Good news! I had passed both Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) and Advanced Taxation (ATX) during Sept 2020 sitting with 76 marks and 70 marks respectively! No more ACCA exam stress! It was totally unbelievable as I really thought I had failed my ATX after not receiving the "ACCA Affiliate" email (To understand more about ACCA message error prior to results day). Luckily, it was a mere false alarm!
September 2020 exam session was the first ACCA sitting in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. My initial plan was to clear the remaining 2 professional papers during June 2020 sitting, which was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19. Although rescheduling my sitting from June 2020 to Sept 2020 indicates more time for exam preparation, I wasn't very happy with the cancellation as my career plan was disrupted.
After successfully landing a job in one of the big 4 accounting firms, my ability to cope with studies while dealing with huge ton of workload concerned me greatly. Despite having experience in juggling between studies and extra curricular activities during December 2019 sitting, I had experienced severe burnt out issues, which had adversely affected my exam condition and results. Hence, I was facing the dilemma on whether to be a risk taker by taking 2 papers for 2 consecutive days or be risk adverse and only concentrate on 1 paper to increase the probability of successfully passing the papers in first attempt. I decided to register for the early entry to enjoy the cheaper fees first, subsequently evaluate my preparedness level before the deadline for standard entry.
There was a major concern raised after I commenced my employment - I am not eligible to take any study leave or exam leave because I have not signed any contract with the firm. This means shorter preparation time! Even if I opt for annual leave, I am only allowed to take a maximum of 3 consecutive days leave (including weekend) due to peak period. After pro rating the number of annual leaves available based on the number of months I committed to the firm, I decided to apply for 4 days leave - 2 consecutive days to sit for my papers and 2 random days before the exam week. I was so excited when I found out National Day falls on the week before the exam week, so I could spend the long weekend to prepare for my exams (Please don't judge me for being lifeless).
Getting leave approval from my manager had further strengthened my determination to proceed with 2 papers. Since I had just embarked on my career, I would prefer to clear my papers as soon as possible before I take on more job responsibilities. Besides, I am getting tired with exam pressure after dealing with work. Instead of blocking my calendar for study, I want to hang out with my friends after work or enjoy my weekend! The desire to get rid of exam pressure had pushed to take the risk! I believe that happiness always come after toughness.
Taking professional papers during COVID-19 pandemic means embracing full of uncertainties. Any increase in the number of daily cases could trigger cancellation of Sept 2020 sitting. Once again, my luck plays its role and the situation of COVID-19 was well contained (in August 2020) due to effort from frontline and everyone who adheres to SOP. Hence, ACCA announced that Sept 2020 sitting would undergo subject to compliance with SOP!
After reflecting on the mistakes made during last sitting, I realized that concentrating on understanding the syllabus was insufficient. Apart from reading all the study material, I planned to work on my time and stress management skills by practising past year questions under exam condition. This method was highly recommended by ACCA, which turned out to be absolutely helpful! I was not only more well-prepared to cope with the stressful exam situation, but also gained a more accurate sense of the amount of time I should spend on elaborating my answers in order to get mark. I had also planned for the time breakdown between reading and writing answers for each session prior to the actual examination, which had contributed to better time management during exam.
Another useful trick is to read the marking scheme to understand the key words that the examiners are looking for. I tend to spend excessive time over explaining 1 point, which ended up wasting precious time while failed to earn the maximum marks. Strict adherence to spending 1.95 minutes per point is absolutely significant yet difficult. The majority of candidates are inclined to write as much as possible due to our fear of omitting the key point. In that case, I monitored my time rigidly during the actual examination by using the timer function of my watch, and the positive effect was surprising and welcoming!
In conclusion, I am more satisfied with my performance during this sitting. As compared to last sitting, I was more calmed during exam and did not suffer much post exam burnout or stress. I can even enjoy meals with my friends before exam, drive myself home after the long exam hours (I am a lousy baby driver) and immediately report to work on the next day (honestly not highly recommended)!
Perhaps, these are signs of adulthood? Was so occupied and don't even have time to think about it.
On a side note, I am happy that I only spent approximately RM10,000 (including registration fees, annual subscription fees, exam fees and EPSM module) on my ACCA professional qualification! Reason being, I had not attended any tuition classes, which saved me a significant amount of cost. Besides, I had chosen the payment method which offered me the cheapest exchange rate from GBP to MYR. I always tried to pay at times where I could enjoy a favourable exchange rate. Sounds like a cheapskate, but the accumulated amount that I had saved could be used to pay for my meals.
Now, time to accumulate (suffer) work experience to earn my title! Say hi to hectic big 4 life (no I don't have a life sorry).