Six ways to master your six-monthly review

It’s easy to focus on exams, but remember that the workplace requirements are a fundamental part of ACA training. “What I always say to students is that this is not an academic qualification, it’s a professional one,” says Helen, Head of Training Employer Authorisation and Review at ICAEW. “That’s why it’s respected out there in the field: when somebody sees the letters ACA after a name, not only do they know that person has passed some really tough technical exams, but they can also be confident that person has the core foundation of real experience, professional skills and ethical awareness to really bring value to a business.”

As well as monitoring progress on the way to qualification, the six-monthly reviews are a helpful way of breaking down a big goal into manageable milestones. Think of each six-month period as a distinct phase with its own objectives, advises Helen. “It should be structured development throughout, which increases in complexity,” she says. “The reason the reviews are every six months is because we’ve got to start with the simpler stuff before we can move on. If you tried to do it all at the end, it’s not only a mountain to climb, but you have missed the journey – the opportunity to build on your skills and to apply your ethics training along the way.”

Each six-monthly review should cover all sections of your training file: work experience, professional skills (for those following the ICAEW professional skills), Specialised Learning, ethics and exams, plus audit qualification days where relevant. “You should be coming to the review with your ethics scenario notes and your skills examples ready,” says Helen. “You need notes on three ethics scenarios, and work through the skills from aware to accomplished.”

One of the mistakes students make, she adds, is not keeping track of examples when they happen, or thinking that they need to wait for a better one: “I always say if you’re doing something new that you haven’t done before, you’re very likely to be developing another skill. If you’ve just finished a new project or a new client, think about it while it’s fresh in your mind,” she says. “A lot of students think ICAEW wants the best example and that they should wait to do something better down the line, but it’s not about that. We want an example that shows the level of competence from aware to experience to accomplished, and that’s it. If you’ve done it, you’ve done it; recognise your achievement and move on.”

Ethics is another important aspect of the review that often gets overlooked. “You should be coming with three of the ICAEW Ethics in Practice scenarios prepared, and your QPRT or counsellor should pick one of those for discussion,” explains Helen. “A lot of students don’t appreciate that they’ve got to prepare the scenarios in advance and be ready to talk about them – that is actually the most valuable part of the ethics training; it’s the application of ethics and talking to somebody experienced who has been there. Ethics is integrated throughout the ACA and examined within each of the ACA exams but you can never “pass” ethics. The application phase is absolutely crucial and is where the real learning takes place.”

It is your responsibility to book in your six-monthly review meetings with your QPRT, counsellor or principal, and set the agenda – it is not up to your employer to tell you what is expected of you or what will be covered. “It’s quite different to what you might expect from a typical appraisal process – the QPRT or counsellor has signed up to support you, but the qualification has evolved since they trained, plus they have their own workload to manage,” explains Helen. This is your qualification and only you can drive it forward. “You should be proactive and prepare for the meetings – put the meetings in the diary and put an agenda in each meeting.” An hour should be long enough; book a meeting room if necessary (and possible, given any restrictions), and think about who should be there (you may want to consider inviting your line manager along too). “Having that plan in place is absolutely key and is also likely to really impress your employer,” adds Helen.

For students who find the prospect of arranging a meeting and setting an agenda with a senior colleague daunting, she suggests the following format:

While reviewing progress in exams is just one of the sections of the training file, the six-monthly review may not always be the best place to discuss them. “Although exams do need covering if there’s progress there, sometimes it might be better to talk about them in a separate forum,” says Helen. “It can be such an emotional thing that it can detract from other aspects, so don’t let it take over the meeting – if you’ve only got an hour with your QPRT or counsellor, it’s very easy to lose half of it talking about exams.”

Similarly, the review meeting is not the place for raising issues such as office politics or a problem with a particular project or client. “Unless it actually relates to the skills and your overall development, try to have a separate meeting to discuss it,” says Helen. “This time is for you and your personal development and career, so you should be strict with the agenda and the time. It goes both ways as well – try not to let the QPRT or counsellor use the meeting time for their own agenda.”

For those in apprenticeship agreements, bear in mind that the ACA six-monthly review is separate from the knowledge, skills and behaviours review with your training provider – you will need to complete both separately. “What we’re finding is that a lot of students are doing the knowledge, skills and behaviours with the tuition provider and thinking that covers the six-month ACA review, but they’re two separate things,” says Helen. “There might be overlap: you might be able to use some of the examples from your training file for the tuition provider, or you might use something that came up in conversation with your tuition provider in the skills, but the feedback in your review has to come from the QPRT or counsellor at your employer.”

It’s much easier to update your training file during the meeting, so make sure you take your laptop or tablet with you. As your QPRT or counsellor gives their feedback, you should summarise it and ask them to approve it. “If technology is playing ball, it’s just efficient to do it there and then,” says Helen. “If you just have a general overall conversation and then go off and try to add feedback in later, that’s where it tends to fall down.” So go through each section in turn, type in what your QPRT or counsellor is saying, and then check with them that it reflects what they’ve said before you save it.

Bear in mind, too, that this is a formal document that will ultimately be reviewed by ICAEW before you qualify. “Remember that you are documenting it so that somebody who doesn’t know you can read it and understand it, and the context behind what you’ve written,” says Helen. “Make sure you use full names, and summarise your employer feedback properly – you can rephrase it, but don’t just reduce it down to ‘agreed’.”

“When talking about your professional skills remember these are designed to guide you through how you have developed. So, take along plenty of examples to demonstrate your level of competence."

“As well as having a plan going in, have a plan coming out,” advises Helen. Make sure you’re clear what your areas of focus are for the following six months, andmonths and get the next calendar invitation and agenda in the diary. If you haven’t had a chance to update your training file during the meeting, do it as soon as practically possible afterwards while it’s all still fresh in your mind. “And remember that your employer doesn’t have write access to update it – you’re the person who has to do it.

“Get to know your training file – it’s a really good tool,” she adds. “It can direct and help you, but if you don’t use it properly, you won’t reap the full benefits. It is nice when you see progress. And if you’re ever struggling with motivation, take a look back and see just how far you’ve come.”

Find out more about six-monthly reviews, and get to know your online training file.