You can self study for P5 comfortably if = you have strong foundation & fresh memory from F5 & P3.
I always think its a bad idea to self-study for any calculational papers but you can always try.
However i strongly recommend you to take at least revision with a lecturer before exam as you need to focus & prioritise on key areas of exam.
Its also important to adjust to examiner style & preference (sometimes you think you have answered correctly but actually you don't)
Many have already learn this the hard way in audit exams.

CFA is an US qualification & its scope in recognition was narrower compared to acca.
ACCA is a general programme which serves a solid foundation for you to specialise later on (audit = iia, tax = mit, biz = mba, finance = cfa......)
CFA is a speciallist programme which reserves for those who wants to stick with finance area.
Unless you are a seasoned worker with 4-5 years experience acca is more than enough to start / secure employment as a graduate.

99% of the employer you met as a graduate qualification only serves for you to get through their first filter system. After that it all depends on you.
If you are thinking of getting CFA is just to impress the bosses or with the hope of extra edge in getting employment is quite wasting time actually.
There is no exemption at all for CFA (you need to start from scratch) & there is lacking in decent tuition provider too.

Most of the character / expectation i have seen from most acca student is that they always anticipate "best case scenario" & if anything happens they rarely have any back-up plan (Ie : unexpected failure in one of the papers). My recommendation is always finsih what you started as you will face inconsisitency in your decisions later on. When you finsih part 2 you went to take CFA then you also see something good about CIMA then you want to consider MBA, then ICAEW also seems like a good prospect. Just stick with the plan.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Feb 26 2009, 12:07 PM

If fail due to unsuitable lecturer then its gone case already
By the way how to "force" ?
Black list your name in recommendation to large company perhaps
By the way do anyone know when is the next acca career fairs ? I am looking for any other option apart from Big 4. Some said you will literally cease to see the sunshine when you join big 4 mayne now its big 5

1) Author names
There is really no "author names" in acca we use "recommended preference" (like wikipedia principle). You can check examiner's preference at the website normally located at the end of the page of the syllabus content. With the exception of law & tax its very hard and not recommended to look for those books. In P3 they regulary use Johnon & scholes while P6 (MYS) uses Chong kwai fatt.

2) Name of the book
Normally we use 2 recommended books : BPP & Kaplan but most use & prefer BPP than Kaplan. Unless your lecturer is incompetent you rarely even need those books. The higher level you progress the lesser need to rely on text books.

3) Where to buy
Its quite hard to find BPP & Kaplan at major bookstores (MPH, Popular......) You need to order directly from UK itself.
Its better to order from college instead (MCO, KSA) as they will normally provide student rate (Rm 50 cheaper I think)

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Added on February 28, 2009, 4:26 pmDo sunway offer say like 50% off if you re-attend back the class you failed ? If not then it think its economic reasons.
I also heard from friends they want to protect the pass rates or something. I think student must have absolute discretion whether to continue to study in the college or not.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Feb 28 2009, 04:26 PM

I have encountered my fair share of admin problems in Kl centre. One college admin very cocky one like those snob british aristocrats, another wants to squeeze every ounce of money out of you, one is very unefficient and the last one pick on unnecesssary stuff (eat or drink in class is prohibited !!!).

Line up & pay for notes Ok i have not experienced that bit before but in my old secondary school. In Kl only KSA does partially.
People who has never worked at Big4 before advise me to work there to "taste" (in cantonese). Those who have worked there b4 constantly reminding me how much I can gained there. No shorts of recommendation there itself

I am looking for other possibilities aside from manufacturing firms too (account is really messy there). They also keep reminding me that if you can survive the management of accounts in Reliance (travel) & Maxis (telco) you can really survice anywhere. Mostly from what I gathered Big 4 can provide some benefits that not many can afford :
- training = as in full as nobody would really spend so much on a staff then decided to leave halfway.
- recognition = who doesn't know big 4 (apart from my pompuous & snob engineer cousins)
- I think this is the most important = ability to withstand pressure & work for long hours (who can argue with that )

By the way I don't really mind with salary cap (like most what i seen outside). Earnings can be gained later.

I think you need to complete the ethics module.
I do not remember the details but you need to complete them for certain timing
If you want to submit this round (March - April) you need to complete ethics before jan 31.
Then next round is at (Sept to Oct).

I heard that Chong Kwai Fatt is only teaching temporarily at sunway for P6. He will also stop teaching in few weeks & will be replaced by someone else. It seems he was there at the fist place just to be "temporary subsitute".

Can anybody clarify on this ?
I was informed by friends who want to go there at 2nd term but put off by this news.

This OBU degree doesn't mean much if your interviewer is competent enough to ask you "how do you get it ?"
OBU only really adds value to your acca if got first class or something. If not ACCA is more than enough.
The "extra degree" factor will work wonders if :
- explaining to non-accounting people that ACCA is more prestigious than degree. Without a degree to support most won't believe you as I had learn it the hard way earlier at my CNY reunion dinner.

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Added on March 3, 2009, 12:22 amOh the statement is true, so i will dwell a bit further.
I heard quite a number of dissatisfied students over sunway reluctance to explain more in detail when they register. They just said CKF will be teaching & most students are led by normal assumption that he will conduct his class in full. The uni should at least mentioned in the timetable or something that class will be conducted partially to not mislead a student. For those students who just want to take at sunway won't mind too much but it seems unfair to those who go there purely for that lecturer (need to pay extra fees......)

In KL such arrangements need to be specified clearly or else they will face even worse backlash from students.
For example in MCO : P3 revision only will be conducted by michael mainwaring while normal class runned by someone else so students will not be misled by who is actually teaching.

This situation is very similar to the recent "party hopping" and i for one truly unsupportive of such non-disclosure of information. This may also bring indirect bad publicity for the lecturer who may not involved in this scheme.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Mar 3 2009, 12:22 AM

MCO is between TM headquarters & Allianz building
Its around the area of bank muamalat or AIA building.

You can't really blame the director for want of publicity.
Prize winners are dropping & lecturers are leaving, they really need some sort of revival scheme to boost the morale around.
When CKF comes it gives him the oppurnity to pull the strings to attract more students and he did "for now".
Luckily acca market is not as volatile as share market / politics or everyone will react accordingly with the news.

One more thing I heard about sunway which also needs clarification.
I am also curious why sunway passing rate is so high compared to others & I can't help but wonder whether student performance is the only factor behind it. I discovered that sunway practice a policy of "selecting" students for exams.
- your choice of taking no of papers depends on the director (If take 4 he will evaluate whether can you pass all not student choice)
- got some sort of internal exam which (3 times ?) that if you fail all 3 you will be "delisted" from sunway as student.

I think there are others policy but this is the one i am quite sure, is it true ?

This ethical issue can really bring down a college maybe not so soon for sunway.
But similar events had happened at FTMS b4 and many of their lecturers already left to other college.
Example : Parmindar, keith farmer, chow kim tai & chin ann left bcos of its "internal policy".
KSA also have the same issue with its law lecturer & their reporting lecturer left bcos of too much competition for place.
Heard Daniel Ho will also left soon if not tied with contract.

Wonder sunway will pull the same publicity stunt again. Perhaps a joint venture with andrew pang . Both are very good in ways of attracting students strategy.

KSA is the only centre i know that use Kaplan instead of BPP as preferred books. I am not sure whether they sell it or not but the books are there.
You can definitely buy them from Uk but price is very different than those you can get it here.
Almost all of my friends use & prefer BPP than Kaplan anyway.

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Added on March 3, 2009, 10:50 pmIronicly my first exposure during my school days is CIMA not acca & i found out about acca after I received a scholarship* doing degree in overseas. Realising the huge amt of money involved, a close associate advise me why not pursue a professional qualification instead of of goggling over uni like Monash, Taylor, Sunway, Segi....... Then after much research & survey I finally choose acca over cima.

I held from a smart school in my secondary days and those days our perception of uni like sunway is "for those who are rich only" while most goals are to obtain scholarship & leave malaysia or public uni. However i have never regret my decisions since I have received good advice from many people including some of the forumers here during my early days as acca student.

Therefore i felt compelled to dwell & disclose more information to share since I have met many, no its a lot of people out there lacking these information & may make wrong decisions & regret later on. I always feel for my friends when they make a wrong decision on choosing papers or lecturers but there is no one to guide them. Certainly most of you have heard of statements like "If i met you sooner " or If I have know about this ".......etc.

Since I am about to finish I hope i can still make some contribution while still can.
*scholarhip is never given for free = always need to pay back something in return (financial / non financial) mine bcos it does not cover my food & accomodation only the education fees. I don't think living cost in UK is cheap to begin with.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Mar 3 2009, 10:50 PM

Facts of P6 :
Richard Thornton (examiner) already stated that Chong Kwai Fatt is his recommended book for P6 reference.
This paper will face minor amendments & changes almost every sitting due to constant change in budget = hence the single tier system.
This is a speciallised paper = means you won't find much of these scenario in real life but very useful if you encounter them (very few knows)
I have notice some finance elements as well in P6 since most of it doing with planning how to avoid tax = and we learn the ani-avoidance provisions to block such attempt.

Professional level :
At first i may appear silly to say this but when you reach this level, knowledge is more important than passing. Ok if you are doubting my words :
P1 : Who needs to apply ethics & CG in works ?
P2 : Exception
P3 : Biz analysis is reserved for senior staff
P4 : Again for senior staff / financial staff
P5 : Reserved for managerial personnel : budget
P6 : May not even touch this since most company outsource tax dept.
P7 : Not really applicable unless in senior position in big 4 / audit line

So lecturers may get very practical at times especially dealing with P1,P3,P5,P6 & P7 since its mostly theory and possible P2 since its standard based.
P4 I think its quite calcualtional in nature so its quite hard to get practical.

Thats why one must known their own core competency.
Good lecturer normally possessed a very distinctive core competency which whii generate legion of loyal students no matter where they go. Even if they changed college students will also follow. Use Mcdonald analogy is the simplest to illustrate.

I think the most suitable lecturer to illustrate was Chin Ann, I think he switched more than 3 times (KSA,FTMS, KB) but still have healthy size of students (KL standard). Relying on just on himself (without any college / uni as support) he establish a new acca division in KB. During my CAT in FTMS he already have other students from other college in his class. When he switched to KB, these students also followed him (I do not for the first few papers).

Class in KL is way lesser (once per week) so lecturer mainly focus on key topics & may sometime even exclude certain topics altogether namely those area which was recently tested or never tested before.........etc. One thing I like about KL is there are no homeworks at all. So these become totally voluntary issue so those who worked hard will pass. Maybe students in sunway are used to being spoon-fed, should come to KL to experience some . Apparently many sunway students who depart to KL namely start with F8 audit. I don't think they had much confidence in their own audit lecturer.

Magazine just out, I try to highlight certain area of articles :
P1 & P7 = Risk & Environmental auditing
F8 & P7 = ISA 240 (Redrafted) Auditors & fraud
F9 & P4 = being an angel
Touch something on P6 but for UK variant so irrelevant to MYS.

Daniel Ho constantly jokes he is aged 68 last sitting.
What I mean of leaving as in leaving FTMS not retired from teaching.
Evidently he is quite dissatisfied with FTMS internal policy & coupled with fellow lecturers like Chow Kim tai (long time colleague) also left for MCO.
Some of my friends who emailed him directly also get the rough picture he is leaving FTMS but to which college is still uncertain.

But he seems the oldest lecturer i have encountered so far (physically) & the thinnest also. But he is very friendly & i always chat briefly with him before class starts.

1) Go to accaglobal
2) Click under Student & Affiliates - study, exams, exemptions
3) Click exam paper resources
4) Click acca qualification
5) Click acca qualification again on the right box (in yellow)
6) Click fundamental levels (part 1 & part 2)
7) Choose paper that you want
8) Click sample exam papers
9) You need to have adobe acrobat reader in your computer, voila

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Added on March 6, 2009, 2:38 pmmalaysian tax rates for residents is based on scale rate. So the poor will face lesser tax liability compared to the richer ones. That will bring equality of income distribution (Govt reasoning to bridge the gap between the poor & rich). This is because MYS practice hybrid of capitalisme & socialisme compared to the extreme of US & China in the past.

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Added on March 6, 2009, 2:50 pmThis is rather a very subjective analysis & I cannot conclude this in a single sentence, perhaps I should reveal why :
Entry requirement :
Most that I have met so far (in optional at least) more than 75% have already possessed a degree or currently working or >23 years old.
So compared to those who have study acca from scratch this seems like an unfair comparison of passing.

Difficulty :
I will put this very bluntly acca part 3 is harder than degree (this is a generally accepted view). Brain dumping the favourite tool of answering favoured by many asian countries including MYS will not work here. It means memorise everything in the book & throw everything back at the examiner.

Degree of unpredictability :
I ahve surveyed some around & find out something about acca which eludes many people. It seems that almost everyone will find one particular paper will be very difficult for them to comprehend & may sometime ending up in failing. I have met very few people whom actually are "straight-passer" since consistency is even harder than scoring. I have met countless people who passed all their part 3 papers but still stuck on part 2 papers like audit or costing. Some even find P3 business analysis a very different paper & kept failing. The list can goes on.......

You won't appreciate the fact how difficult part 3 will be, but you should focus on the things at hand first. Many people tends to plan to far ahead while forgetting abou the present matters. Best to be realistic.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Mar 6 2009, 02:50 PM

CAT - ACCA route is the simplest & fastest route to finish acca. I am very careful with my wording as one needs to be in exam too.
Simplest means its rather straight forward , you pass you progress until the end.
Fastest means you will take the least time required compared to diploma / degree holders.....etc.
According to sunway or most college, you will normally get your acca from 2.5 yrs to 3 yrs (inclusive of 1 year for CAT).
On the assumption you pass ALL your papers at 1 go.

Example of normal route taken :
Very few people actually pursue a professional qualification after their SPM / STPM for the reason of ignorance or self preservation.
Most will pursue a degree first (in fact its a norm in most countries). They will think degree is the easiest tool to secure a job (it is !!!).
However when they start work, they slowly realise a colleague either earning more or easier to get promoted than they are.
Then they realise of the need for professional qualifiacation namely to get RECOGNISED. Degree doesn't give you any title see.
So these workers whom are in big firms will come out to look for prof qual to bolster their skills or if the boss realised you are a talented employee he will send you to look for specific programmes to increase your repertoire.
This is where prof qual like ACCA will come in.
Most of the degree holders will get exemption for fundamental papers and only required to take 5 prof papers therefore is they study correctly they will normally pass hence the good pass rates. But remember they already have a degree & they are well equiped in practical & theory experience.

Back to CAT-ACCA route.
Sunway is renowned at CAT programme but ACCA is slowly declining. Why ?
ACCA is very flexible programme and it gives student absolute freedom on their methods to study. So you can even study on your own.
However majority will need a lecturer to guide them and this is one of the most if not the key factor in deciding student passing chances.
Sunway lecturers are very good in "pushing" & spoon-feeding" student to success.
Have you been enrolling in "cluster" school during your secondary life or have you been attending some top tuition centre, sunway is like that.
I can't say that their lecturers are superior but they can really motivate you to study = normally comes with lots of mock text & question to do.
Those technique will work extremely well in CAT hence their pass rate and prize winners here.

The next fundamental levels (F4 to F9) will require a slight different approach. Examiner are given slight freedom here to filter out unworthy student. So examiners are quite adept of failing those student who - brain dumping, memorisation only and poor technique in exam. Student are also introduced to a more theoritical version of accounting where previously in CAT ratio could be (80% calculation - 20% theory) now its becoming
(60% calculation - 40% theory & application) in acca. Students who cannot adapt will mostly perish along the way.

In professional level (P1 to P7) examiner are given full freedom to eliminate students from the list, since no exemption of any kind will be given on this level and examiners are obligated to do the same. In this level it is no longer like the difference of (Form 5 version vs Form 4 version) but a rather whole new picture. 2 core papers is purely theory & another core paper is (50% theory - 50% calculational). One of the optional paper is also pure theory while other also likely 50/50.

Lecturers vs college dillema.
Unlike degree programme students are given absolute freedom to choose their own lecturer from whichever centre you desired.
Each paper of acca is very different from one another and you cannot expect a same lecturer to teach both.
Normally for each paper there will be a speciallist lecturer to teach that particular paper so if you want the best you need to scout for you own.
Most of these lecturers doesn't belong to top uni like sunway. If you are bewildered by such occurence think of it like a delicacy.
Most top chefs in the world will look for best foods in hawker street, wet markets..... compared to the so called 5-star restaurant where the award winning chef is just promoting while letting his assistant to cook.
Hope you are not tired of reading too much

This is regarding specific threat to independence.
We always fear creating a circumstance where we we have an "undue dependence" on a client which means all our operations depend heavily on them. The client will have room to "threaten" us if we don't comply with their wishes.
The % is just a guideline.
It applies to our side (audit firm).
For public listed organization is 10% of our gross income.
For non public listed it is 15% of our gross income.
This will not normally apply to first few years of incorporation of audit firm as first client already consitute 100%.

ACCA just reflects part of your IQ , i say its rougly 50% and the other half is your "street smart".
It means you must know how to avoid back-stabbing, gossips, boss pet boy, .......etc. The best analogy is the "survivor series" which means the victor doesn't have to be the strongest or smartest.

The other more important part is your high EQ. If you have good communication skills & can easily impress people without attracting jealousy you should be better than degree holders (should only).

The acca popularity will be more relevant to acca holders + experience (3 years) preferably with big 4 since most employers want their staff that can handle over burden. But ultimately it depends on how you fare in the interview unless the interviewer is your uncle or you have been recommended by a VIP to that particular big 4. It depends on WHAT you know and WHO you know .