Frazer talks about his ACA journey and explains how failing one of his Certificate Level exams unexpectedly helped to build his exam confidence. He offers other ACA students some tips on approaching a retake and turning disappointment into success.
Frazer works within BDO’s Risk Advisory Services team, carrying out internal client audits. “The ACA helps to add context to what I’m doing, because it means I properly understand key terms and concepts.”
Navigating the ACA
Before starting the ACA, Frazer was slightly apprehensive. He had no experience in accountancy and, with a background in the humanities, figures were not his strongest point. “But once I began studying for the Accounting Fundamentals exam, it gave me all the basic knowledge I needed.”
“It does feel like a lot to learn at the beginning,” he acknowledges. “But with hindsight, those first exams do a good job of preparing you for the future stages of the ACA because it’s in the name: it's the fundamentals.”
Frazer has so far completed all six ACA Certificate Level exams and two Professional Level exams. “I was expecting a big step up from Certificate to Professional Level in terms of difficulty,” he notes. “But, in fact, it was a natural progression and probably more suited to me because my university assignments and exams were mostly written based.”
He’s now in a good position to take on the next stage but, like most students, he hasn’t found it all plain sailing. Early on in his Certificate Level exams, he narrowly failed his Business Insight and Performance (BIP) exam.
It does feel like a lot to learn at the beginning, but those first ACA exams do a great job of preparing you for the future stages of the ACA.
Dealing with exam disappointment
Frazer was demoralised and disappointed at first but soon realised he wasn’t alone. “What helped me most was when I went into the office and spoke to everyone else,” he says. “They knew people who had failed an exam, or they had failed exams themselves. So that helped to normalise it.”
“The advice I got from within my firm was supportive and practical,” he adds. “Within 20 minutes of the day starting, my people manager was on a call with me, saying: What can we do to help? Here are the next steps, and here’s what the firm will do.”
BDO also operates a buddy system, pairing newer members of a department with more experienced colleagues. “My buddy was really helpful as well, offering his support and advice,” says Frazer.
“So, the experience was a bit demoralising initially,” he admits. “But now I don't think about it much and I certainly don't believe it defines what I've done in the ACA so far.”
Tips for preparing for a Certificate Level retake
Frazer’s first priority was to identify why he failed, and he decided it was less about knowledge and more about approach. “This was only the third ACA exam I had sat, so I was still figuring out what worked best for me,” he explains.
“Based on what I know now, the two main pieces of advice I’d give to anyone in a similar position are to prioritise your weaker areas and hit the question bank as soon as you can,” he says.
He realised he’d spent too much time going back through the original course content and online videos while he was preparing for the initial BIP exam. “This meant I only had three days or so to hit the question bank and revise,” he says.
The question bank is the most important thing because that’s how you pass the exam. You need to really look at what sort of questions they are actually asking you and what sort of patterns and themes come up.
He also noticed he had focused too much on revising things he was already comfortable with, rather than going over more challenging content. “It’s often easier to focus on things you already know, or you're better at,” he explains. “But that can give you a false sense of confidence.
“So, I’d advise prioritising the hardest areas for you first. And if you get those out of the way and become good at them, you’ll put yourself in a position where you’re walking into the exam confident of your ability; your own skill set.”
Learning from others’ mistakes
He also recommends talking to other students and colleagues about their experiences. “What I've found before, and after, failure is how valuable it is speaking to other people who are, or have been, going through the ACA,” he notes. “It’s much easier to learn from other people's mistakes, rather than just from your own.”
“I’d also suggest accepting that failing sometimes is normal,” he adds. “Most people I've spoken to have a shared experience of exam failure at some point. Thankfully, I passed BIP on the resit and my first attempt hasn’t been brought up since!
Frazer's final advice for exam success
“You just have to put yourself into the mindset that you have the ability, knowledge and skills to pass, and then remember that when you're actually in the exam. It's about having that self-confidence.
“My approach to exams is now much more relaxed and confident. Going through a setback showed me that even when things don't go to plan, I can overcome it and keep moving forward.”
Of course, I would have loved to pass first time, but the experience taught me resilience and proved that one result doesn't define my success.
