Name: Emambuccos Ibrahim Anees
Top performer: Taxation Exam, December 2018

What do you believe being an ACCA member will do for your career?

Achieving membership status will give me the ability to use the ACCA designation, sign reports and practice as a recognised Chartered Accountant in Mauritius. It also means I’ll be able to move and work overseas as an accountant because the qualification is recognised globally.

Many finance directors around the world are ACCA members. And I believe that being an ACCA member will significantly increase my chances of progressing to a top management position in a large international company. From the practical and strategic skills I’ll achieve from studying the ACCA Qualification – I believe I’ll be in a better position to lead and positively influence people at work. The journey is not easy, but it’s not impossible to achieve your dreams if you’re self-disciplined and work hard.

Having the ACCA designation after my name will be an asset to my future endeavours, because ACCA members are seen as being ethical and highly professional people with integrity. I want to be a part of that network.

Why did you choose to study ACCA?

I chose ACCA because it’s the leading professional accounting body in the world. The fact that ACCA’s exams are not easy, and are challenging is what gives the qualification its prestige. Employers recognise the level of commitment and seriousness students have to exert to complete the qualification – which in my opinion shows just how serious you are about your career.

ACCA provides 4 Exams Session a year which also helped with my decision making. It means you can go at your own pace, so if you’re working you can fit the exams around your other commitments, but for me as a full time student it meant I could potentially complete the qualification faster.

Enrolling for ACCA was straightforward. There are a vast amount of approved learning providers around the world which provide high-quality tuition but ACCA’s continuous support throughout the study makes me confident that I made the right choice.

Also, I know that I will be able to complete my studies anywhere around the world. And because most of  the exams are computer-based – I’ll also gain the practical IT skills needed in the workplace.

How did you stay motivated?

To stay motivated it’s important to have a detailed and clear set of goals. It helps give focus, and it helped me plan what time I needed to set aside to achieve what I had set as my target.

Keeping this kind of consistency is very challenging as the environment around us keeps on changing. But, keeping good track of my progress made me realise what I had achieved, which then bolstered my motivation and gave me the confidence and willingness to achieve even more.

What words of encouragement do you have for other students?

Students who have started the ACCA journey have nothing to be scared of – and they definitely won’t regret the choice they made.

The ACCA Qualification provides students with the foundations to get the job they always dreamed of and to grow both individually and professionally.

I’d tell other students to keep striving and stay determined to pass every paper at first attempt which will then heighten their confidence and drive them to gradually achieve their goals.

To pass exams at first attempt is not tough. My tip for success is to have a flexible and realistic revision plan.  I usually build up my revision plan on a spreadsheet with every question to practice. Practising exam type questions under exam conditions is absolutely vital for all the ACCA exams. And having a revision plan like this also helped me identify areas of weakness to focus on.

I am a firm believer of consistency. Consistency is key to passing every exam. Students should allocate at least 3 hours of study time daily from the beginning of the course until the exam date. Each paper must be approached with seriousness and a hardworking mindset.

And finally, just keep in mind that seeing the fruit of all this hard work on exam results day will make all the effort you’ve invested worth it.