Case Study Student Interview 1 David David studied with us on our Birmingham weekday course for the July 2014 sitting (Zoo-Med Limited). After being unsuccessful at his first attempt with another provider, David placed first in his region across both sittings of the Case Study in 2014 following attendance at our course. Here s what David had to say in our interview. Please briefly describe how you came to use ACA Simplified for your Case Study tuition. I scored 48 and failed a previous sitting of the Case Study, taken with one of the large providers. I had come across ACA Simplified through their Twitter feed, which many of the students in my class used. The tweets were specific to our Advance Information and demonstrated an in-depth understanding of how the AI would be assessed. So when I failed the exam I looked into the company that ran the Twitter account. I was initially unsure as ACA Simplified seemed to be a small company but when I emailed for more information on the course I received a very helpful and prompt response, so I selected ACA Simplified for my resit tuition. How was our tuition different to that of other providers? I had worked really hard on my previous failed Case Study sitting, putting in just as many hours as I did with the technical exams. However looking back I can see now that most of those hours were wasted. In my previous sitting we spent days or even weeks looking at obsolete past papers and we spent very little time on actual exam technique. All we had was generic advice about planning techniques. ACA Simplified by contrast showed that they had really analysed the marking scheme and understood where the marks were. We were shown exactly what technique to use to pick them up. No class time was wasted on SWOTs and PESTELs of the AI, something which should have been done at home anyway. So in a fraction of the class contact time I came out with an infinitely better understanding of what the Case Study exam requires and where to get the marks in it. What did you find most helpful about our tuition and learning materials? The mock exams were very useful. They improved my understanding of the AI and it was very good exam practice to use mock exams based on the actual AI rather than past papers.
What did you think of the tutoring style of your ACA Simplified tutor? My tutor was clearly a Case Study specialist: he knew the past exams, the mark scheme and the patterns in the Case Study exams inside out. Whereas with my other provider I got the impression that they were moon-lighting as a Case Study tutor and were not really a specialist on the subject. How did your exam go after studying with us? What do you think explained your performance? I scored 78, an improvement of 30. This meant that I was the joint top scorer in the Case Study in 2014 in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. The difference in my performance was down to confidence. I went into the exam knowing the AI inside out, understanding the required technique and where to pick up marks. I had certainty that I would pass if I managed my timings properly. With my previous attempt, I had walked into the exam with no real technique and thinking let s just give it a go. That isn t how any exam should be approached. Would you be happy to recommend our Case Study service to a friend or colleague? If so, why? I would happily recommend ACA Simplified s Case Study tuition. You get the personal service from small classes that other providers cannot give. The Case Study needs to be passed to get those letters ACA, and ACA Simplified s tuition gave me the best possible chance of passing. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Well done again for qualifying and all the best for your future career as an ACA!
Case Study Student Interview 2 Donna Donna studied with us on our London Weekend course for the Nov 2014 sitting (Rolling Stores). Here s what Donna had to say in our interview. Please briefly describe how you came to use ACA Simplified for your Case Study tuition. I did my first Case attempt with one of the Big Two providers. During the final three week revision session, before sitting the final two TI exams and Case, a fellow classmate mentioned to me that she was preparing for the exam using ACA Simplified s 5 mocks. I had never heard of ACA Simplified and so was unsure whether it would make any difference, so I continued with the Big Two technique, studiously preparing for and sitting 4 different past Case Study exams (excluding our live Advance Information Case). My classmate passed Case first time and I failed my first and only ACA exam. How was our tuition different to that of other providers? As I was unsure about using only the Cracking Case book I decided to use the taught service from ACA Simplified. I was a bit dubious about the short length of tuition sessions, especially having had lengthy tuition with one of the Big Two providers for my previous exams. The 5 ACA Simplified mocks are an excellent way to develop a good working knowledge of the live Advance Information and Case Study business. The Cracking Case book focuses on the marking structure and provides an understandable and accessible technique to approach Case Study - and how best to achieve those elusive diamonds on the marking grids! The Big Two providers suggest a 4 column planning approach which I personally found difficult to understand and use to write my answer. However, while the materials are useful, I personally found the actual tuition worth its weight in gold. The individual feedback on my mock attempts as well as general feedback for the class was invaluable. The tuition class was a way for me to ask questions, clarify things and better understand how to approach the real exam. I felt that the tuition got to the point, did not waste valuable time on dissecting past papers (as the Big Two providers do) and the personal feedback helped me tailor the ACA Simplified technique to my own abilities which I used to develop my approach to the Case Study exam. What did you find most helpful about our tuition and learning materials? I strongly feel that the 5 ACA Simplified mocks written on the live Advance Information are the best preparation for Case and are a far better use of precious time.
The tuition option required reading Cracking Case before the session and, for me, the actual tuition sessions were perfect to find out where I could improve and effectively customise my own skill set as well as fine tune my time allocation so that I could identify where I was wasting time and not scoring points. Having to attend each tuition session with a written and marked mock to work through was actually a good incentive. Although I am a motivated and diligent person, knowing I had a deadline to sit and then mark each mock exam was fantastic training for the real exam. I was so accustomed to sitting a 4 hour mock that by the time exam day dawned, I was organised and ready to deal with whatever landed on my desk. Having to personally mark each mock opened my eyes on how to improve for the next one and having a tutor to work through the mock and talk to about how I could improve was worth every penny. What did you think of the tutoring style of your ACA Simplified tutor? The tutor we had was brilliant. The small class size was ideal and I felt he really got to know each one of us and was clearly focused on trying to help each candidate. He knew the Advance Information inside out even at the first session when I had barely had time to read through it once! Even more importantly, he knew the marking structure in detail and at every session he got to the point quickly to help us understand how the Advance Information and Exam Paper interacted and how best to approach the actual exam. I felt absolutely confident that he knew his stuff and could help me. How did your exam go after studying with us? What do you think explained your performance? I failed my first Case attempt with 41%. Taking it again, armed with the ACA Simplified technique which I had adapted to my own skill set (I can write for England and so need to cut the waffle and get to the point quicker!), I passed with 79%. Failing Case first time round was a huge disappointment, especially as I had passed every other ACA exam first time and had thought I had prepared myself by using the technique the Big Two provider taught. The ACA Simplified tuition and mocks helped me to prepare more effectively and, in the heat of the real exam, having a solid foundation of knowledge of the Advance Information and an understanding of the marking structure helped calm my nerves despite the unpredictability of the EPIA. [ACA Simplified here Donna is referring to what we call the Exam Paper Impact Adjustment see Cracking Case for more on this concept.] Would you be happy to recommend our Case Study service to a friend or colleague? If so, why? I would definitely recommend the ACA Simplified Case Study service. All ACA exams to this point require a solid background knowledge of technical material to pass, but the Case Study does not. It is a very unique assessment and quite prescriptive in its mark scheme. Having failed the first attempt, I realised that a different approach is needed to prepare for the Case Study exam. I am an unusual and creative thinker and ACA Simplified s technique works better for me than the tuition provided by the Big Two providers.
ACA Simplified provides a good game plan with a tangible, logical structure which I personally found essential to keep my mind focussed on points which were more likely to gain a diamond. Is there anything else you wanted to say to students who may be thinking about using our services? The Case Study is without a doubt a strange type of assessment for an accounting qualification. I think it s a bit like learning a new language. Being in a class with a tutor to point out common pitfalls and help you where you get stuck makes all the difference. For me, the personalised tuition was extremely invaluable to understand exactly where I needed to focus my energies, where to look for those diamonds and how to stick to the time allocation to make sure I covered as many of the scoring boxes as I could. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Well done again for qualifying and all the best for your future career as an ACA!
Case Study Student Interview 3 Emily Emily studied with us on our Birmingham Weekend course for the Nov 2014 sitting (Rolling Stores). This was Emily s first time sitting the Case Study exam. Here s what Emily had to say in our interview. Please briefly describe how you came to use ACA Simplified for your Case Study tuition. I first came across ACA Simplified when I moved from an accountancy firm with paid tuition to a role in industry part way through qualifying. My new employers were willing to help financially to continue my training but could not release me for large portions of time to attend tuition. I researched other options and found ACA Simplified, first using their Q&A book for Business Strategy and their script marking service. I went on to pass Business Strategy as well as Financial Management and Financial Reporting first time using only ACA Simplified resources. For the Technical Integration stage I also used an online version of tuition from a large provider but I found this slow and hard to follow, finding the ACA Simplified resources and script marking service much more valuable. After passing both TI papers, I found that ACA Simplified offered face to face tuition for the Case exam with a weekend option. This fitted in better with work and was a comparable cost to other providers. What did you find most helpful about our tuition and learning materials? The number and quality of mock exams is the most helpful aspect of the Case tuition as well as the detailed and informative marking. Small groups mean that each learner gets focused time from the experienced tutors and this is invaluable in developing understanding and confidence. It also means that less tuition time is required overall because it is focused and preparation is undertaken by the learners before each session - this was really important for me as I don't have a lot of free time. What did you think of the tutoring style of your ACA Simplified tutor? Our tutor was extremely knowledgeable and able to explain the concepts clearly. He was friendly and approachable and this was helped by the small groups as everyone felt comfortable asking questions. The whole team are extremely flexible and very swift in responding to queries outside of formal tuition time.
How did your exam go after studying with us? What do you think explained your performance? This was my first time sitting Case and I only used ACA Simplified for tuition. I was extremely pleased with my mark of 72% and I think this was down to the thorough understanding of how the exam is set and what the examiner is looking for. This ensured that I didn't panic even though the paper was a little different to the mocks I had completed. Would you be happy to recommend our Case Study service to a friend or colleague? If so, why? I would definitely recommend ACA Simplified to friends and colleagues as I find their approach is the most effective at ensuring information is absorbed and understood. This applies through all of their resources for all ACA exams, particularly the script marking service as this is much more focused and detailed than that of larger providers. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Well done again for qualifying and all the best for your future career as an ACA!
Case Study Student Interview 4 Kieran Kieran studied with us on our London weekend course for the July 2014 sitting (Zoo-Med Limited). Kieran achieved a score of 92% and first place in the world for Case Study in his first attempt at the exam. Here s what Kieran had to say in our interview. Please briefly describe how you came to use ACA Simplified for your Case Study tuition. I was a first time student who was disillusioned by the ambiguity of Case and the teaching methods at a Big Two provider. I Googled how to pass ACA Case Study and came across the ACA Simplified website. How was our tuition different to that of other providers? The tuition explicitly focused on how to score marks and as with any ACA exam this is the key to passing. The course also focused on the Advance Information in much more depth due to the mock exams which prepares students much better. What did you find most helpful about our tuition and learning materials? I found the book Cracking Case very useful for understanding the marking structure and providing an solid background of the exam, as well as explaining some common myths of Case. I then put this into practice by using the live Advance Information which enabled me to perfect my technique ready for the exam. What did you think of the tutoring style of your ACA Simplified tutor? The tuition differed from my previous experience due to the exam focus and detailed scrutiny of the Advance Information. The approach was more informal and detailed specific tips to use in the exam. How did your exam go after studying with us? What do you think explained your performance? I won the prize for the highest mark with a score of 92% and I would not have scored such a mark without the approach drilled into me during the tuition.
Would you be happy to recommend our Case Study service to a friend or colleague? If so, why? I would certainly recommend it as it provides a fundamental understanding of the exam and how best to approach it. Is there anything else you wanted to say to students who may be thinking about using our services? Don t rely too much on the tuition provided by your employer as it is your responsibility to pass your exam and you have a far greater chance of doing so by using ACA Simplified. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Well done again for qualifying and all the best for your future career as an ACA!