A Positive Attitude Is The Key To Success In Exams

When you begin to study for the ACCA Qualification, the exams can seem a long way off – but remember, the way you behave today will influence your chances of success tomorrow. Do not get so involved in the journey that you forget where you are going.’ These two sentences are from ‘Learning Curve’, an article written by Lesley Meall in the October 2007 issue of student accountant. It made me think a lot and I finally realised that a positive attitude is the key to success in the ACCA exams, which means that you will be able to pass exam papers much more easily if you are proactive rather than reactive in your approach to your studies.
Your tutors can do a lot to help you, but you can also do a lot to help yourself. Turning up to all your classes on time is important, but if you simply arrive with no idea of what you will be covering, you will immediately put yourself at a disadvantage. In order to find out about the course you are studying, you need to know how long it is, how many classes there are, and get yourself a copy of the study schedule. ‘If you know what is coming up, you can anticipate what you are going to be learning,’ says Andy Wright FCCA, a tutor and the ACCA course director with the London School of Business and Finance in the article, and as such you can do some invaluable preparation before class.

For example, any assigned reading can be completed in advance, and if you do not have time to read everything in detail, at least skim over it. This will help you to understand more of what the tutor covers in class, and will improve your retention when you later re-read the material. Think about the subject matter immediately before class – your journey there may be the perfect time for this. It will be even better if you can arrive five or ten minutes earlier and read any relevant notes to get yourself into the appropriate frame of mind.
If you want to do well, you have to take personal responsibility for your future, and being proactive rather than reactive in your approach to your studies is very important to your success. ‘Students who are well organised have an advantage over those who are not,’ continues Wright in the article. So, any time you spend preparing for classes, arranging your work, and structuring your time, will pay dividends in the future.
Good Luck