1. Reading through the requirements carefully

        During the exam, the scenarios are quite long especially in compulsory questions. Some candidates take the “scenario—requirement—scenario—answer” procedure which may be inefficient in that they do not know what the requirements of the question during their first reading. So the “requirement –scenario—answer” procedure is better to be taken.

While reading through the requirements, the candidates should not only identify what are to be examined but also pay attention to the verbs of the requirements, because these verbs stand for different levels of requirements.

For example, “Define” means only gives the meaning or definition of the concept. No additional marks will be awarded for further explanations. “Explain” means giving conclusions or suggestion with appropriate reasons. “Discuss” means presenting both positive and negative opinions upon the topic etc.

So it is vital to read the requirement first, identify what the examiner wants you to do exactly.

2 Pay attention to the mark allocation

        Some candidates pay little attention to the marks allocated to each question which suggests the complexity of the requirement. A question with 5 points question is quite different from a 20-marks question even if the requirements are the same. You should give your answers based on the mark allocation.

        For example, you are required to assess the performance of an organization. If it is only a 5-mark question, then you can just list some major perspectives concerning the performance without detailed discussion.

        But if it is a 20-mark question, then it is not enough just listing. Firstly, you have to assess the performance from a variety of perspectives: profit and value approaches, financial and non-financial factors, short-term and long-term issues etc. Secondly, for each perspective, you should find the indicators from scenario to improve your conclusions. At last, try to list those information not provided in the scenario but important for your assessment.

        So it is very important for you to recognize the mark allocation before you begin to write.

3. Ticking relevant information while reading through the scenario

Some candidates read through the scenario without ticking any information which is inefficient especially in professional papers. There is so much information in the scenario that you cannot expect to remember them all while writing down your answers. It wastes your time if you have to find out detailed information again in the scenario.

4. Formulating a plan before writing down the answer

After you have read through the requirements and scenario, you would prepare to write down your answers. But it is quite necessary for you to formulate an answer plan first.

For the professional papers, it is common to follow the following order for your analysis approach: The big picture---smaller but meaningful chunks---operational lines of data table.

The big picture should be the overall objectives of the organization such as those included in the mission statements. Smaller but meaningful chunks are those critical success factors (CSFs) that are critical for achieving the objectives. Operational lines of data table can be found in the scenario such as key performance indicators (KPIs) which measure the CSFs.

By following the order, you can have an excellent format and not miss any major marks. Remember, you are expected to be a professional accountant when you attempt the professional papers.

5. Making “value adding” comments to the scenario

Some candidates just reproduce the information contained in the scenario. However it is quite clear that this will not earn you high marks. You have to give “value adding” comments related to the scenario to illustrate your conclusions.

How to make “value adding” comments? Here is an example: You are assumed to be the financial manager of a pet hospital. The CEO of the hospital requires you to write a report to analyse the performance of the hospital using both financial and non-financial measures. In the scenario, you are given the financial data concerning the hospital.

It is not difficult to analyse using the financial information given. The “value adding” points here are the non-financial measures related to the hospital which are not mentioned in the scenario. You have to gain these marks based on your own experiences. Now if you are a customer to the pet hospital, what factors are critical for you to choose the hospital for your pet? Then you may imagine many factors such as the accidents rate during your pet staying in the hospital, the health conditions of the hospital, the technical competences of the hospital staff etc. These points are also critical non-financial factors for a pet hospital.

Sometimes you may feel helpless if there are no indications in the scenario. So wide reading and experiences may be very useful to gain high marks.

6. Common sense marks

It is quite often that you may come across some questions that you know little. Some candidates abandon these questions and lay more emphasis on questions that they know well. But it is important for you to earn easy marks or common sense marks. It is not feasible to leave a 20-mark question blank and write more on a 10-mark question that you know well. It is easier to get 5 marks in the 20-mark question than to get 5 additional marks in a 10-mark question.

For example, a question in P5 requires you to use the performance pyramid model to analyse the performance of an organization. If you do not know the model, you can earn 5-6 marks by just analyzing the performance from financial, non-financial perspectives. So do not forgo these easy marks which may be critical for you to pass the exam.

The above techniques should be helpful for candidates attempting the professional paper exams which require more than the fundamental level.

                                                                                                    ——高顿ACCA研究中心  Vincent Zhao