Studying to become an ACCA member is flexible, you can do it whichever way suits you - whether it’s distance learning, taught learning within a classroom, or as part of a university degree.
Many of ACCA's 500,000+ students choose to study through an ACCA Approved Learning Partner. We strongly recommend this route for many reasons, such as benefitting from innovations in educational technology, life-like exam preparation and blended learning modes, as these students of Zimbabwe-based Premier Business School (PBS) can testify.
Real-life exam preparation
Thulani Moyo, whose sister is already an accountant, inspired him to choose ACCA. He passed the Foundations level in just five months of enrolling at PBS through studying on a face-to-face basis as well as using its e-campus online learning platform .Thulani is now trying to decide on the next steps of his career.
‘If I were to give a rating on the PBS e-campus platform, I would give it a straight 10/10 because it’s very user friendly,’ said Thulani. ‘The platform is also unique in that the questions one finds on the practice platform are typical exam-style format. The timing of the mock exams too is quite similar to the actual ACCA exams. The word processor in the application is similar to the one used by ACCA, hence the platform helps one to familiarise themselves with the computer-based exam format.’
For Farai Maringa, who is studying through blending face-to-face and online learning with PBS, the e-campus is also a major bonus in helping to prepare for exams. ‘It really helps because the platform is similar to the one I met in my final exam. I had no surprises in the exam as a result of using the platform. I could also view my score on the multiple choice questions after finishing the mock exams. This showed me my performance and areas that I needed to practice more in to ensure I would be ready for the final exam. The platform gives you an opportunity to attempt questions more than once, in case you want to come back to a challenging question at a later point. For all the questions, I could also view the solutions afterwards, thereby preparing me well for the challenges in the final exam.’
Blended learning
‘My experience with the PBS e-campus has been phenomenal’, said Lynne Makwara, who is also studying through blending online learning with face-to-face. ‘I came from not being confident in using Microsoft Word and Excel to assisting other students with these. It has equipped me with a skillset that no one can take away from me. By the time I wrote my Audit and Assurance exam, I was able to tackle the questions confidently.’
During exam preparation, Lynne also familiarised herself with e-campus’s additional features, such as highlighting, scratch pad, and the calculator, which made life easier as the same features appeared in the exam. ‘I would encourage other students to practice more on the e-campus platform as it increases your confidence and polishes you up in areas that will not only make the exam easier but differentiate you in the work place.'
Maringa also found that e-campus helped her to improve peripheral skills. ‘It helped me to improve my typing speed as well as experience with spreadsheets. I managed to finish both of my exams, and for Audit and Assurance in particular, I was left with some minutes to review my work. I credit this all to the experience I got from the PBS e-campus.’
Confidence boost
Ellah Basket was at first unsure about how well she’d perform in computer-based exams. However, after sharing her concerns with her tutors, they reassured her that she’d be fine if she prepared adequately using e-campus. ‘I was initially sceptical as I tried to navigate my way through the online practice material, but through guidance from the tutors, I discovered that it was quite user friendly.’
Ella also said that she was relieved in her Audit and Assurance final examination when she realised that the online practice platform was almost identical to the actual exam experience. ‘My familiarisation with the online platform had sufficiently prepared me for my exam, which I managed to finish with enough time to review. As a result, I will most definitely be practicing more and more for my other modules using this platform and would encourage every ACCA student to make it part and parcel of their study routine and exam preparations.’
Decide the route that’s best for you
If you do choose to study with a tuition provider, we strongly recommend that you choose one of our Approved Learning Partners. They have all been assessed by ACCA for quality tuition – so when you choose an Approved Learning Partner you can be confident they have ACCA’s seal of approval.