i chatted to tim about his book We don’t always realise that our actions and what we do are governed by our beliefs about ourselves and how we feel about ourselves. When I coach students and younger professionals, they often identify their challenges as “I’m not DOING something”. (Studying, working etc). They want me to…
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“make enough mistakes…” Most of my students are not ok with failure and making mistakes. I get that. I’m there too! Trying to really comprehend and value the benefits of the mistakes we make, is tough. But I really want you to think about why someone like this advises you to make LOTS of mistakes!…
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Study Coaching assessment I use the questions in this quiz to help assess my Study Coaching students and their study habits. The answers help me understand where they need to focus, and the types of things they’re struggling with. Each of these questions have an impact on your exam performance, directly or indirectly. what do…
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Do you need motivation to study? I get messages from students every single day, saying that they’re not motivated, or they’ve lost motivation. They’re worried because without motivation, they’re not studying. What they’re hoping I can do is ‘motivate’ them so that they feel like studying again. This is a bit of an oversimplification, but…
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books for your career and personal growth Your successful career is going to involve way more skills and knowledge than your exam syllabii. Thankfully, not all of this knowledge requires exams. That’s good news, right? There’s SO much information out there, so I’ll start you off with a few topics and fields of interest that…
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Get marks for format questions One of the topics I spend time on with my study coaching students, is how to get marks in exams, with limited knowledge. In this case, I’m referring to your ability to get marks in format questions. Format questions are popular. Financial Statements; Notes to the AFS; Deferred Tax tables;…
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Does highlighting information in your exams help you get marks? Students LOVE highlighters! (I do too, I love stationery!) We have developed the habit of highlighting (or underlining) information thinking that it’s going to help us learn and get more marks. We feel that it’s ‘active reading’. Take a look at this video and think…
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We all need a little light-hearted moment, so take a breather from your studies, and do this personality quiz. Forget your career choices, let’s see what your persona will be around the office! [interact id=”5d8b6084504e4c0014e5da12″ type=”quiz”] Surprised? Share it with your friends and family. Make sure they know who they’re dealing with!
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“How should I study accounting to make sure I pass?” I’ve lectured thousands of accounting students at various levels over the last 15 years, and I get asked this all the time. There’s a LOT of advice, tips, study hacks and info out there. My advice takes a different approach designed to help you with…
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Over 70% of students I survey say procrastination is a big issue for them I respect you for the sacrifices you make for your studies. There are a lot of them, and they’re not easy to keep making, day after day, year after year. No matter how many lectures / tutorials / online courses you’ve…
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Perfectionism: use it? or lose it? A lot of people believe that perfectionists make the best students. They have drive, ambition and a desire to achieve. surely this would make them excellent students? Take a look at this video from my Study Coaching Programme, in which I explain why perfectionism can make studying tougher: Did…
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More than the theory of our subjects, and the technical details, ineffective study habits can keep students from succeeding. A lot of students need to change their study habits. I wrote an article recently on how studying is like going to gym. SO many students sent me messages saying how much they relate to it.…
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expectation We sign up for studies for very similar reasons as the gym contract. We want to improve ourselves and our lives. We FULLY intend to stick to our commitment. THIS will be the year that we get ourselves healthy, and pass those exams. THIS is it. Everything will change and we’ll be better than…
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“I’m not Ready” “I’m not ready to do questions” “I’m not ready to write the exam” I hear this ALL the time from my study coaching students. Let’s talk about it Think on these things As you listen to the video and read this. I want you to CONSCIOUSLY note the thoughts that run through…
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TIps for you to get mentor-help, without a mentor Sheryl Sandberg – ‘Lean In’ “I realized that searching for a mentor has become the professional equivalent of waiting for Prince Charming. We all grew up on the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” which instructs young women that if they just wait for their prince to arrive,…
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Maggie Perotin “Throughout the years, I have learned, and proven, that with a great skilled leader, a team can be happy at work, successfully go through change, and love what they do while delivering incredible results.” Director – Service Excellence. BGIS Solutions Canada; Who is Maggie? “I have a Master’s Degree in International Relations from…
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What’s “Right Now” studying? What are you able to do RIGHT NOW? What knowledge are you comfortable with RIGHT NOW!? Before any revision. Before any notes, material. What can you do RIGHT NOW? If you’re able to get marks for topics, and you’re comfortable with the knowledge now, why are you going to re-learn it?…
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Who is James Perry? James Perry, is a Chartered Accountant, and one of Northern Ireland’s Top 40 Under 40. He’s the owner of AccountingExamCoach.com, a unique business coaching Accounting Students on mindset, motivation, study & exam techniques. He has successfully coached over 80 people globally including Jamaica, India, Zimbabwe & New Zealand. Holding a First Class…
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Why is it important to build a network? People are increasingly relying on their networks and connections to find work roles, opportunities, projects, funding and information. As someone who’s employed people, I can absolutely relate to this. Hiring someone who needs to fill an important function and play a part of your team, just from…
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“What do I need to do to pass?” I get asked this ALL THE TIME. Here’s my answer. It’s your ‘mindset’. Yes, you know this. But do you know what ‘mindset’ actually is?! Hint: It’s not a few motivational posters and lots of ‘determination’. So, I created a course for you to go through BEFORE you…
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If UNISA won’t allow you to repeat CTA, what are your choices? I have a number of students asking me what their options are if UNISA won’t allow them to register for CTA again (Or even if they’re looking for an alternative to UNISA). Just because UNISA doesn’t accept you, doesn’t mean you’re out of…
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If you’re going to do an accounting training contract in the future Online Course Course duration: 3 hours Cost: R450 (Launch price until November 2018) You can see the course outline, details, preview videos, on the course site. (Please note: If you’re paying via EFT, or want to register for more than one candidate, please…
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Connecting students to SAICA training contracts I get hundreds of queries from accounting students looking for a SAICA training contract (SAICA Articles), trying to get information about requirements, the firms, opportunities etc… so I ‘interviewed’ an audit firm who is currently recruiting, on your behalf! I spoke to Ingrid du Preez CA(SA), the Recruitment Manager…
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I always encourage students to be honest with me about their struggles, so I thought it’s only fair for me to do the same! What am I studying and why? I need to refresh my IFRS knowledge, I haven’t gone into a lot of detail on the Standards for quite a while! I need the…
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Online Course: New Trainees “Why should I do audit articles if I don’t want to be an audit partner?” This is a question I field every year from students at various levels in their studies. It is a reasonable question. Given that your training contract should prepare you for your career ahead, why should you…
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What is exam technique? Your exam is a game, learn to play it Why do I say this? You have very limited time to write your exam You get a question you’e never seen You have to ‘gather’ as many marks as possible in a limited time You have to apply knowledge that you’re probably…
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The ‘ideal’ path to qualifying as a Chartered Accounting is to do your SAICA articles after your CTA / PGDA. This is because it makes sense to get all the ‘theoretical’ and academic knowledge in your head, and then apply it in practice. There are a lot of arguments for, and against this. Some people…
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“If I had more time…” Students often complain that the time restraint in exams and tests is their biggest challenge. I often watch students write tests in class, to assess where their challenges are, and what I find is that they’re so busy focussing on making sure they’re writing EVERYTHING they know, that they’re ignoring…
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ACCA has stated in their report “Emotional Quotient in the digital age” that a Growth Mindset is a kew component of any accountant’s skillset. I’ve discussed the reasons I focus on mindset for accounting students here. I discovered the “Fixed and Growth” mindset a few years ago. It’s been a HUGE eye-opener for me, and…
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“Adulting”… Am I right?! We all know the exhaustion we feel about EVERYTHING that’s going on in our lives… and if you’re a student… that’s just ONE more BIG thing to ‘adult’. SO SO MANY student queries I have dealt with over the years I’ve lectured (and my own issues when I studied!), somehow, in…
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