Post exam stress

I took two exams as usual at this session (P2 & P3) and I am very relieved they are over. The weeks of ensuring I do enough revision while working and meeting my duties as a Mum have been quite a strain. I feel like I have barely slept in weeks. I have been following the model of a past UK prime minister, Margaret Thatcher and getting about 4 hours sleep a night. I got back to work this week being able to quote every IAS and IFRS but was unable to remember my password to get into my computer!

I’ve now had a decent nights sleep and should by now be feeling relaxed. No such luck. The doubt has already started to creep in about whether I have passed these exams. I keep remembering what I put and realising that it is wrong or that it could have been explained better. I do know the subjects but under the exam conditions it’s so easy for your mind to go blank or to write down the first thing that comes into your head.

It’s very easy in exams to do all the workings for the question and then forget to actually answer the question. For example doing all the working for your consolidated SFP and then forgetting to put the figures in the SFP at the end. Thankfully there are lots of marks available for workings, at least for the fundamental papers. It’s very easy to do the calculations to answer a question and then forget to actually write the discussion part of the answer. I’m sure many of us have done it, it’s just the stress of trying to complete the exam papers in the time.

My stupidity with one of my latest exams was not to fill in the details on the continuance sheet before the end of the exam. I hadn’t realised I wouldn’t be allowed to complete it after being told to stop. Luckily I hadn’t written very much on it.

With many weeks to go before I get the results I shall have to put the negative thoughts of failure behind me and concentrate on my next two courses.

Now for the big decision - do I choose to do advanced audit or advanced financial management. Any suggestions?

Comments

[ram]

I have 2 papers left - P1 and P3. These are theory papers and I can't pass them. Can anyone give me some hints?

[E.B Sawaneh]

Thanks Angela,

I was also reading P4 & P6, I wish you good luck.

I will suggest that you do P4, the syllabus is very reach and lots of interesting area it cover. It also depend on what do want to specialise on, every if want to understands invesments, or banking or any finance areas, please consider this paper. If you are investors, funds manager, please consider it.

Audit is a nice area, but financial management is something every business person, investors, funds managers, corporate mangers needs to understand.

This is just a thought i want to share with you.

regards,

E.B Sawaneh
ACCA Student

[Anne Njoroge]

Hi Angela,

How happy i felt on reading your post exam experience!

You should see me on my way to the exam room knowing it all after failing F2 twice, (having worked in tax related field for over 20 years and still a career tax woman, mom to six(6),the last is in forth form - how can I fail?), and on my way out wondering whether an asset destroyed can be written down under IAS 10 as I chose in a MCQ; wondering whether to give up and raise chickens using the knowledge I've acquired instead if I fail,and remembering I started studying to eliminate the idle evening hours....

I've no experience to but I'd choose advanced audit .

Keep writing and wish you all the best as the results come out.

Anne