When it comes to securing high-paid finance and accounting jobs across the globe, having an ACCA SBR certificate is mandatory. However, acquiring one isn’t as easy as one may think. To obtain this prestigious qualification, you will have to attempt and pass many papers.
While obtaining a strategic business reporting ACCA qualification may not be a simple task, that doesn’t mean it is completely impossible. There are a few tricks and tips that you can follow during the preparation and while writing the exam to significantly increase your chances of passing the SBR or strategic business reporting module or ACCA. Keep reading!
During preparation
1- Give enough time for the preparation
For every type of examination, the experts recommend students start the preparation at least a month or two prior to the test dates. Similar is the case with strategic business reporting. In fact, it being an advanced module course, it is best to start at least three months earlier to give yourself enough time to understand each of the concepts thoroughly.
2- Practice using the previous year’s paper
Another thing you can do is practice the previous year’s paper. The notion here is to understand the questioning style and practice writing the answers as per the limited time suggested on the paper.
Old papers may also help prepare important topics that you may have missed completely while preparing.
3- Study the complete syllabus
The strategic business reporting module has an extensive syllabus. But that doesn’t mean you should only scan only through the important topics.
Many students have failed every single sitting because they missed certain areas of the syllabus. No matter how small or unimportant certain topics may seem, it is best to cover them. So, try to attempt the maximum number of questions from the two sections.
4- Practice until you become perfect
The best way to ace ACCA strategic business reporting is by practising every module until you become perfect in them. Also, make sure you start practising from the very first day itself and not after you have finished studying.
Also, practising doesn’t mean writing the notes over and over again; it means comprehending whether or not you can recall and remember acquired information.
While writing the test
1- Focus on written answers
Just practising for numerical questions and paying no heed to written answers won’t help in successfully completing the exam. Your written answers should have sufficient depth to answer the question being asked.
Just brief answers won’t necessarily meet the needs of the questions even if the numerical is correct. Doing a thorough question analysis is vital.
2- Know the structure
The exam has two broad sections of 50 marks each (overall 100 marks)
- Section A
- Two scenario questions
- Topics from Syllabus D and C [financial statement of group entities / financial reporting]
- Reporting and ethical implications of events in the scenario provided to you.
- Section B
- Two questions
- For both, it will be either case study on a scenario or an essay-type question. It tests you on calculations and discussions on the topic.
3- Keep things brief
Well, by now, you already know that you will be under limited-time pressure while writing strategic business reporting ACCA exam. Therefore, it is best to avoid writing long answers as much as possible—answer in-depth based on the requirement of the question.
Remember that you are expected to write quality and not in quantity. Here are some tips you can follow –
- Don’t write everything you know; instead, write the most relevant and required information.
- Write enough for the available marks. For instance, one point is good enough for 1-mark. However, a well-drafted point can help you acquire 2-marks as well. On the other hand, don’t write 10 points for a 5-mark question.
- Go for applied knowledge instead of writing standards or guidelines mindlessly.
To conclude
While you follow the above-suggested tips to make the most out of your ACCA SBR, it is important that you practice staying calm. Having exam stress is normal. However, beating stress and calming your nerves can help you do justice to yourself. Stay tuned to Syntrofia for more such insights on passing exams like ACCA SBR and online certificate course in mergers and acquisitions
