hello all.. i received an FA in CA1.. so disappointing.. now i have to go through that whole course once again.. i really thought i should have made it.. i only used the CMP that time (no tutorials.. i m overseas) and i was now considering webinars, aset, bitesize, smart revise, sound revision, mock marking.. i couldnt obviously order all of these (certainly!) and havent used anything really in the past except CMPs so i have no idea how good these things are.. i am sure there will be "overlap" amongst these materials, so ordering many might not make sense.. i need ur suggestions what to purchase amongst "webinars, aset, bitesize, smart revise, sound revision, mock marking". what r the must-have's?? i really appreciate ur help.. this forum is really a great service to each other..
An FA is so annoying! It means you have a good grasp of the subject but just failed to get some of the smaller points that make you stand out from the crowd. I think you are very wise looking for something fresh. I'd recommend marking. Probably the Y series which covers more material in each test. Do them under full exam conditions and hopefully that will show up any lapses in technique. Then follow it up with a mock. Active studying is always best so I'm not personally convinced by Sound Revise. Would you perhaps consider exam counselling? Given you are not in the UK this may not be such good value as you aren't actually faced with your script and will just get a report. If you want support of other students then yes webinars may be good for you. Whatever you plump for hope it yields a PASS.
I am as annoyed as phantom I got an FA...I really thought I had aced it but was so disappointed by an FA. Wish they had an intermediate exam in say August for re-sits!! N'way Phantom, going through the course may not be as onerous as last time. Just quickly brush up on the core reading, and immediately hit exam papers. Bystander is correct...I have looked at the April paper and discovered where I failed to pick up those 5 crucial marks. So first look at the April Examiners Report to discover where you may have lost crucial marks...it will certainly help. Also focus on current issues by reading good financial press!! I wish I could get Exam counseling but unfortunately I am not in UK. U need to strike it while its hot...postponing to another sitting e.g. April 2010 will require much more work on it!! Let's hope next time our names will be on the pass list!
oh yes FAs are disappointing... and its not the exam that u lose but half a year to add to your miseries. why the forced wait?? and this is not the only waste of time... they publish the CA/ST/SA pass lists two weeks late then the CT pass lists.. again thats torture.. someone was telling the essay exams are harder to mark than the mathy ones.. but then if the marking process is really objective, then this doesn't make sense to me.. i hope u get my point..
thanks bystander for your reply.. i think i will go for marking or counselling.. i have one question though.. i dont think that i dont understand the material.. thats not the problem.. do webinars only help with understanding the material or will it be more useful than that?
I had a FA in CA1 in April 08 but managed to pass it this time in April 09 For the second attempt I had used the Revision Notes and the Sound Revision. The Revision Notes was useful, I went through them all once (core reading & past questions) then went through them the second time just before the exam but only on the core reading. I used the sound revision as well but to be honest I didn't find them that useful unless I was really concentrating on them (i.e. whilst walking to work). (For example I listened to them whilst I was driving long distances but the fact that I am concentrating on the roads meant that I didn't pay much attention to the sound revision.) To me the key thing is really doing the past paper questions and recognising the patterns in how the exam questions are asked and how the examiners want them to be answered. I did all the CA1 papers available plus some of the older 300 series questions from the revision guides. I even did all the CA1 past papers multiple times under exam condition (well I would answer a question under exam condition, then look at the answer, then move on to the next question.) For me the amount of hours I put in studying the past papers made the difference between FA and pass!
and Genesiss here is a lil joke to cheer u (us) up.. u need to dig for 5 more marks.. there are two papers, remember? lets really hope we are both on the pass lists next time..
thanks phantom...infact it is 5 marks for each paper. rl300 has given some very good advice on re-sitting for CA1 BUT I was just wondering....how would this play out if I combined CA1 with ST5 for this September's sitting? I am really at cross -roads having sat CA1 for the 2nd time and gotten an FA, I feel I should not waste that advantage by postponing to April next year, yet I am already deep into ST5 which guys say is not too bad but from what i have seen also needs good time. I need to make up my mind pronto and concentrate. Bystander, Phantom, rl300 any advice you can give me???
Genesiss: I don't think I have a simple answer for you. For me I would look at maximising the chance of passing a subject for this September. So if I was in your position I would ask myself: • Will I pass ST5 in September if I only take ST5? • Will I pass CA1 in September if I only take CA1? (bear in mind you only have ~2 months of study time before exam) • Will I pass CA1 and ST5 if I take them both? Choose the option which gives you the highest chance of passing a subject in September. So it depends how confident you are with ST5 and CA1, whether 2 more months of studies in either subject will get you the pass. Hope this helps..
All you need are flashcards and revision books. I passed pretty much solely with cramming on flash cards.
thanks.. but that makes me worry.. u mean ca1 is all about vomitting back the flashcards and little application?
It is, unfortunately, about applying the information you have learned/memorised.... You can not pass without both knowing most of the lists and information; and secondly knowing how to apply it. Luckily the flashcards contain most of the key core reading. I don't expect many people will know everything on the flashcards and more. So if you know everything on the flashcards you will be in a good position. Then if you have done enough questions, via the revision books - I like the structure of them, you should get the application stage down. I hope this helps.
