Great video as with all of your videos. I took Assurance and Accounting last week and happy to say I passed with 88 and 84, in large part thanks to your tips. One observation about Assurance. My set of questions in the exam - and the others in my cohort echoed this observation - were quite different from the question bank. Also, I'm not sure if your firm uses BPP or Kaplan for notes, but we use BPP and the notes are very concise, which helps for digestibility but it does miss out a lot of content. As you are aware, there are your course notes from BPP or Kaplan, and then there is the Icaew-released textbook. The conventional wisdom, and what your tutors will usually tell you, is either not to even touch the icaew textbook, or to not use it very much. And most students never even open the icaew textbook. I agree with this in most cases, including for accounting, for two reasons. First, the icaew textbooks are just too long. Accounting is over 600 pages compared to 200 for the course notes. Second, accounting is an exam that requires a lot of understanding of principles and concepts and methods through which you actively work out the answers to questions. There is much less rote learning. With assurance, however, the icaew textbook is only 300 pages, which makes it very realistic to get through. Moreover, assurance is an exam, as you note, that requires a lot of rote learning. It's a knowledge based exam that requires you to regurgitate a lot of stuff. Icaew sets exam technically based on the content of the icaew textbook. Not less, not more. Because our questions were quite different from the question bank, there was a lot of material my friends hadn't seen before from the notes and the QB. Yet the icaew take questions and multiple choice options literally word-for-word from the icaew textbook, and the reason I did well in this exam is because I took the time to dip into the icaew textbook to cover bases that weren't covered by the notes or QB. That's just one thing I'd note and my honest advice. I think the question bank can lure some people into a false sense of security. I know it did for me. On my second or third time through the question bank, sure, I was getting practically all the questions right. But it was difficult to differentiate between (1) whether I was getting the questions right because I truly understood how or (2) I was getting the questions right because I remember the answer from last time through the QB. Your emphasis on internal control was appreciated because in our recent exams we all agreed that internal controls seemed to comprise even more than 25% of the exam! Honestly at points it felt like 40% of the exam. Certainly a hot topic.
Just came across your channel today as I’m currently studying for this next week, this is a massive confidence boost knowing what to work on - thank you!
Thanks Luke! I had my exam yesterday, I would say 90% of my questions were nothing like all of the ones I had practiced!😩 I passed but just a heads up for anyone who will be sitting the exam in the near future!
Great video as with all of your videos. I took Assurance and Accounting last week and happy to say I passed with 88 and 84, in large part thanks to your tips.
One observation about Assurance. My set of questions in the exam - and the others in my cohort echoed this observation - were quite different from the question bank.
Also, I'm not sure if your firm uses BPP or Kaplan for notes, but we use BPP and the notes are very concise, which helps for digestibility but it does miss out a lot of content.
As you are aware, there are your course notes from BPP or Kaplan, and then there is the Icaew-released textbook. The conventional wisdom, and what your tutors will usually tell you, is either not to even touch the icaew textbook, or to not use it very much. And most students never even open the icaew textbook.
I agree with this in most cases, including for accounting, for two reasons. First, the icaew textbooks are just too long. Accounting is over 600 pages compared to 200 for the course notes. Second, accounting is an exam that requires a lot of understanding of principles and concepts and methods through which you actively work out the answers to questions. There is much less rote learning.
With assurance, however, the icaew textbook is only 300 pages, which makes it very realistic to get through. Moreover, assurance is an exam, as you note, that requires a lot of rote learning. It's a knowledge based exam that requires you to regurgitate a lot of stuff.
Icaew sets exam technically based on the content of the icaew textbook. Not less, not more. Because our questions were quite different from the question bank, there was a lot of material my friends hadn't seen before from the notes and the QB. Yet the icaew take questions and multiple choice options literally word-for-word from the icaew textbook, and the reason I did well in this exam is because I took the time to dip into the icaew textbook to cover bases that weren't covered by the notes or QB. That's just one thing I'd note and my honest advice.
I think the question bank can lure some people into a false sense of security. I know it did for me. On my second or third time through the question bank, sure, I was getting practically all the questions right. But it was difficult to differentiate between (1) whether I was getting the questions right because I truly understood how or (2) I was getting the questions right because I remember the answer from last time through the QB.
Your emphasis on internal control was appreciated because in our recent exams we all agreed that internal controls seemed to comprise even more than 25% of the exam! Honestly at points it felt like 40% of the exam. Certainly a hot topic.
tldr
Thanks for detail guidance dear
Hi keelan Waldron, when you say textbook - do you mean ICAEW ASSURANCE Workbook
Just came across your channel today as I’m currently studying for this next week, this is a massive confidence boost knowing what to work on - thank you!
🎯 Check out the notes I used that helped me pass my Assurance exam: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LukeJamesUK
I spent so much time writing notes and I’m only on chapter 4. This has helped I’m going to get stuck into the question bank. Thanks!
I passed assurance exam with 62 marks in 1st attempt by self study only from icaew text book and questions bank.
Thanks for your video! It’s really useful with me
Glad it was helpful!
I've got my exam in the morning so 🤞
This was so reassuring 🥺 thank you
Thank you Nabeeha! Hope the exam goes well!
i see what you did there....
Thanks so much, Luke :)
No worries!
Can i take my own srap papers clean papers. Because in my last 3 exams i was given papers on which i could not write with the pen properly
how many hours you study and made revision buddy?
how many weeks prior to the exam should you have covered all content needed? Is 2 weeks enough?
Hi hope you are doing well, 2 weeks is plenty. Hope it all goes well
Thanks!
Does anyone know if the exam questions are the same/very similar to the question bank and mock exams?
Hey Danielle - they are similar but have a few nuances that make them slightly more awkward in the real thing, take your time and don't rush!
Thanks Luke! I had my exam yesterday, I would say 90% of my questions were nothing like all of the ones I had practiced!😩 I passed but just a heads up for anyone who will be sitting the exam in the near future!
Are the questions in the exam similar to the ones in the question bank?
Hi Ayesha - yes they are similar 😀
Thank you!
@@LukeJamesYTI am using only icaew text book and questions bank. Is it enough or I should use Kaplan and others
How can I get question bank free please tell me?
Where can i contact you if i need help regarding Aca?