Advice please! - Upcoming Level 4 student

Myaxy

Hi everyone - first time posting here!

I'm in the process of revising for my Level 3 Synoptic and will be moving up to Level 4 afterward.

I am a distance learner, and am almost entirely self taught in my method. I also work full time. This, along with personal circumstances, means it has taken me longer than I would have liked to get through my Level 3 exams.

But, I should hopefully have this completed by late this year/early next year. I'm aiming to then complete the Level 4 qualification in around 18-20 months. The AAT website suggests around 420 guided learning hours are needed, excluding extra personal study.

Does anyone have any advice on any study methods that worked for them, especially with regards to the time they allocated? I'm aiming to dedicate around 10 hours each week to studies and reading, which should get me in the region of 800-850 total hours, and I am wondering if that is sufficient.

I do work hard but I'm bit of a perfectionist and like to really excel when it comes to my studies and exams. I'm becoming anxious that with the increase in complexity and depth of the course content, I won't be able to meet my deadline.

Any advice or reassurance would be gratefully received! Thanks

studygirl

Hello

I think the time spent revising is down to personal preference. The suggested hours of around 420 sounds about right but the extra study will be down to the individual. You may find you take in some knowledge on units quicker than others so will dedicate more hours to a different unit.

I wouldn't stress too much about being a perfectionist, level 4 is hard and I think it's a great achievement to get 70% in the exams.

Good luck!!

DannyBoi

Hello

Posting here as well as I'm doing Level 4 in September next month, I was wondering if there's anything that would be good revising from Level 3 into Level 4?

More of a specific question relating to my previous broad question is relating to management accounting. Which areas from Level 3 management accounting that I should really study into Level 4? As it's one of weaker areas. I ask this because mandatory units 2/3 in Level 4 is all about management accounting.

Many thanks in advance.

Daniel

Ishrat

Hello both, firstly congrats for passing through with level 3. Getting closer to finish AAT ?
In level 4 I started with the mandatory unit budgeting, I have to say I took the first exam so lightly thinking it'd be similar to level 3. It was nothing like level 3, I had awful exam luckily I was able to pass through with 77% , it made me realise I have to start studying harder n put more hours. Sorry I don't much remember which areas from level 3 would help. But yes, you right
Management Accounting: Costing unit is the one to watch out from level 3 that definitely should help particularly in MDCL level 4(management decisions and control) which i found one of the hardest unit n many other students too felt the same way. For example like contributions limiting factor, variances analysis would be good areas to go through.
To my luck I barely passed lever 3 management accounting unit by scraping through 74%, so no wonder why I struggled more with MDCL in level 4. I felt everthing I had to revise from stretch.
One thing I would advice you, start thinking the theory especially how you would write the answers explaining what's examiner asking you, when you read a question get to main points of the solutions. That's biggest area everyone struggle coming from level 3.
As for option units I chose External Auditing n Personal tax, which I enjoyed a lot n probably the easiest exams in level 4.

Wish you all the best, I'm sure once you start studying level 4 everything will make sense n it'll become much clearer with time goes on.