I took 3 by 3 approach (ie : f3 - f6 then f7 - f9 then P1 -P3 currently) As i was still young (straight from SPM) i was advised from seniors that 4 by 4 approach works best for diploma holders, degree or over 23, 24 years old.
As i was a very meticulous bargainer so (i will work my hardest if i am under the best lecturer) So instead of following friends around i go against the crowd when i am selecting lecturer (not college only). Therefore my friends are split all over the area depending on sessions took.
I have no problem selecting from F4 to F6 (since very few lecturers around & not "that" difficult yet). Problem starts here :

1) Audit
I have heard countless time during lower levels from other lecturer & students alike this is the killer paper. Then some of my friend told me their anticipated lecturer (Sheila John) then some also voice their admiration for Phillip Woo in KSA. However due to adverse pass rate I decided to take a radical step forward by choosing Chin Ann. I have followed him in lower levels so i was accustomed to his teachings. He is not the type of lecturer who bombards you with past year or thick notes on examples. He will teach you methods on the "techniques" on answering the exam itself like
Wordings, style, format....etc (he also study the lecturer method, trends & articles).
His class was populated by all kind of students from those who failed b4, first timer, hardworker, prize winner hopefuls (if i am not mistaken there are quite a number of sunway student taking their audit there last sitting)

2) F7
I have gone against all my friends wishes by going to hannef at Mco. 75% of my friends go to Joe Fang while remainder studies at KB & FTMS.
I have tried to gather views why they don't pick him & this is their usual answer :
- he doesnt speak mandarin / chinese (so lack communication with those who speak it) no probem with me as i am a christian
- too far apart from other college & bus stop area (normally at pasar seni or medan pasar)
- very expensive fees (I totally agree but financial factor / cost is not my main concern)
All in all he is the best F7 lecturer around IF AND ONLY IF you can bear with his LONG LECTURE (simply means you are a good listener)
I have maintain the same lecturer for P2 (normally people follow the same lecturer for F7 to P2, F5 to P5, f9 to P4...etc)

This post has been edited by Topace111: Sep 14 2008, 11:43 PM

Not to brag or anything but i felt i have a very strong foundation in calculation methods & techniques.
It was bcos i am one of those who can grind myself with countless PYQ & i can calculate quite speedily if need be.
However i have some difficulties in lower levels in drafting reporting especially part on standards.
Plus i have heard from other students if you follow too closely with a lecturer's tips/ method / formulaes / format you will be stuck on it. (like mine ) You can arrive at the answer rather quickly with short cut solution but with 2 glaring flaws :

1) you either get "full mark or 0" = since not much support from workings you are on a very "thin thread".
If you are supported with working whether (you are slow or not) you will gain some basic marks (1 or 2 from possibly 4)
That is also a risk mitigation technic, short cut calculations only works best if you have "fully grasp the knowledge & idea" behind each transaction.

2) Any twist in scenario or situation (transactions so weird you don't know what is it = provision for unwarranted litigation). Actually if you remember the standards its just the treatment of provision. The 2 words behind it just to throw students off balance.
In academic / real life getting the figure was not so important compared to the reasoning behind it.

In exam it is true that i take longer time to finish the exam (but still on time). My costing lecturer instil a TQM value in me : "get it right the first time". So i don't really need time to "semak balik" the answer since i have checked it thoroughly while doing the question itself. There are students that finish rather quickly (30 minutes from time or 1 hour) but spend rest of the time keep on rechecking the exam sheet with only a few pages of answers. I am too tired to check since i have laden it with workings all over the page.

I recommend to those seeking lecturer to use this SWOT technique. Identify your strength, weakness, oppurnity or threats.
Mine is strong in figures but weak on understanding but now it is already rectified

I agree with your 2 point that his class is indeed boring & his method has no special short cut attached.
However i know a "tried & tested" method but not so popular among students.
Normally in F7 when student encountered any hard / weird transaction they jump straight to the answer sheet, then doing the next transaction & repeat similar process all over again. Therefore the :
1) speed is greatly reduced (when you are used to flipping around the pages, you end up trying >2 hours trying your 1st question.
2) Confidence greatly eroded : you always have this "false confidence" when you finally get everything balance & right but is it ?
In real exam there is no such thing as "answer sheet to refer to". In vertain college, they constantly mocked the student to give them confidence & adaptability during exam hours (Sunway did it i think)

I think i can use Nike slogan here (Just do it) regardless whether you knows it or not. Some just stare at the paper for few minutes doing nothing bcos they did not know one transaction while they know others. Its like sacrifising 15 minutes for 3 marks.
I am quite scare b4 result when most of my friends come & compare answers. Most of them finish with 20 minutes to spare
(mine < 5minutes ). Most of them balance their consol & publicised a/c & cashflow. I got scared already that time since i have not balance any of mine (surprise). When result come out they sms me about their F7 result but i am quite surprised that my marks outscore them all.

I was glad there are someone out there who shares my view.
I would consider Keith Farmer if not of the video class ( i just cant study w/o physical attachments)
Then for my F7 when he makes a return to teach at KSA (i was worried his class size will explode)
This was bcos some of my seniors kept on reminding me he was once the best lecturer around (last time at FTMS)
At the end i opt for Haneef.

I never check any of my calculations (it makes me dizzy & lose confident) only the theoretical part (since my ideas came when writing the answers)

1) Killing papers myth
Technically there is no killing paper in fundamental level as far as i am aware of. So many people telling me that i will fail this & that..... .
I have even my audit lecturer telling me that he has a student sat an audit paper > 5 times & still failing.
Use this slogan as a motivation tool : What defines a champion ? Are they undefeated, undisputed never lose.
No it is how they bounce back from failure. We must learn from mistake to better enhance our knowledge & rectify our weakness.
My tax lecturer keeps on nagging about those who failed so many times in tax exam has wider knowledge than those who passed at 1st attempt.
i known 2 very special person : one who will excel in any calculation paper (F7 & F6) but fail in theory papers (F4, P1 & F8).
Another who always skip class, lazy person & never study much but pass F5, F8 & P1 & P3 with ease (not bad marks also).
However he failed > 2 time in tax & reporting.

2) CAT background
I will try my best to define what you need to do for each paper :
F4 : purely memorisation : practice past year & memorise key sections of law will do.
F5 : calculation & theory : You really need to explain & elaborate what you have calculated (it requires balanced approach)
F6 : practice, practice & practice : The memorisation part will come naturally when you practice. I pracice PYQ from paper year 2000 to 2007.
I never really memorise the answer only the expenses part (those with experience it is really easy)
F7 : Understanding & speed : I would love to say calculation but it is not so relevant judging from past questions. The examiner will twist the qs
when you get comfortable with exam trend, I have a friend who can finish any 25 marker qs in 30 minutes (bcos he pracice a lot) end up
almost fail / pass (50 mark) bcos the examiner twist the question (2). Practice is fine but this paper has gone the most rigorous amendments
in ACCA (with P2).
F8 : This "used to be" or still is the killing paper. Why bcos audit should never be xamined at the 1st place. It is ver difficult to find 2 silmilar comps
practicing same internal controls, system or processing. Audit is meant ot be practice in real life, hand-on approach....etc. Most who end up studying
audit or "fail multiple times" will end up hating audit (most of my friends do). Audit is something that you must feel natural or really has a deep understanding. The key is "application of your knowledge". You must
1) Read the qs
2) Draft it in your mind
3) Aswer "according" to what qs asked. Never simply answer based on what you memorised (max 10 marks for Qs 2)
F9 : All about formulaes, models & framework. Examiner won't be impressed by your calculations alone as you also need to elaborate it.
You can almost predict which area will come out but which part is the big headache.

I don't know about the new OBU rule about transition to P level but i can comment on other parts :
1) Time
It depends on your writing ability, my lecturer told me that hardworking people will take 3 weeks if they really concentrate while others averages
2-3months. Mentors for OBU are aplenty but i heard that the cost is not cheap (i will come to this later)

2) Usefulness
Not really adds value to your knowledge but unless your relative are tohe "old school" that only degree is sound, then impress them with a Uk degree
from oxford (just don't mention the brookes). The benefit does not really cover the cost as i have mentioned earlier. However there is really no diadvantages in taking it (unless you are rich lo) There are this 1st & 2nd class in OBU where only big comps will take (any lesser will be rejected)
Although i can easily attain 1 st class without doing the project but i felt it doesn't worth it (I am quite lazy too )

Don't do 4 papers unless you are very confident / hardworking (many people have voice their regret already)
Tax : Start memorise the computational format & biz expense. After that you can start practice past year.
I will recommend Chin Ann in kolej bandar if your foundation is not strong

Audit : Tons to memorise, time for understanding & more application than other papers you have sat.
It is very hard to earn every single mark in audit papers.
I recommend sheila in mco if you likes to read & memorise, Phillip woo in Ksa if you like to listen to hand-on experience but don't mind the class size. If you like writing or wants to learn exam technique you can again consider Chin Ann in Kolej Bandar.

I have known few students that take 4 papers. They either failed most of them or pass with very few left to spare.
Normally 4 papers are more relvant for those who have failed (so they can just revise them) or you are old / experienced enough to juggle (degree)

ACCA life comfortableness is 100% depending upon yourselves.
No one forces you to study, practice your PSQ, giving homeworks.....etc.
So pass / scoring depends again on yourselves (whether you have the heart / desire for it).
However it is not wise to put yourself to limit just to pass everything so quickly & go working.

In that broad sense you will have this attitude "Just tell me what to do to make me pass & don't bother about anything else".
You should put on this instead "I need to understand what i am studying not just for the sake of passing"
If you enjoy your learning experience you will gather higher comprehension & intellectual skills.
If you did not enjoy it, it will just be an obligatory routine which was embedded in your culture.

No wonder there are considerable sums of professional drop out from accountancy line (bcos of boredom) & they diversify.
This happen mostly in Asian accoutants, you can always read it in the medias.
Please don't just have this $ $ on your eyes.

Regarding to those who doesn't have a docket
I did have a friend who doesn't get his docket at all (even on internet) until the day b4 exam, this is what you can do :
1) Call Malaysia ACCA / go wisma denmark yourselves
2) You will be given a piece of paper (of their permission)
3) You will be given your exam centre (assuming it was still not full yet)

Don't worry about docket, as long as you have paid

I receive query from friends regarding revision issues. Some of them are from outskirts (quite far from KL) so they need to know lecturer's approach to their respective revision class, Those who have experienced them can you share your views here.
Perhaps i should categorise the lecturers focus in these order :

1) Does the lecturer focus on spotting question ?
2) Does the lecturer focus on writing / answer techniques ?
3) Does the lecturer review back everything (summary)
4) Does the lecturer just discuss past year ?

Preferably professional papers insight. However fundamental papers are also relevant.
Hopefully i can get insight into lecturers from KSA, FTMS, MCO & KB.

Since i had seated for some I can reveal possible lecturer style.
Chin Ann in audit : writing / answer techniques
Haneef in reporting : review back everything
Daniel Ho in finance : writing / answer techniques

I have a few friends from sunway and most of them share a common experience :
1) The college / lecturer are quite demanding of their respective student experience.
2) Its a very competitive life there (with everyone striving to be the top)
3) Student have access to better material there (notes, text book, referencing.....etc)
4) The university charge quite an exorbitant fee compared to most tuition providers in KL (Which you can get better for cheaper, which also why some of the students there will study externally but under the university tag)
5) The environment is like those in singapore / hong kong where everyone wants the best (demand & expectation is very high)

One of them stressing that doing ACCA there for fundamental level / CAT would be a huge advantage for student (exception for some killer paper).
However in professional level most of them prefer to choose their lecturer externally (since there is no perfect university)

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Added on September 28, 2008, 9:42 am1) Technically there is no "best" college since everyone will have different perceptions / demand. If you "strictly" want a class with less student i will
recommend PAC where they have quota / ceiling limit on student capacity.

KSA : By far deemed to be the most "complete" centre since you can "practically" sit for all your papers there. The lecturers normally have a good standing & experience compared to other college. Their main approach to exam : analyse past year & doing past year question = "spotting".
Well the centre is quite "economical / calculative" where there have little comprehension to students satisfaction & comfortableness. Think of it like a tuition centre.

Mco : The most expensive college around (the incremental fees is normally RM200, but can gou up to RM300 if you choose their prime lecturer).
It was situated quite apart from other college as well (may not have locational advantage if you choose several lecturer from different centre).
However most people cannot ignore of the fact that they have the most "dedicated" lecturer around. They will normally perform out of their requirements & scope to help student (most of them)

FTMS : During the prior years, they use to be the undisputed ACCA centre where you will find most top lecturer that you hear & see have direct / indirect affiliation with the college. That was the past i am afraid bcos the college are slowly but surely moving away from ACCA cource (Like SEGI) by diversify into other degree programme. However i am wholeheartedly support the notion that the college is the most "comfortable" to study at.
Some of the lecturers are quite student-friendly as well.

KB : This place is practically new / quite unheard of. I understand that student have this knack when choosing centre (You want a reputable one, me too). However i learn this the hard way with my early levels. You must be Lecturer based not centre based. If you want to go to KB (look for this particular lecturer Chin Ann).

2) I am staunch believer of small class size (if you follow my blog) & i am hugely critical of KSA policy regarding this. You think 100 ++ is normal, my P3 combined class yesterday easily eclipse 400++ . Imagine coming early by 1 hour to get a decent seat (some even do 1.5 hours)

3) Most centres will offer their suggestion but they won't help you on this. They are practically small college.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Sep 28 2008, 09:45 AM

Finalising the syllabus is a very vague & subjective term (especially theory papers). I heard from students there some KSA lecturers (Viknes, Parmindar & Phillip Woo) has tendency & history of not finishing their respective syllabus. Since all 3 of them has vast experience they have the knack for "gone off topic" & gives rather too much practical example rather than the core area of syllabus. When time is a limiting factor they will just glance through (imagine 3 main are in 20 minutes)

I remember Viknes has added 2 class b4 in F4 bcos he cannot finished (at the end he still did not finished since he spent quarter of the time to preach on students bad habit). I like his jokes though.

Parmindar (P1 & P3) previously only has 24 sessions of class but he will add another 4 sessions from time to time (he normally cannot finish).
Therefore this sitting the class size increase to 30 session. However he did gives a lot of focus to important area in syllabus.
I think that he has a very vast knowledge of pratical practices compared to other lecturers (but sometimes it can be excessive).
However most students will come out "wiser" & more "knowledgeable".

I will reveal what is "everybody knows but still do it" or "unproductive effort"
There will be those who will advise you to (study, refer, memorise) your past year ANSWER.
What's wrong doing theory / calculative question while referring to answer WHEN you DON'T KNOW the answer ?

That is what separate those who scores & those who pass (with less marks) or fail.
What is the purpose of doing question or revision ?
To learn the answer (by knowing the style or preffered methods by examiner). The answer is NO.

You practice those question bcos you want to test yourself on areas which you have not anticipated / lack of knowlege of.
What is the POINT of referring the answer the instant you don't know.
Most will just flip & flop those pages between the answer & question then act as though they really finish it.
There isn o point pretending as MOST of ACCA student doest that especially Asian students.

Why not give this a try, do the entire question REGARDLESS whether YOU KNOW IT OR NOT then refer answer when truly finished.
If this truly didn't work then it shows that you really lack the knowledge (it may be good since you whuch area you are weak then improve it)
National Geographic has a famous saying "You do not measure your knowlege by what you know but rather on what you didn't know"
The reason i never failed in any of my exam since my childhood its bcos i practice these method.
Don't give a damn on what the question is all about, JUST DO IT then check.

You can answer those past year question multiple times, but will they give the exact answer you practice on this Dec 08 sitting, i don't think so.
With exception of 100% theoretical works, but that is very hard to come by these days.

Most people will avoid audit in professional option papers (it means F8 will be your last audit paper if you designated it so)
Plus "many" (not my opinion only) cannot pass auidt at 1st attempt especially when you lack understanding.
A lot of students sat audit for 2 times (under 2 different lecturer : Sheila John & Phillip WOO)

F7 is closely links to P2 core professional, so you will need to remember a lot of your standards from f7 so advisable to take hand in hand.
Chhose f7 if you take P2 at immediately after f7.

F9 can be taken anytime you wish. Most student are afraid of this paper "tai ko" P4 since it was deemed the most difficult paper in ACCA.

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Added on September 30, 2008, 1:06 amWell i get the same experience (some of my friends who choose tarc also did). Tarc always full since they didnt have enough seats to allocate to all students (don't forget they have their own internal student as well).

Do you by any chance get Federal territories (others), i did & I have to find it few days b4 exam. Turns out it was IPB . Its a malay college at Kampung pandan in KL near the royal selangor golf course.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Sep 30 2008, 01:06 AM

You can perfectly eligible to sit the exam without taking any classes (but most students go for revision to prioritise on where to study).
No need to pass Cat to begin ACCA. There are 3 normal exemptions :
- CAT / Diploma / LCCI can normally exempt from F1 to F3.
- Degree can exempt partial / full from f4 to f9.
- No exemptions are available for professional papers

If you are a SPM leaver can start from CAT
If you are a STPM you can start ACCA immediately from F1.
If you are working = you don't have to attend class (but most opt to for part time class conducted on night)
If you are a degree holder who feels dissatisfied by lack of job oppurnity (you can take acca & have exemptions depending on your degree status)

I think many people have a common misconception about ACCA.
True its an accoutant profession body, so many people just have a perception that all we did was calculation.
Our "substance" job was to act as advisory capacity to our juniors whos has lack of depth / knowledge.
We can make a report / analysis from a table full of figures / numbers.
A layman will only act as "number crunchers" while we EXPLAIN the reasoning behind those calculations.
Thats why when we come to professional level many people failed bcos they lack the foundation / knowledge to think "outside of the box".

I found a very funny joke in internet months ago.
When a boss interviews for a future employee (he was approached by 5 individuals)
The simple question is how much is 1 + 1 ?
1) The child will of cource answer 2
2) The engineer will explain all those formulae / jargons (tangen, sinus.....) then the answer is 2.
3) The lawyer will quote multiple case law to support the answer is 2
4) An economist will have different model (Ansoff 2 + 2 = 5).......etc
5) The accountant will say this magical word that are sweet to employer's ears "What figure does you want it to appear?"

This post has been edited by Topace111: Oct 1 2008, 07:03 PM

I have tried to approach those who studied at KSA for P1 - P3. Most of them (especially those that without friends who will book place for them) dislike the KSA environment which is no student friendly but they are appreciative of the lecturer standards (especially Parmindar & Phillip Woo).
Even those who had friends to book for them complains over the obviously overcrowded class. It has been clear that the college has been "overtrading", I was actually amused that the centre with ACCA knowledge did not take actions to handle this. There has been persistent talk / rumours to scrap the conference room in auditorium (which i think is highly appropriate)

You don't have to take all your papers at KSA since there are equally if not better lecturers out there :
P1 : There is Sheila John in Mco whom has similar reputation but has considerable smaller class size (maybe due to the fees). I am a staunch believer in small class size & i followed my previous audit lecturer for P1 so i choose elsewhere.

P2 : Why worry, there is Haneef in Mco. There are some KSA F7 & P2 students has showed interest to switch lecturer to MCO but most of them have this "fear". They worried that the methods / techniques used will be rendered inadequate in another lecturer's environment. I have surveyed both switching students mentality : (strictly for P2)

1) Joe Fang to Haneef
They got overwhelmed at first since haneef talks a lot (all accounting talks). The method they got used to (quick calculation) was tested very early in the syllabus (consol part). Although they are not used to all the workings & explanation but most of them are very appreciative since this covers the loophole & gap in their knowledge & comprehension. As always he stressed on workings & explanation

2) Haneef to Joe Fang
They normally switched bcos they thought they need faster way to calculate & present (techniques) which Haneef normally reluctant to provide.
Most of them have easy transition in consol part but they have not grasp a better understanding in the standards part. Although its more exciting but thay feel that the lecturer has gone too practical while losing focus on the "gist" & key elements of standard. From his students comment i think they want to balance every a/c (which they normally did)

3) Keith Farmer students normally stick with him througthout F7 & P2 so nothing much to comment (he is equally balanced). Westerners tend not to specialise but goes for multi-skilled.

P3 : Alas this is the simplest but the hardest to express. There is no other lecturer (in my opinion & among other 400++) that he's the best in lecturing P3 in KL if no Malaysia. There are students who have come from Penang & melaka as well. Due to lack of other P3 lecturer in the vicinity his class has bben pumped by students from all over the place. However those who wished to slef study this paper is quite reasonable to do so.
Even Parmindar said so, his quote "depends on how you argue", "use professional english", "give popular real life example".
All of this depends on your knowledge & application.

Actually i got a glimpse of the class size of Parmindar p3 & it's roughly between 350 - 400. Maybe some stop on 2nd term or some don't come for combine class. Anyhow my point is to stress that the class size is huge by any standards.
I also never join Sheila class bcos of the thickness of notes & lecturing style.
I don't think Haneef its boring but the way he conducted the lecture designated it so :
He pumps in too much info = you got too much to remember & understand = you lose focus = you lose interest = you become zzzzz.

Speaking of CKF how does he conduct his revision class ? How many sessions ?

I ask the receptionist yesterday & they will probably present it on next monday. I just hope i will not have any clashes in revision class.

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Added on October 4, 2008, 11:01 amDoes he conduct normal class next sitting or just the revision class ?
Is Segi environment similar to KSA (not the student size) but the tables & chairs (is it very condensed) ?
I plan to take tax for option next sitting but i still need to ponder on the lecturer's issue.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Oct 4 2008, 11:01 AM

You must pass all core papers first to take optional papers by itself
If you failed either 1 core paper, you must take that core paper TOGETHER with your optional paper.
You can take optional as long as :
1) You have either passed all core paper OR
2) You pass partial of core papers but take thae failed core papers tohgehter with optional paper
(Eg : take P2 with P4 & P5) = 3 papers in one sitting

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Added on October 5, 2008, 6:15 pmThis situation like Keith farmer years ago.
I did experience "chair desk" at FTMS auditorium & i must say that it was not comfortable at all.
I have to refer to my NPV table, my calculator, question booklet & answer sheet all in one chair at the same time. I still wonder how i managed it last sitting ???.
Today i saw some students without a table at all at KSA auditorium for parmindar P3 class for 6 hours. My total respect for these people for dedication to study in an uncomfortable environment. I will expect A LOT WORSE in REVISION TIME. I think i will be lucky just to have a place to stand mind a seat.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Oct 5 2008, 06:15 PM

Anyhow P3 is going to be the last paper i'm going to take at KSA. Although its easy to make friends there but I am seriously demotivated everytime i study there. I think the centre critical success factor lies on its low fees structure & veteran lecturer they possessed.
Please correct me if i am wrong bcos after several sittings i have discovered a similar characteristics among majority of KSA lecturer :

1) They like to discuss about past year (how many sittings never came out, how many syllabus has not been tested)
This approach will keep the student focussed but it become too "exam orientated" : students normally pass with minimal marks.

2) They tend to be "off-focus" while teaching. I am sure most of you out there will be very familiar with the lecturer lifestyle, history, experience...etc. Its quite refreshing to hear some jokes occasionally but spend every 30 minutes of class time to do so.....sigh.

3) Since most are veteran lecturer, they tend to give out too much "practical example". This always happen in theory papers. They will spend >50% of the time giving too much emphasise on real life situation. Its perfectly fine but they tend to lose focus much on the core elements of the syllabus.

The centre itself can be considered the "air-asia" in ACCA provider. They provide "no frills" package to students (whree you only be given a chair, table & lecturer itself). Apart from that you only study,study,study....etc. In simple english, KSA is like a tuition centre. What KSA should do is to expand their centre to provide more comfortableness to students. The only reason i think they reluctant is like what happen to FTMS & Systematic (now SEGI) crumbling down without a trace.