Time needed for CA1

Important question before studying:
How much time needed for studying CA1??????????

 

Loads.

 

I think spreading over 2 semesters is comfortable and possible to get 1st time pass. 1 semester and 1st time pass - either you are very intelligent or very hardworking (=study every day after work + still study on weekends) cos there are 40 over chapters (it was 50+ during my time).

 

Work out how much you think you need. Then double it.
Finishing the course notes is a marathon (2 folders full), but after that you are only halfway because of past paper practice, assignments, revision books & whatever else you find useful.

Bear in mind that you might aim to do a whole past paper in one day, but you rarely will because 6 hours is just too long to do regularly. So effectively the 6years of past papers in ASET is 12 papers and takes 12 days of study to do properly.

 

I don't think you need as much time to do CA1 as you might imagine. I think it's perfectly feasible to do it in a single semester.

For one thing, although there are a lot of words in the course, there is comparatively little actual content.

For another, a lot of what's examined is not in the course notes anyway - rather, it's stuff that you'll have picked up from work, or just from general knowledge - which is not to say that you don't need to know the course material!

That said, you do have to use your time efficiently. Focus on things that will help you to pass the exam, and avoid anything that won't. I'd recommend concentrating on past papers (using both ASET and the examiners' reports), rather than assignments or the Q&A bank. [To be honest, I didn't look at a single assignment or Q&A question.] I also found that time spent memorising the acronyms was well spent, but different things will work for different people.

I'd also strongly recommend the tutorials - I don't think I'd have passed without doing these. Five days is a big chunk out of your study time, but it's well worth it.

 

Thank u Blitmund for this advice but i got worried because i work for only one year? by the way, did u pass it from the first time????????

 

Yes I was lucky enough to pass first time (and I'm not particularly clever or hard-working!).

I guess it's not so much how long you've been working, more a question of how much interest you've been taking in issues at work and in the general environment, e.g. keeping up to date with financial and business news on the internet.

 

If you are thinking of doing it over 2, better start with this one. That's to avoid syllabus changes as they last two sittings covering the April & sep exams in the same calendar year.

Also think what support you want. Unless you have marking vouchers you can't split marking across the sittings.

Why not start with the intention of doing it in 1 and then move to 2 if you're struggling? That way you avoid the trap of 'well I don't need to put much effort in at the mo... my exam is a year away'.

Also, if you are sponsored by the employer, what view do they take on this?

Whatever decision you make, plan your time well and stay focussed on what is the biggest course of the lot in terms of quantity.

 

I have just put my CA1 notes in files and have put together a revision plan for April 2010. I am now thinking that this is too ambitious as I don't get study days from my employer (not even for the exam) and the volume to get through will fill up almost every evening and weekend.

Any advice? Should I just go for it and then see if I am still on track just before the April exam ... or create a more realistic study plan spanning from now until Sep 2010?

(I am also studying from abroad which reduces my ability to do tutorials etc.)

 

I cannot help but wonder about causality.

• Is people who do the assignments more likely to pass; or
• Is people who will pass more likely to do the assignments?

 

I am with you in the same boat.

I get 1 study day (ok so my boat is slightly bigger) and a bit scared about the workload. I am also abroad - so now tuts.

I am planning for Sep 2010, with a fair bit of annual leave taken in Sep 2010. Do not know if this is the best approach, would love to hear from someone who has been in a similar situation.

 

CA1 time

I agree with CapitalH on the causality point, but I think there is a bit more to it.

It must be true that the people who prepare thoroughly are most likely to pass, and are also most likely to send off assignments and mock papers, but with CA1, but can you prepare thoroughly without sending them off?

I think CA1 may be different from the CTs in that the feedback you'd get from markers may be quite useful. For the CT papers I preferred to just go through the answers myself, but with CA1 it seems to be quite important how you structure your answers etc, so my guess is that markers feedback could be quite valuable.

You can get fit without joining a gym, but the people in the gym are probably fitter than those in the pub.

 

This seems to make so sense to me. In any case CA1 is such a huge investment in terms of time, paying the bit extra for assignments are probably worth it, even if it did only marginally increase your chance of passing (and it appears to substantially increase your chance of passing!).

 

CA1 tutorials

So what about the tutorials - are they really going to make a big difference?

I'm a bit put off attending CA1 tutorials becuase you have to commit to dates months ahead, and I don't even know if i'm going to take the paper in April anyway. And the dates of the first tutorials are only a few weeks away!
Any thoughts on this dilemma?

It would be useful to know what sort of thing they focus on - is it more about understnading the material, or practicing exam questions, or what?

if I sign up to the tutorials, then decide in January that I'm not going to sit CA1 until Sept, are the last two or three tutorials going to be a waste of time for me, if I haven't read all the material?

 

1000 quality hours should about guarantee a pass.

 

I would say if you are paying for tutorials you have to be fully committed to get the most out of them. That means have at least read the relevant sections thoroughly before attending. They are not there to teach, but help with the harder bits and you will get most out if you know what you find hard.

If you commit and meet these deadlines you WILL be able to sit at the session you intend.

The alternative is do the studying bit yourself then opt for the block revision tutorial but there again ideally book in advance to get your [place and look at clauses for refunds if you decide not to go.