OVERVIEW:

When choosing a study plan for ACCA examinations, it is preferred that the students choose the right ACCA exams combination to maximize their chances of success. The right combination of courses allows the students to study efficiently. The main consideration while pairing an ACCA course is to make sure that neither the level of difficulty of the course is too high nor are they overlapping in the syllabus content of the ACCA. Other than that, the ultimate choice of courses paired together should be influenced by the amount of preparation time, complexity of the courses selected, personal strengths, and affirming a balanced workload. To have a detailed insight into the best pairs or combinations of ACCA exams at each level, read the blog till the end.

PREFERRED ACCA EXAMS COMBINATION:

Applied Knowledge level: 

At this level, the courses are scheduled which means the students don’t have much of a choice to pair or combine ACCA exams at this level. However, the order in which the exams are taken at this level can be tailored. In the Applied knowledge level, there are three exams namely; Business Technology (BT), Management Accounting (MA), and Financial Accounting (FA). These courses are foundational level courses of accounting that lead to more advanced levels, it is required for students to take these courses before diving into more strategic papers of Applied skills level courses. Hence, there is no flexibility for any combination of exams at this level. 

Applied Skills level:

The courses included in the Applied Skills level are Corporate and Business Law (LW), Performance Management (PM), Taxation (TX), Financial Reporting (FR), Audit and Assurance (AA), and Financial Management (FM). The best combinations for this level are as follows:

  • Pairing exams of Financial Management (FM) and Corporate and Business Law (LW) shall be fruitful for the students as these courses complement one another in terms of their practical applications and implementations in business.
  • Another pair that works well together is Audit and Assurance (AA) with Financial Reporting (FR) as both of these courses have many conceptual and technical similarities, making the preparation of the exam smoother. The primary focus of FR is on preparing financial statements in line with the accounting standards whereas AA aims at the techniques and principles involved in auditing those statements. 
  • Performance Management (PM) and Taxation (TX) can be taken together. However, these courses are not closely linked but both courses focus on business strategy. Taxation focuses on taxation principles that influence business decisions while performance management focuses on management accounting and performance evaluation, both together can be a good pair, especially for students who are in managerial and advisory roles.

Strategic Professional level:

Strategic Business Leadership (SBL), Strategic Business Reporting (SBR), Advanced Financial Management (AFM), Advanced Performance Management (APM), Advanced Taxation (ATX), and Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) are the courses included in the Strategic Professional level. The best combinations for this level are as follows:

  • Advanced Financial Management (AFM) with Advanced Performance Management (APM) could be a favorable combination for aspirants as these courses focus on financial strategies and performance analysis. The abilities acquired in one course usually enhance and support the ideas and strategies in another, facilitating students’ blending of their understanding.
  • Another combination that goes well together is Strategic Business Leadership (SBL) with Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) as both exams prepare students for senior management roles. The content included in both courses complement one another as SBR focuses on advanced financial reporting whereas SBL focuses on management decisions and strategic leadership. 
  • One more combination that goes well together is Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) and Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA). These courses go hand-in-hand as SBR concentrates on the analysis of complex financial statements. On the other hand, AAA deals with auditing these complex financial statements. 

KEY BENEFITS OF COMBINATIONS OF ACCA EXAMS:

  • Streamlined study process enables students to have a focused study schedule and integrated learning. 
  • Unified Revision helps the students to prepare for multiple exams together, this strategy covers more subjects and topics in one go more efficiently.
  • Improved Exam strategy; students can use the Synergistic Approach while preparing for exams, this consumes less time and effort.
  • Combination of ACCA exams offers flexibility and personalization, making it easier for the students to choose what suits their preferences better.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMBINING ACCA EXAMS:

  • Increased study load and time commitment
  • Familiarity with the subjects
  • The combination you are choosing is complimenting one another
  • Complexity of the selected combination; not too difficult 
  • Set an exam and revision strategy 

CONCLUSION: 

The best combination of ACCA exams helps the students to complete the ACCA qualification more effectively and efficiently. However, in order to benefit from the pairing of exams ACCA the students should be very careful and considerate about certain factors such as combining courses that are interlinked and complement one another, neither very complex nor overlapping courses. The students can avail of benefits such as integrated learning, improved exam strategy, and focused study plans from combined exams of ACCA. Hence, selecting pairs or combinations of courses for exams can be fruitful for the aspirants if done the right way.