AAT Level 4 Synoptic Exam

liblob89

That's such a shame - I came out feeling the opposite but it was the only module I'd studied alone and my training provider were next to useless. I think if I came out feeling like you all, especially after having passed everything else, I'd be appealing.

Staceydanielsx

Well done on the 71%, I worked so so hard and can't bare to think about doing it all over again. I'm going to appeal, I have requested the document to be sent to me

Staceydanielsx

I was mortified when I saw that I got 66%.
I study with BPP and completed every single question, mock and BPP steps. I even completed the two mocks that we have to send in to be marked by someone and got 86% and 99%!!! 99/100, that is not a typo.
I came out of the exam feeling confident that I had done well. I have no idea what has happened. A couple of people in my class are in the same boat and on the forum so far that I can see.
I have sent off a form for appealing, has to be done!

Mike Webster

Sadly, I fear you are not alone!

Staceydanielsx

Hi Mike, I see that you are a registered tutor. With your experience do you have any suggestions for us? Thank you, Stacey

Staceydanielsx

Mike Webster said:

Sadly, I fear you are not alone!

Hi Mike, I see that you are a registered tutor. With your experience do you have any suggestions for us? Thank you, Stacey

Mike Webster

Hi @Staceydanielsx

At present, I am probably not the best person to ask because I think that there needs to be a real shake up of this assessment. Today, I have been heard saying that we should stop delivering the Professional Diploma because of this assessment!

I've heard/seen people criticising tutors, publishers and AAT yet no one is coming up with sensible suggestions. I've made a suggestion on the tutor forum - I wonder if anyone will read it and agree with me?

All I can say is that you need to be very sure that you're fully equipped to pass this assessment. Do as many practice questions as you can - maybe use more than just your provider's resources.

Make sure that your answers refer to the scenario and are not just generic waffle.

Finally, remember that this assessment can (and often does) require you to dig into other units of study (and, indeed, other levels) in order to fully answer the tasks.

Unfortunately, we, as tutors, never get to see the live questions so it's really difficult to provide more focused advice and we have to be very generic providing possible solutions to certain scenarios (although, we cannot predict what you'll get). We can give you ideas about what to consider for different scenarios but, of course, it's very difficult for you to recall all of this advice in just 3 hours. It's also impossible for us to give you feedback when all we see is what you see - how effective is 'significantly below requirements' when providing feedback 6 weeks after the event? The basic principles of feedback are that it is timely and, where possible, specific. Need I say any more.

If it's any consolation, many tutors are feeling as despondent as those of you who are facing the daunting task of resitting.

All I can say is keep trying - my best student last year took 3 attempts to pass it.

Lindi

@Mike Webster I couldn't agree more - I have been saying the time given in comparison to the information requested is terribly inadequate. I did my second resit in December and whilst I took my time to read each question thoroughly and answer to the best of my ability there was no time to go back and revisit my answers. The questions were also quite tricky, there were some which were quite ambiguous and I didn't quite know what they were asking from me. I think the problem lies in that you are unable to discuss live content afterwards, as if there was a question, for instance, about decision making on whether to acquire another business in certain circumstances then those circumstances should be up for discussion. It doesn't help telling someone to study up new business ventures/acquisitions or explore options for expanding current business without having an inkling of the possible questions those scenarios may pose. My personal downfall was budgeting and the fault it is a kind of joint battle between AAT and that of the poor teaching delivered by my college but I still felt aggrieved that there wasn't more guidance on the AAT study support channel for this exam at all, in fact for the entire level 4. Compared to the handholding we had during Levels 2 & 3 when you got to Level 4 the content was sadly lacking, and what there was of it was sometimes inaccurate. I think I pulled them up on a video on personal tax in which the wrong year's PA figures and allowances were used.... at this level they should be offering bucketloads of support as they would want students to excel... or one would think so.

Spanz85

I have sent an appeal but apparently 99 times out of 100 you won’t get your score changed. I don’t know how to study again when I have no idea what I did wrong.

Staceydanielsx

Spanz85 said:

I have sent an appeal but apparently 99 times out of 100 you won’t get your score changed. I don’t know how to study again when I have no idea what I did wrong.

Oh no, this is not giving me any hope. I feel completely the same. I got 84%/ 95% & 93% in all of the other Level 4 exams, surely that stands for something. Something isn't right here as I was sure I'd done well and had prepared using everything possible that my school supplied me with

Ella95

I sit my synoptic next week and am really concerned. Does anyone have any tips on how they revised for it? Sorry to everyone who failed! I’ve only failed one so far and it’s disappointing but we will all get there in the end! Xx

Mokshharesh782

Can someone help me out for synoptic tasks? Any tips for task 2.
It will be really kind of yours. I got significant below for 3 retakes - significant below mean I did not understood the question?? Seriously AAT ?? I passed all my exam in first attempt but failed synoptic for more than 4 times. Trying really hard on task 2 but getting significant below every time. you need to check the question AAT. someone please help me or maybe its my fault. I don't know what is going on.

345

I passed all my previous exams in first attempt 86%, 86%, 95%. I thought I was well prepared for the synoptic.
I sat my exam in May.
I find that it was not enough time to answer all questions (which were very tricky).
Task 2 - was written in such way that it was difficult to understand how to answer it. After my exam, I spent hours and hours trying to find some ideas on the Internet. I just wanted to prove to myself if my answer for that question was right; but I could not find anything similar.
I received my result last Friday 68%. For task 2 I got 'significantly below'. If I had same question again, I would not know how to answer it any differently.
Task 3 and 6 - I was confident that I've done it well; however, I got 'Borderline'.
I do not know how to prepare myself for re-sitting as I do not understand why I received such low marks.
I would be very grateful for any tips on how to achieve good marks on task 2, 3 and 6.

Staceydanielsx

345 said:

I passed all my previous exams in first attempt 86%, 86%, 95%. I thought I was well prepared for the synoptic.
I sat my exam in May.
I find that it was not enough time to answer all questions (which were very tricky).
Task 2 - was written in such way that it was difficult to understand how to answer it. After my exam, I spent hours and hours trying to find some ideas on the Internet. I just wanted to prove to myself if my answer for that question was right; but I could not find anything similar.
I received my result last Friday 68%. For task 2 I got 'significantly below'. If I had same question again, I would not know how to answer it any differently.
Task 3 and 6 - I was confident that I've done it well; however, I got 'Borderline'.
I do not know how to prepare myself for re-sitting as I do not understand why I received such low marks.
I would be very grateful for any tips on how to achieve good marks on task 2, 3 and 6.

I am completely with you on this. I don't actually know how to move forward with this.

SophieW3122

I received my results on Friday and got 88% on my first attempt having passed the mandatory units first time (87%, 88%, 93%). I would say it's critical that you have passed the mandatory units before you attempt the synoptic, but I know one person on my course who failed MDCL, FSLC and MABU and still passed the synoptic first time with 78%.

My biggest tip is to constantly refer to the pre-release material in all the written questions. I literally wrote things like 'as stated in the material provided, XXX' just to make it really obvious that I was referring to the pre-release.
I had the Kaplan study texts for the 3 mandatory units (FSLC, MABU, MDCL)and Osborne book for systems and control but to be honest I mostly relied on the AAT website I literally did not open my systems and control textbook once.
I re did the green light tests for all the mandatory units until I got green in every test as I found that helps to cover to essentials and did the mock exams on the AAT website over and over again. My exam was on a Friday and I didn't start studying until the Monday, just put in 4 solid days.

Lindi

SophieW3122 said:

I received my results on Friday and got 88% on my first attempt having passed the mandatory units first time (87%, 88%, 93%). I would say it's critical that you have passed the mandatory units before you attempt the synoptic, but I know one person on my course who failed MDCL, FSLC and MABU and still passed the synoptic first time with 78%.

My biggest tip is to constantly refer to the pre-release material in all the written questions. I literally wrote things like 'as stated in the material provided, XXX' just to make it really obvious that I was referring to the pre-release.
I had the Kaplan study texts for the 3 mandatory units (FSLC, MABU, MDCL)and Osborne book for systems and control but to be honest I mostly relied on the AAT website I literally did not open my systems and control textbook once.
I re did the green light tests for all the mandatory units until I got green in every test as I found that helps to cover to essentials and did the mock exams on the AAT website over and over again. My exam was on a Friday and I didn't start studying until the Monday, just put in 4 solid days.

Congratulations Sophie! I would mention everybody learns differently, it seems you work best under pressure, some of us work just the opposite. I would not recommend anyone who does not cope well under pressure trying to cram everything in 4 days before the exam as it can become extremely overwhelming.
I must say, on my first attempt at the synoptic I studied the Kaplan internal controls book from cover to cover, I knew all of it off by heart yet did not get a single question about it in the exam. I can't remember if there was anything about it in my resit as it was more than 6 months ago but I do think students are getting flustered about it when they should be focusing more on the decision making and budgeting questions like you said.

GMS1992

SophieW3122 said:

I received my results on Friday and got 88% on my first attempt having passed the mandatory units first time (87%, 88%, 93%). I would say it's critical that you have passed the mandatory units before you attempt the synoptic, but I know one person on my course who failed MDCL, FSLC and MABU and still passed the synoptic first time with 78%.

My biggest tip is to constantly refer to the pre-release material in all the written questions. I literally wrote things like 'as stated in the material provided, XXX' just to make it really obvious that I was referring to the pre-release.
I had the Kaplan study texts for the 3 mandatory units (FSLC, MABU, MDCL)and Osborne book for systems and control but to be honest I mostly relied on the AAT website I literally did not open my systems and control textbook once.
I re did the green light tests for all the mandatory units until I got green in every test as I found that helps to cover to essentials and did the mock exams on the AAT website over and over again. My exam was on a Friday and I didn't start studying until the Monday, just put in 4 solid days.

Well done to you! It's good to hear some happy news on here.
I'm sitting the exam on Monday and have passed all previous first time with 80% + I'm just going to study hard over the next few days (I've been studying since April due to booking this exam anyway) So I feel like I will have put everything I can into it. Thanks for the advice!

SophieW3122

GMS1992 said:

SophieW3122 said:

I received my results on Friday and got 88% on my first attempt having passed the mandatory units first time (87%, 88%, 93%). I would say it's critical that you have passed the mandatory units before you attempt the synoptic, but I know one person on my course who failed MDCL, FSLC and MABU and still passed the synoptic first time with 78%.

My biggest tip is to constantly refer to the pre-release material in all the written questions. I literally wrote things like 'as stated in the material provided, XXX' just to make it really obvious that I was referring to the pre-release.
I had the Kaplan study texts for the 3 mandatory units (FSLC, MABU, MDCL)and Osborne book for systems and control but to be honest I mostly relied on the AAT website I literally did not open my systems and control textbook once.
I re did the green light tests for all the mandatory units until I got green in every test as I found that helps to cover to essentials and did the mock exams on the AAT website over and over again. My exam was on a Friday and I didn't start studying until the Monday, just put in 4 solid days.

Well done to you! It's good to hear some happy news on here.
I'm sitting the exam on Monday and have passed all previous first time with 80% + I'm just going to study hard over the next few days (I've been studying since April due to booking this exam anyway) So I feel like I will have put everything I can into it. Thanks for the advice!

Best of luck!! As long as you walk into the exam knowing you have done everything you possibly can, I am sure you will be fine! Sure you will do great

aat2200

I also need some tips! Have you sat the exam yet?

I failed it the first time so I'm re sitting it next week.. dreading it! Tasks 2, 3 & 4 seem to be my weak point. I have heard that for task 4 it's always good to use figures as part of your answer as in show how you got to your calculations.

Task 2 i think it just boils down to whether you know what you're talking about - really know your budgets inside and out and be prepared to write about them!!

Task 3, i think maybe it's worth putting in 2 problems the weakness can cause for the company.. maybe this is how i lost some marks.

That's my understanding, anyone feel free to chip in?

JamesD1985

how did you get on sanyaqayyum? Any advice for this exam window?

amym1406

Wondering if anyone would be able to help me. I have sat the synoptic assessment twice now, failing with 58% and then 61%. I studied so hard and used BPP and Osbourne books and watched some youtube tutorials about the exam, however, I didn't have any success.
I am really struggling with question 2 and 4. I don't understand the question about relevant costs. Can anyone recommend any textbooks or other resources that explain this clearly in order that I can try and get my head around it? Is there a past paper answer for this relevant costing question that I can have a look at?
I really struggle with remembering what was even in the questions and as the feedback is so vague showing only 'significantly below/borderline/exceeded' it is hard to understand what areas I need to focus on. Can I request the paper I sat and my answers to see what the answers should have been?
Any help at all on this would be greatly appreciated as I study via distance learning and I don't have anyone around me studying the same exam.
Thanks in advance.

Lindi

Unfortunately they won't give you the paper or answers as it is a live exam. I had a similar problem. The only thing I can recommend is making use of an additional study resource such as correspondence support, there are a few about. I studied with Peak Accountancy and only did the Synoptic with them as a module, so just paid for what I did. But there are others out there, First Intuition or Account4yourself I would recommend looking into something like that. It's frustrating when you don't know where you're going wrong, but perhaps you need someone with the relevant intel who may be able to point you in the right direction.

sanyaqayyum

hey James,
i was absolutely gutted i didnt pass the synoptic! i got 62%
but tbh i was expecting a fail anyways as i mentioned above. stupidly i took advantage of the fact that i had another 2 months to wait until the resit and thought i'll have plenty of time to revise! but oh look its monday (exams on friday) and im feeling so unprepared and im trying to cram in last minute revision!
some advice i got from another student:
-read through the pre-release material, pick up on the important points/highlight them
-work out the ratios from the statements provided - no need to memorise the figures but its just so you have a better understanding of the company
- go through the green light tests for the mandatory units until you get green in everything. - i personally havent done this as i sat the previous exams well over a year ago and give up even on the first question!!

also definitely remember to refer to the pre release material in as many answers as you can - try to make it really obvious so that the examiner can easily pick it up (such as, 'as written in the material given ...). this is important because after reading the examiners report (accessible through the study support), many students were unable to obtain full marks due to not referring back to the given material.

so my plan is this:
ill start with task 1 as itll be multiple choice so should be quick to complete.
next ill go to task 5 as im confident with calculating ratios. both of these tasks have the highest marks available which is another reason im doing them both first.
after doing 1 and 5 ill move on to task 3 as its picking out 5 weaknesses. i think itll be pretty easy as its near enough common sense to spot the weaknesses in the given passage.
and then i will try and tackle (and hope for the best) task 2, 4 and 6! im assuming task 6 will be on a type of analysis such as cost benefit, swot, maybe stuff about ethics and sustainability.

wbu, how are you getting on? any advice?! im absolutely dreading it, I really do hate this paper mainly because its mostly written!

Ella95

sanyaqayyum said:

hey James,
i was absolutely gutted i didnt pass the synoptic! i got 62%
but tbh i was expecting a fail anyways as i mentioned above. stupidly i took advantage of the fact that i had another 2 months to wait until the resit and thought i'll have plenty of time to revise! but oh look its monday (exams on friday) and im feeling so unprepared and im trying to cram in last minute revision!
some advice i got from another student:
-read through the pre-release material, pick up on the important points/highlight them
-work out the ratios from the statements provided - no need to memorise the figures but its just so you have a better understanding of the company
- go through the green light tests for the mandatory units until you get green in everything. - i personally havent done this as i sat the previous exams well over a year ago and give up even on the first question!!

also definitely remember to refer to the pre release material in as many answers as you can - try to make it really obvious so that the examiner can easily pick it up (such as, 'as written in the material given ...). this is important because after reading the examiners report (accessible through the study support), many students were unable to obtain full marks due to not referring back to the given material.

so my plan is this:
ill start with task 1 as itll be multiple choice so should be quick to complete.
next ill go to task 5 as im confident with calculating ratios. both of these tasks have the highest marks available which is another reason im doing them both first.
after doing 1 and 5 ill move on to task 3 as its picking out 5 weaknesses. i think itll be pretty easy as its near enough common sense to spot the weaknesses in the given passage.
and then i will try and tackle (and hope for the best) task 2, 4 and 6! im assuming task 6 will be on a type of analysis such as cost benefit, swot, maybe stuff about ethics and sustainability.

wbu, how are you getting on? any advice?! im absolutely dreading it, I really do hate this paper mainly because its mostly written!

I'm sitting my exam on Friday and dreading it!! I have passed FS 75%, MABU 86%, Audit 82%, and failed my MADC with 62% I do not know how many more times I can go over the books and notes I have made! I panic when it comes to exams and my brain is left outside of the exam room!!
Im going to try the green light tests as that seems like such a good idea - thanks!!

aat2200

I’m resitting mine tomorrow! How is everyone else who is re sitting feeling?

I also think doing task 1 & 5 first seem like a good idea, followed by task 3. I think task 1 & 5 can be done quite quickly which will leave more time for the written ones!!

I’m just praying task 2 and 4 don’t catch me out this time as I was completely blank last time. Good luck to everyone!

sanyaqayyum

let us know how it goes!! best of luck

ArnoldGrove

Glad to hear it! That must be incredibly frustrating for you but I'm sure you can get there - hope the planning helped

tinkerbell0406 said:

ArnoldGrove said:

tinkerbell0406 said:

66% ☹

Sorry to hear that tinkerbell, are you really going to give up now though?

Without wanting to rub salt in the wound, there quite a few forum members who have passed - I'm sure if you advise us which tasks are letting you down, there must be enough people here who have done well on at least one of those tasks that collectively we can advise you on how to improve . Sounds like someone needs to fill in the blanks your training provider has left behind. Also I agree with 00783, don't let that advice put you off - I've never seen age or even qualifications as being a definite barrier (I'm only now studying AAT - I've been in accountancy for a decade without qualifications haha) so don't give up hope if this is what you want to do!

Oh thank you. No bad feeling here well done all that have passed. I seem to be nearly there but I just need some feedback really. I passed budgeting and reviewed it be for exam but got significantly below!!! Passed level 3 easy but then only had 10 weeks tuition on level four. I have passed budgeting, external Audi and credit control with tuition. Everything else I'm fighting with. I have asked to see my curriculum lead next week. If we can come up with a plan then I will finish otherwise it's the end of the road....but I was very close.

ArnoldGrove

My main tip for question 2 might be a little unorthodox but here it is - you don't necessarily have to worry about it. I did well in this question on all the mocks and my tutor marked practice papers, always achieving exceeds, but still somehow came out with significantly below in the exam! However, I still passed overall with 83% thanks to achieving met on 1 and 3, and exceeds on 4-6.

Question 2 remains a bit of a mystery to me, but you can pass without it.

Mokshharesh782 said:

Can someone help me out for synoptic tasks? Any tips for task 2.
It will be really kind of yours. I got significant below for 3 retakes - significant below mean I did not understood the question?? Seriously AAT ?? I passed all my exam in first attempt but failed synoptic for more than 4 times. Trying really hard on task 2 but getting significant below every time. you need to check the question AAT. someone please help me or maybe its my fault. I don't know what is going on.

SophieW3122

ArnoldGrove said:

My main tip for question 2 might be a little unorthodox but here it is - you don't necessarily have to worry about it. I did well in this question on all the mocks and my tutor marked practice papers, always achieving exceeds, but still somehow came out with significantly below in the exam! However, I still passed overall with 83% thanks to achieving met on 1 and 3, and exceeds on 4-6.

Question 2 remains a bit of a mystery to me, but you can pass without it.

Mokshharesh782 said:

Can someone help me out for synoptic tasks? Any tips for task 2.
It will be really kind of yours. I got significant below for 3 retakes - significant below mean I did not understood the question?? Seriously AAT ?? I passed all my exam in first attempt but failed synoptic for more than 4 times. Trying really hard on task 2 but getting significant below every time. you need to check the question AAT. someone please help me or maybe its my fault. I don't know what is going on.

Same here! I got 88% and passed with:
01. Exceeded
02. Met
03. Borderline
04. Borderline
05. Exceeded
06. Exceeded

So it is VERY possible to pass without acing every task Best of luck!

Debbie021

Well I have just taken my Synoptic exam (first time) and was surprised I finished with an hour to spare. I feel I have written enough to gain 70% although I know some people have come out confident but failed so not counting my chickens.
TBH it was not as bad as I expected and think it was one of the easier versions of the exam.
There was many parts I was dreading but they never came up in my exam.
I wrote enough to match the amount of marks awarded for each so hopefully some will count.
I also checked my answers once finished but I must also add that I am a qualified typist so can type written answers extremely fast.
Fingers crossed.
How has everyone else done this week?