Welcome to the ICAEW
Exam skills briefing
Jim O’Brien
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Contents
• The ACA exams
• The Knowledge modules
• The Application and Technical Integration Stages
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Exams
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Exams
• Knowledge modules – e-assessments, 1 ½ hours long
– Complete e-assessments on computer
– Pass mark 55%
– Quick access to results – available on the ICAEW website (for
employers and students) within 24 hours
• Application modules – written papers, 2 ½ hours long
– Traditional sittings
– Pass mark 55%
• Advanced Stage – written papers
– TI papers are 3 ½ hours long
– Case Study is 4 hours long
– Pass mark 50%
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Professional Stage – Knowledge exams
• MCQ/OT questions – set from a bank
• Not all questions will be published by ICAEW
• BUT – practice banks will be recognised in the exam
• SO..Practice..Practice..Practice
• Read the double negatives – beware of the word change
• Multiple responses all need to be correct to score the mark
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Beyond the Knowledge exams
• The examiners’ hates
• Understanding the requirement
• The importance of planning
• Living the scenario
• The importance of question practice
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The examiners’ hates
• Illegible handwriting
• Not answering the question set
• Illogical layout and poor continuation
• Answers not numbered
• Workings not shown, or not adequately cross referenced
• Quantity not quality
• Poor time management
• Lack of technical knowledge
• Failing the ‘would I pay for this’ test
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Understand the Q requirement
• Read the question
• Allocate your time across (a), (b), as appropriate
• Breadth first, depth second;
– Answer everything
– Where there are calculations, there are marks
– Where there is complexity, there are marks
• Beware the ‘and’
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Beware the ‘and’
• The ‘and’ will give you a split requirement
• You must divide your time accordingly
• Play the marking guide game – the marker will be!
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Beware the ‘and’
Strike through ‘and’
j
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Understand the Q requirement
• Read the question
• Allocate your time across (a), (b), as appropriate
• Breadth first, depth second;
– Answer everything
– Where there are calculations, there are marks
– Where there is complexity, there are marks
• Beware the ‘and’
• Respect the verb
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Respect the verb
• List – state short pieces of information
• Recommend – to advise on a course of action
• Analyse – give reasons for the current situation or what has happened
• Assess – determine the strengths/weaknesses/importance
• Discuss – to examine in detail by argument
• Summarise – to express the most important facts of
• So, expect to pass the ‘because’ test
• ‘Because’ changes a ‘what’ into a ‘why’
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The ‘because’ test. Would I pay for this?
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The importance of planning
• Can expect to spend approx ¼ of your time planning
• Question practice helps you see how much you need
• Planning provides
– Structure
– Focus
– Direction
– Brevity
• Planning helps you ‘live the scenario’
• Unlock the marking guide
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Johnson planning
Cole
AFS
Sold in yr
Int’l Energy
Routers
AFS
FVPL
Put option
Johnson
Johnson
Loan note
Debt
Int rate swap
HTM
50% sold
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Johnson – planning (cont’d)
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Live the scenario
• The scenario is a sponge
• Squeeze every drop out of it
• Live it, and pass it
• Why am I being told this?
– There’s a reason
– It’s not there by accident
• Yes, I’d pay for this
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Lusco – the requirements
Give detail
Indicates split req’t
Points from the Q
Be specific
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Lusco – the scenario
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Lusco – examiner’s comments
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The importance of question practice
• Hones your knowledge
• Prepares you for the exam day
• What to do
– Thorough debrief
– As long again
– Examiners’ comments
– Mark it – don’t be too hard on yourself
– Ask your tutor if you don’t understand
– Get them to mark it
– They’ll add value
– It’s your revision course
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The importance of question practice
• What to do (cont’d)
– Go back to key questions again and again
– Syllabus coverage
• What not to do
– Audit the answer
– Bullet point and abbreviate
– Get disheartened – “it’s all wrong.”
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Thank you - any questions?
• All questions will be gathered from today
• Jim will answer them
• Answers will be posted online in 48 hours at
icaew.com/studentcommunity
icaew.com/ipd (ACA training webinar recordings)
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ICAEW support
• After 48 hours, this webinar recording, presentation and Q&A
will be available on
– icaew.com/studentcommunity
– icaew.com/ipd
• Recording of How to pass the Technical Integration papers is
available under the two Technical Integration tabs at
icaew.com/examresources
– common issues
– what the examiners expect to see
– structure, planning and timing
• Coming soon How to pass the Case Study
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