After completing his Certificate Level exams, Alex shares how he has settled into a new self-driven routine, his approach to balancing work and study and why the six-monthly review is a great opportunity to reflect on how far you’ve come.
Managing your ACA journey
Although the experience of being an undergraduate taught Alex many transferable skills, the self-management nature of the ACA has proved something of a learning curve, he admits. “When you're at university you get your timetable and they set you assignments, but you don't get that structure with the ACA.”
Settling into that new routine has taken some time, he says. “Initially it was tricky for me to get into a mindset of making sure I stay on top of everything, including booking exams and choosing my study days. I delayed doing my Certificate Level exams because of that.”
Having started his Level 7 apprenticeship in September 2025, Alex sat his first Certificate Level exam before Christmas and another after Christmas. “I could have done those exams anytime between September and February. In hindsight, if I had done one in October and another in January, it would have felt a lot less stressful.”
Balancing revising with working
Alex is currently studying for two Professional Level exams, Audit, Risk and Reporting, and Fundamental Case Study. Compared with the multiple-choice Certificate Level exams, it’s a big step up, he says. “Now it’s full answers based on a Case Study. It’s questions like, draft an email for a client to explain X. It's a good skill to have. When I'm in the office, I spend quite a long-time drafting emails, but in an exam, you don't have that luxury.”
“The reporting element is what I do for work anyway: I prepare financial statements every day. But audit is definitely something that I'm not as confident in. That’s about understanding where risk lies in a business, and how we can address that risk as an auditor. It’s interesting and something new for me.”
Since starting his apprenticeship, Alex has moved house and the train commute into the office provides a convenient opportunity to study, he says. “My approach is little and often. It's tough after a day at work to sit down for three hours to revise. I prefer to start early and do a lot of little sessions - it can be between chores or if I'm waiting to go out and I've got half an hour to do a practice question.” This isn’t just about making best use of his time. For Alex, studying in bite-sized chunks helps the information stick in his head, he says.
Preparing for your six-monthly reviews
The six-monthly review is a great opportunity to reflect on your ACA experience to date, Alex believes. “I hadn’t really thought about my progress until we had that chat”. Alex says, “You hear manager feedback about how you've been getting on”. I've had one six-monthly review, and it's crazy to me that I've already gained so much experience and developed so many skills.”
It’s an opportunity to review and discuss your progress through each element of your training. It includes an ethics in practice discussion. “Part of the six-monthly review is chatting through how the code of ethics applies to a particular scenario.” There's also a focus on competencies - thinking about your experience at work and beyond, and examples of when you demonstrated certain skills that ICAEW finds valuable. There are 25 competencies to think about over the course of your entire training.
Alex’s advice is to break that down into smaller pieces. “Think about five at a time, otherwise it could be quite overwhelming. My advice is to read it through early on so you know what it requires and the kinds of things you should be thinking about.
As for preparation, Alex says he didn’t feel pressure to prepare in any particular way for the review. There's plenty of opportunity for you to tailor it to yourself and prepare in whatever way you find most helpful, he says.
Keeping track of your learning requires you to keep your online training file up to date, and it’s easy for that to feel like an onerous task, particularly if you don't stay on top of it. The trick is to start recording your progress as soon as your training starts and make sure you maintain it regularly.
Next stop: Professional Level exams
With Alex’s first set of Professional Level exams due to start, it’s no surprise that they are the main focus of his efforts right now. “I’m told it's a huge step up from Certificate Level to Professional Level.” Despite the extra workload, Alex is taking it in his stride.
Outside of studying, Alex is keen to progress at work, with a mission to get more involved and gain increasing amounts of hands-on experience while also taking on a bit more responsibility. “There's a balance to be struck, because as I do harder exams, it's going to take up a lot more of my headspace,” Alex says, “but I'm excited to progress in my role.”
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