.:thumbup1:

It's very do-able, and there are lots of us here to prove it! I have several threads on the subject so won't repeat, but if you click on my name, you'll be able to see them.

Though just a word of caution - I calculated my costs a few days ago in response to a thread, and was confident that I'd saved a fortune by self studying. Turns out I was wrong:crying: and if you choose wisely, it's not actually much more to use a distance provider (in some cases - in others, it's very expensive). Plus if you can get some kind of grant (age, unemployed or similar - I don't know anything about them as doubt I'd be eligible for anything), it can even work out to be cheaper to use a distance provider.

That said, self study was still the right course for me and I have no regrets.

Zane2201

Thanks Jo. This helped a lot I was just wondering how do you register with training provider just to sit one exam. Sorry if this might seem like amateur question its just when I was doing level 2 distance learning and was registered with Premier Training I booked my exams to Redcar and Cleveland college where I sat my exams so for example if I register with Redcar college as my training provider for Spreadsheets exam would I have to pay full fee for the course too?

Zane2201

Hi Nps . Thank you for your advice. I did some calculations before I was thinking about self study. For my level 2 I paid over £600 to premier training. For that I got Sage programme and all the books and work books and of course I was able to contact my tutor any time on workday hours. But like I said I asked maybe 4 or 5 times for tutor's help and I wasn't using AAT forums . I didn't realise actually how helpful they are. So I intend to do that when studying level 3.

Vlee

Ooo I'm gonna search your cost calculations nps. I've worked out mine as being just under £700 for level 3 self study (including registration, books, exams -no resits-and for the spreadsheets module. The college course would be almost double that and distance learning about the same.

Jo Clark

Zane2201 wrote: »

Thanks Jo. This helped a lot I was just wondering how do you register with training provider just to sit one exam. Sorry if this might seem like amateur question its just when I was doing level 2 distance learning and was registered with Premier Training I booked my exams to Redcar and Cleveland college where I sat my exams so for example if I register with Redcar college as my training provider for Spreadsheets exam would I have to pay full fee for the course too?

You may need to shop around... and indeed I am sure you would want to, to ensure you get value for money/best deal on offer.

You can contact your current provider/provider of level 2 and enquire about Spreadsheets and what they charge. Tell them you only need to purchase the Spreadsheets module. Basically, Spreadsheets is self taught, or is for most, and you need to have a training provider as they mark the project, it is not like a CBA and therefore you won't receive the results immediately. Other providers you could try are BPP, Kaplan, First Intution, Eagle... I'm sure there are more...

That said, you need to investigate where you will sit your exams as an external student... I'm sure you will be ok though.

Nps

VLee it's this one (oops, spell check changed Vlee to Vile, need to watch out for that, could be a bit offensive!)

http://forums.aat.org.uk/showthread.php?37134-Do-I-need-to-go-to-college-for-level-4&p=266250#post266250

I paid about £625 for level 4, yet someone did it with a learning provider for £500 with a government grant. Even those that used a distance learning provider with no grants etc. didn't pay too much more. Might be worth the extra for someone who isn't sure whether they might need the tutor support and the lectures.