How long did it take you to complete level 4?

cazalino

I was told by my tutor to expect 4-5 terms so ideally looking at Oct 14 if i start in September would this be about right? (Seems aaaaages!) That will be evening class 1 night a week. Obviously i will be studying out of college but i can only go as fast as the rest of the class.

Thank u

SamiH

If its 5 terms like my college (2 nights a week), you'll start September 2013 and end December 2014.

The School holidays have a big impact on what you can do, I sat my last class on 25th June before my budgeting exam and now don't go back until 17th September

RyanKimbo

Hi

The college I studied at followed the "normal" school terms, i.e September 2012 to July 2013. However I did study two nights a week. May I ask what kind of tuition you are taking?

I sat my last exam on 04/07/2013 so just anxiously awaiting the results!

emuratty

I've just completed level 4, started in September. One full day a week at college, equivalent to 2 evenings a week. Last exam was on 2nd July

Jo Clark

6-8 months depending when classes are held and how quickly you complete ICAS. There are a few restrictions when studying at a FE College, however perhaps you could see if you can do ICAS during the holiday break.

Aratar

I started level 4 at the beginning of March and sat my final exam on 5th July, I just have ICAS to finish now. Admittedly I was doing self study so I was able to move at a pace I felt comfortable with. The QCF record for AAT Level 4 shows that you officially need 340 guided learning hours to complete it. For the new AAT 2013 syllabus that increases to 360-400 hours.

Martin.

anniebabe

I think this depends on your personal circumstances, where and how you study etc...
everyone is different, some choose to do one unit at a time some can manage a few, so its hard to say - you may sail through, when you start studying you will know.

Kris1990

Aratar wrote: »

I started level 4 at the beginning of March and sat my final exam on 5th July, I just have ICAS to finish now. Admittedly I was doing self study so I was able to move at a pace I felt comfortable with. The QCF record for AAT Level 4 shows that you officially need 340 guided learning hours to complete it. For the new AAT 2013 syllabus that increases to 360-400 hours.

Martin.

Out of curiosity, how many hours are/were you studying per week?

Aratar

Kris1990 wrote: »

Out of curiosity, how many hours are/were you studying per week?

7-10 hours or so on average, it depended on the module. I rarely thought of the number of hours though, I broke each module down by how many weeks I thought I'd need to complete it. At level 4 it typically took me 4 weeks to complete a module, with the exception of CRMC which I finished in 2 weeks. I only had 4 months left between my completing level 3 and the last day for sitting exams at my college, that pretty much determined the pace I had to work at.

Martin

Kelly7

I am starting in two weeks for two nights a week, it takes one college year so from Sept - June minus the holidays.

Does anyone know the recommended study time outside of college? Found it quite hard doing two nights, going over it all at home & working full time. X

zippi

Aratar wrote: »

I started level 4 at the beginning of March and sat my final exam on 5th July, I just have ICAS to finish now. Admittedly I was doing self study so I was able to move at a pace I felt comfortable with. The QCF record for AAT Level 4 shows that you officially need 340 guided learning hours to complete it. For the new AAT 2013 syllabus that increases to 360-400 hours.

Martin.

Hi Martin,

When you say self study as in completely on your own - no distance learning I guess! How did you find extended writing in every module? When you say took it at a college was it an exam centre for the external students? How much were the exam fees for each module? Are you studying ICAS by yourself too or through distance learning?

Aratar

zippi wrote: »

Hi Martin,

When you say self study as in completely on your own - no distance learning I guess! How did you find extended writing in every module? When you say took it at a college was it an exam centre for the external students? How much were the exam fees for each module? Are you studying ICAS by yourself too or through distance learning?

I actually enrolled with a local college, they were offering an AAt fast-track course, levels 2 & 3 in one year. After a couple of weeks I felt things were moving too slowly so asked my lecturer if I could continue the course at my own pace, happily he agreed. It meant that I had the use of the college's facilities when I needed them but could work from home at all other times.

As for costs, I was unemployed throughout my 9 months studying AAT, this meant the course was funded by my college through the Learner Support Fund. One of the caveats with such funding though is that if you find employment you lose your funding, and your place on the course. The primary reason for me completing the course so quickly was my need to get back into work. Luckily for me I found a job within a few weeks of sitting my final exam, my employer is paying for me to complete ICAS. Once my ICAS is completed I'll be starting my CPFA with CIPFA.

Aratar

Sorry, just noticed your question about the extended writing questions. I initially found them quite intimidating, after a while though I found the best way of answering them. You just need to break the question down into its individual components and answer them piecemeal. I think there can be a tendancy amongst some students to just put a big chunk of text in the box without thinking if any of it is relevant to the question being asked. One or two sentences is all that's really required to cover all the salient points.

Hope this helps.

Martin.

zippi

Aratar wrote: »

Sorry, just noticed your question about the extended writing questions. I initially found them quite intimidating, after a while though I found the best way of answering them. You just need to break the question down into its individual components and answer them piecemeal. I think there can be a tendancy amongst some students to just put a big chunk of text in the box without thinking if any of it is relevant to the question being asked. One or two sentences is all that's really required to cover all the salient points.

Hope this helps.

Martin.

Thanks:001_smile: for that valuable tip! Congratulations on your new job too and I hope all goes very well for you. You do sound very genius and hardworking. Hope all goes well for you and the new job too!

Aratar

zippi wrote: »

Thanks:001_smile: for that valuable tip! Congratulations on your new job too and I hope all goes very well for you. You do sound very genius and hardworking. Hope all goes well for you and the new job too!

Haha, not a genius, just hardworking. And thanks!

Martin