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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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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“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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Winning = Failing forwards The higher the level you study at, the harder the work, the more likely you may fail something. Learning how to deal with that failure is not easy. For those who are doing, or may do CTA… watch this video about how I felt as a student about failing, and how…
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Why should you care about MY thoughts? A lot of Accounting students I’ve dealt with over the years have voiced similar thoughts and feelings to those I’ve had (I’ve spent a LOT of time with UNISA BCompt and UNISA CTA students!). I want people to think about the pressure they put themselves under, and the…
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I’ve lectured accounting students for years, and I feel that students don’t REALLY understand their basic Accounting knowledge. Do accounting students know their ‘basics’? EVERY SINGLE Accounting lecturer I’ve ever spoken to (from first year to CTA) says that students generally fail because their basic knowledge isn’t great. I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard…
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For those of you studying Accounting at UNISA, and who’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I try to give you information, motivation and guidance that’s relevant to you. I’ve got loads of experience, great lecturers on our team, thousands of students I’ve taught and talked to over the years… but more…
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So many students struggle with answering discussion questions in exams. Let’s see if I can help a little. Whether you’re in undergrad, or CTA… this will help. Why are these questions so important? Forget your studies for a moment… You’re qualified, and you charge your clients R1 000 an hour for your time. They’ve asked…
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It’s easy to accept that someone is proud of you when you’re successful. When you pass, reach your goal… of course people will be proud of you. But what about your failures? What about the times you didn’t reach those goals? I want to tell you this… “I’m so proud of you” Read that again.…
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In Part 1 of this series, I summarised the CA(SA) qualification journey, you can read that here. Here, I’ll discuss some reasons why students struggle so much, and why the pass rates I mentioned in Part 1 are so low. This can help others understand some of the challenges students face and may also help students…
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“What do I need to do to qualify as a Chartered Accountant?” I get this question ALL the time! Along with “How do I pass CTA?” I can help with both, but let’s focus on how to become a Chartered Accountant here. Here’s the basics: SAICA-accredited degree in Accounting SAICA-accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (CTA…
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I knew my qualification journey was going to be tough, but until I was actually ‘in’ it, I had no idea what it would take from me. I think it’s similar to having children, (so I’m told!). You think you know what you’re in for, and then they arrive… and rip your life and sanity…
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That’s a joke, right? I’m willing to bet most of you giggle a little nervously at the picture at the top of this blog… it’s funny… because it’s true! I get a LOT of UNISA CTA students asking me for advice on their studies. I can’t always help massively… obviously I have paying students I…
DetailsEvery semester, every year, I counsel students on how they should study. They always want the ‘secret to success’ for their studies… well… here it is… Work through the picture slowly… think about each step… follow the numbering (it is a little chaotic!)
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What’s in this article? Please ask me questions! As a lecturer, I can SEE the confusion and the stress on students’ faces, so I’ll ask “Are you all comfortable with that?” and you get uncertain nods from everyone, while they quietly look around at everyone else. They’re hoping SOMEONE will ask the question they’re too…
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Related Online Course Online Course: Mental Prep for Accounting Students Does your studying never match your study plan? Do you struggle with time management? Do you find yourself avoiding certain topics and questions, and make excuses about it? Do you find yourself working harder and harder as you study higher levels, but seem to get…
DetailsI’ve been lecturing Auditing for nine years now! I’ve always loved it…. and I’ve always been a little sad that most students don’t love it. I lecture it online now, and I always battle to explain to students who I am, and why I think it’s so great for them, and actually, better than my…
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Financial Management is probably the subject that most accounting students struggle with. Understanding why this is, can be the first step in figuring out how to approach it and get through it successfully. For those of you who know me, you know that Financial Management wasn’t my strong point in my post-grad year. I sympathise…
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we measure ourselves against everyone How often do we compare ourselves to others? In life, studies, career, earning potential, beauty, (yes ladies, this means clothing sizes too!), relationships… we have a tendency to compare our space in life with those around us as an evaluation of how ‘far’ we are in the ‘game of life’.…
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Background & Why this article is important I first wrote this article in mid-2014. It was going to be the first year that SAICA’s second Board Exam candidates would write the new APC exam instead of the old PPE exam. in 2013, I worked for a training company that wanted to develop an official APC…
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It’s nearly here. As much as you want it to be over, you have to go THROUGH it first! Auditing has never been a popular subject with students. To my eternal sadness, students don’t see the value of the skills and knowledge the way I do. I have to work so much harder when I…
DetailsIn my experience, Management Accounting is responsible for more nightmares and tears than any other part of a student’s qualification journey! For a lot of students, this is the killer. This is the hateful, painful, awful subject that threatens to be the monster that prevents them from qualifying. I imagine that there’s a lot of…
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Every semester, students face the dilemma of how to prepare for their exams in the limited time that they have available to them. The balance between theory and questions is a tough one, and is debated every semester! [expand title=”Why are exam courses so popular?”] One of the most popular solutions to the exam-preparation challenge…
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A quick visual look at ISA 240 – The auditor’s responsibility for Fraud in an audit of Financial Statements
These two modules seem to cause endless grief for a lot of students who need them to finish their degree; those who haven’t studied Accounting in High School or for a while since then and even those who are planning on taking Accounting as a major for their degree. Why should I make an effort?…
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I’ve lectured for over eight years, most of that being in the face-to-face environment. Shifting from that to our online learning platform has been fascinating and challenging for me, and I’m loving it! I often get queries from people about the pro’s and con’s of this form of learning, so I thought it was time…
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Regardless of how last semester went, take a deep breath and appreciate that it’s over, even just for a little while. The second semester is coming… but for now, enjoy the respite! For most students, no semester goes as planned. The great study plans become “How am I going to get through all this?”; the…
DetailsA lot of students study procedures off-by-heart so they can remember all the tests they should perform for Machinery or other items. I’d prefer students to visualise what they’re auditing, so that they can generate and apply relevant procedures in exams without having to memorise them Below, I’ve added a link to a tool that…
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