Getting ready for revision!

Getting ready for revision!
•
•
•
•
•
Setting & managing goals
Preparing timetables
Structuring revision
Maximising mark scoring
Building confidence
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Success in your final revision…
The 3 components of success:
Dream or goal
X
Work Ethic
X
Strategy
Prepared by NSOA Learning
What are your dreams / goals?
• What are you aiming for / wanting to
achieve?
• Exam result?
– Need to be aiming for
at least 60%!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Do you have the work ethic?
• Remember why you want to pass your
exams!
• Think about what you will be able to do
once you have passed!
• Identify with what it means to you to
pass!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Do you have a strategy to help you meet your
goals?
• Assuming you have the work ethic to
commit yourself to meeting your revision
goals, what is your strategy going to be to
reach those goals?
• This strategy becomes your revision plan /
timetable…
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Preparing a revision timetable
• Determining your time requirements and
availability
– Prioritizing topics
– Determining time required
– Determining time available
• Structuring your time
- setting up your timetable
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Guidelines on Prioritising
• What has been emphasized in the practice tests / mock
exams?
• What has been emphasized in any notes you have received /
questions you have been set?
• Where have your lecturers been placing their emphasis?
• What have the trends been over the
past few years in this exam?
• What has been topical recently?
–
–
–
–
The global credit crunch & debt crisis…
Rugby World Cup…
New Companies Act…
???
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Prioritisation of exam topics
• Run through the syllabus and allocate
priorities:
• A
70% Very likely to come up.
• B
60% Everything not in A or C!
• C
50% Unlikely to come up.
Prepared by NSOA Learning
DETERMINE YOUR TIME REQUIREMENTS?
For each subject:
– Topic? (As per syllabus)
– Priority rating? (A, B or C)
– Which questions are you going to do?
(Identify specific Q’s – go back to
action plans AND select from Revision Modules )
– Time expected to complete?
(Including Q’s & theory) – Will depend on how
well you have covered it in the time leading up to
now?
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Example of time needed?
Topic
Priority
Pre-eng.
B
Audit Risk
A
Open. Bal’s
C
Etc…
Q’s
5.5
5.15, 5.16
None
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Time?
1 hr
3 hrs
½ hr
Available time?
• You now need to know how many hours you
have available to you:
– Time available while still at work?
– Time available while on study leave?
– Any unavoidable commitments?
– Scheduling breaks?
– Number of productive hours that can be spent
each day?
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Time needed vs Time available?
• Before you start preparing a plan, you need to be sure that the
time you need fits into the time you have!
• What if you need more time than you have?
• Can you find more time?
–
–
–
–
Extra leave?
Less breaks?
Longer hours?
Cancel other commitments?
• Otherwise, you have to reduce the
time you need?
– Re-prioritise?
– Do less questions?
– Change basis of questions from FBA to HLS
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Your timetable…
• You can only prepare a timetable once the time
you need will fit into the time you have
available!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Structuring your Revision
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Study in 2 hour stretches
Take ½ hour breaks
Incorporate daily exercise
Build in rewards
Don’t study too late in the evening?
“Boring” (theory?) in morning, “Interesting” (questions?) later
Brainstorms first thing in the morning
Consider 3 hour afternoon “simulated exam” on theory
covered in the morning (comprising the questions you have
selected for revision)? – good for that afternoon exam
fitness!!!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Effective revision
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drink lots of water!
Eat fresh foods (Fish, fruit & vegetables)
And / or consider taking supplements
Study in cold temperatures (16 – 18°c)
Play music – Baroque classical (soft, in background)
Burn scent
– - lavender (30% increase in concentration)
– - peppermint (40% increase)
– - lemon (50% increase!)
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Timetables
• Slotting time needed into time available!
• Need to know what you’re going to be
doing each day, in advance!
• If u stick to it, u know you’ll finish what u
planned to do…
• Needs to be flexible – must be able to reallocate if necessary (Excel?)
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Structuring a typical revision day
07h45 Brainstorm – topics for the day…
08h15
08h30 Planning – pre-eng / audit approach / strategy
10h30
- (Specify Qs to revise – RWS/HLS)
11h00 Planning – risk / fraud / RI’s
13h00
- (Specify Qs to revise – RWS/HLS)
LUNCH BREAK
14h00 Questions attempted in 3 hour
17h30 format (including 30 minutes for review)
EXERCISE BREAK
& SUPPER
19h00 Finac – 2 IAS’s to work through
21h00
- (Specify Qs to attempt as RWS / HLS)
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Last minute lists
• Record all the “little” things that you commonly
forget or get wrong.
• Identify these during your revision process…
• Revise this list the day/ afternoon / evening
before the exam.
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Response to the format?
• Understand the objective of the reading time – summarise /
understand what info is there.
• Do not try and second-guess the required!
• Reading time does not count as planning time!
• You still need to analyse the required and plan your answers before
you start writing! This happens in the 2½ hour session and NOT in
the 30 minute reading time!
• The afternoon session is going to be tough (practice for this during
revision!)
• What are you going to do in the 2 hours in-between exams?
– Do not leave venue
– Bring lunch (and stimulants for the afternoon!!!)
– Last minute lists?
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Key Mark Scoring Issues
•
Understand the required
– What do they want?
– Which aspects of the scenario are
being examined?
•
Plan your answers before you start
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Determine your targeted no. of marks.
Determine the format of your answer
Consider where the marks are likely to lie
Generate the basic ideas to include in your answer
Identify the easy marks first!
Stick to the time allocation!
Focus on your presentation
– Professional layout
– Neat, easy to read
– Use of headings, space, columns, etc
•
Remember that fundamental concept (on next slide)…
Prepared by NSOA Learning
A fundamental concept:
Focus on your target %
• You don’t have to get 100% to pass!
• You don’t have to finish everything to pass!
• You don’t even have to understand everything
to pass!
• To pass, you need to know enough to be able
to score your target mark in the time that is
available to you!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Keeping TRACK of your progress
•T
You must do questions, questions and more questions!
est yourself frequently
• R eview your “tests” (against solution!)
• A nalyse results (mark attempts)
• C ompare to goals (your target!)
• K nock off problems (understand what went
wrong and how to get to your target – not to 100%!)
Prepared by NSOA Learning
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
• Keep focused on the rewards
• Remember your track record
– The work you’ve done
– The techniques you’ve learnt
– The exams you’ve written & passed
• Get angry & resolve obstacles
• Stay positive
• Remember the goals you’ve set & stick to your strategy
• This is the year – go out there and prove it!!
Prepared by NSOA Learning
“You can’t build a reputation on what
you are going to do” - Henry Ford
“Obstacles are those frightful things you
see when you take your eyes off your
goal” - Henry Ford
“He who would have the fruit must climb
the tree” - Thomas Fuller
Prepared by NSOA Learning
Remember:“Whether you think you CAN
or whether you think you CAN’T,
You’re RIGHT!”
(Henry Ford)
Prepared by NSOA Learning
The final contact session
• JVBC Mock Exam
• Bring in a copy of your
revision timetable
• Feedback on the test from
this morning
• Final send off
Prepared by NSOA Learning