Do I have time for the December Exam?

System
System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited June 18 in AAT student discussion
Hi, I finished my Foundation level a while ago but did not start the Intermediate Stage straight away as I was also studying another course at college, I want to start the Intermediate level at the end of June and would like to try and aim for the December exams, has anyone doing distance learning done this? Do you feel that this is a reasonable goal? How much different is Intermediate from Foundation? I completed Foundation with FTC and will probably us them for the Intermediate level, are there any learners out there currently doing this stage with FTC that may have some advice?

Many thanks in advance

Nick

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Hi Nick,

    I completed foundation with FTC in January this year and started intermediate in February. As I found foundation very easy and completed it within 6 months I thought I would be able to do the same for intermediate, especially as when I spoke to FTC they said it wasn't much of a jump to intermediate.

    But in reality I have found it a bigger jump in level than I expected. The books are different to foundation in that they use fewer examples for each area and they also cover a lot more ground that the foundation books. I have also found quite a few errors and mistypes in the books which can also be confusing.

    Around Easter I realised there was no way I would be able to take both exams in June as I was spending more time stressing over how much I needed to learn that I wasn't taking anything in at all. I completely gave up trying to learn the costing unit (unit 6) as I found it the most difficult and instead went back to concentrate on financial records (unit 5) as I prefer this subject as it relates to what I do at work. I will only be going to the unit 5 exam next week and will leave the unit 6 exam until I feel ready.

    The whole experience of pressurising myself to take both exams in less than 5 months as well as working full-time has left me totally demotivated and very unlikely to continue to Technician. It was my own fault for putting myself under so much pressure, but I have learnt from my mistake and will feel relieved when the exam is over.

    All I can say is make sure you know how much more there is to learn compared to foundation. If you feel you can take the stress and are committed to putting in a lot of studying then go for it, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend taking both exams in one sitting.

    Good luck with whatever you decide.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Hi Nick

    Nice to hear from you again!! Hope your move and everything went well. Like Bagpuss I totally agree (his/her comments mirror my own), I dropped ECR earlier this year as it was like learning a foreign language, and I'm still doubtful as to whether or not to sit the FRA exam next week (although that's down to other reasons, and not the syllabus content).

    If you are totally committed and have the time on your hands to do it, then there's nothing stopping you, but personally as ECR is sooooo different to FRA I would suggest taking one exam in December and the other in June, as you also have to study unit 7 and take a skills test in that as well.

    I thought I could do it all, but sadly I crashed and burnt big time, so now I'm telling myself whats the big rush??? It's more important to me to actually retain the information and still be able to know what I am talking about long after the exams,than to cram in the knowledge to sit an exam quickly and then forget all about it again.

    Hope this is of some help, and look forward to chatting with you again soon.

    Take care

    Tracy
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Columbia

    I thought you passed your FRA in december05?
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Hi Cherry2006

    I wish!! I had every intention of taking the exam last December, but a lot of personal stuff has gone on over the last year and I found that after burying my head in studying to escape what was going on, I eventually reached breaking point and couldn't take any more information in and I stopped enjoying learning, and due to lack of confidence didn't sit the December 05 exam.

    Then we moved house (a new start), but I have been without anywhere private to study in, and with 3 children (4 including the hubby) I found this to be a problem, it has only been the past couple of weeks that I have got my new office built at home and now I have my sanctuary I have been able to study loads. My zest for learning has returned and I have a regular study timetable which fits in around the rest of the family, my life is back on track, but now the next exam date is almost here, and again not sure if I have left it too late to cram all the knowledge in.

    If I could erase the past year I would, but I can't so now I am feeling positive once again, I'm back to my old boring head in a book self.

    So in answer to your quick question (I always ramble on), no I did not sit FRA in Dec 05!!!! but really with I had!

    Take care, and good luck to all taking exams next week.

    Tracy

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Many thanks Bagpuss and Tracy,

    I have about 1 - 2 hours per evening and at least one day at the weekend, my wife is currently at University so there is definitely a good study environment at the moment, so thought I may take advantage of it. I gather there is 2 exams and 1 sim to finish on this level any good advice? (other than not to jump in feet first?). The way I see it is, is if I start and try and go for the exam in December but only manage to get one if any done I just postpone it to June, I’m gonna give it my all to get it done by December but I’m not going to lose sleep over it or get too stressed. So think I will give it a bash, would be nice to try and get the last 2 done in 12 months instead of 2 years.

    Thanks

    Nick
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Do I have time for the December Exam?

    Hi Nick,

    Well the decision is all yours, and as you say you are in a good position to study at the moment, so go for it!

    There are 2 exams -Unit 5 FRA and Unit 6 ECR, plus another unit - 7 (which only requires a skills test), both Units 5 & 6 also have a skills test to complete.

    Hope all goes well for you!

    Take care, and good luck

    Tracy

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