Difference between Academic exam vs. Professional exam which is more about Applying knowledge vs. Knowing knowledge

One of the main differences between a professional exam like ACCA and an academic exam is the time pressure. In an ACCA exam you have a limited time to apply all your knowledge and cover all requirements examiner has set. In other words you can be an expert in all subject matters but if you don't know how to apply them quickly you can easily fail. So what is the solution? It's all about practice. In my opinion if I take an ACCA paper after reading whole text book I may get maximum 20 marks (out of 100). The other 80% of marks is come to me through practice, practice and practice (or in other word Application, application and application of knowledge).

- What is the role of a mentor

Have you ever thought what is the difference between a student who studied everything in business and another person who had a mentor and learned everything through him. When you read a text book you learn about everything in a separate chapter and usually isolated from other subjects. However all the chapters in a book are connected at a higher (or big picture level). Successful application of knowledge depends on who well you can understand the link between different chapters and as you progress through your ACCA exams this skill becomes more and more necessary. One of the benefits of having a Mentor in life is he/she helps you to connect the dots better. You may have more technical knowledge than your mentor, but they the insight.PassACCA.net downloads play the same mentorship role in your studies. They are really the missing mentor that as a distance learning student you need to fill in. During my ACCA exams (except for P2) I never took a course and I was always looking for somebody to complete the big picture for me (whether a partner in the firm, or a friend).

- Different stages in ACCA study

As we go through different stages in our study (from reading text booksto final revision), the advice that we need is different. In first step we need to understand the key syllabus areas and this is
where listening to KSA (Key syllabus areas) podcasts ensure we fully understand key areas we need to focus more on. When is the best time to start listening to KSA podcast? Before staring your studies and during planning stage. I always listen to KSA podcast at least twice a week on my drive to work and back home. It helps to stick the key points into my mind.

As you start your revision phase, this is when your application of knowledge skill comes to play and with more and more practice you can improve your skills but then again what provides a breakthrough in your application is to look at revision from a different perspective which is what Q&E (Question and exam technique)podcast can provide you. Also podcasts on past exam papers
provide a mentor perspective on how to read, analyse and plan your answer. Again try to listen to these podcasts at least twice a week.

- Practice, practice, practice

Don't forget that passing an exam is all about practice, practice and practice and podcasts are the easiest way you can practice even when you are on the bus or driving.

Ali Rahmani, Part qualified student, Canada