like F4???
or calculation???

hi peeps, i am a STPM leaver and would like to do this ACCA but i am totally unfamiliar with it.

here are a few enquiries from me,

is it advisable that i take this ACCA program simultaneously what i am pursuing my economics degree? in your opinion can i cope it? (i am just a plain person with average IQ, and yeah, i have never study accounting before)

and also, when i undergo ACCA is it necessary i find a school? can i study myself?

futhermore, would it be an advantage if i possess economics degree with ACCA qualification? as i don't really see much interrelations between economics and accountancy.

if i obtained ACCA qualification, am i a qualified accountant? (i mean work in bigfour.. haha dont laugh at me, i am totally NEW!!)

and last question, is there a diffrent if i take ACCA in singapore or malaysia?

PS: you would be wondering why i dont take accountancy degree in the first hand, thats because i was offered economics instead.

thanks in advance!

1) Take degree & acca simultaneously
Its extremely difficult to study both different subjects together no matter how good that person are. Its not like STPM where you taking 2 different subjects its a whole new different league if you compared to taking a degree with professional qualification. Even with degree holder knowledge they still struggle with acca. Let me clarify something first.
ACCA is a post-graduate programme & its widely known its tougher than degree.
ACCA is a professional exam where examiners & markers are totally independent & your fees does not pressure them to pass you like most local college does.
The fact that you have never taken accounting before has already indicated its not suitable to venture into a deep pool without proper support.

2) School vs self study
Most will eventually find a school to study since its pretty difficult to study alone without any proper focus, guidance & scope.
Self study is meant more for those that already owned a degree or have considerable experience on this field.

3) Advantageous vs synergy
There are bound to be benefits if you hold 2 different qualifications. If you hold knowledge in 2 different field it will be very advantageous in some way or another but the key issue lies with synergy. I don't see any significant synergy in combining accounting & economics. If you are opening up a biz then you need some business expertise & accounting foundation. If you are an engineer / doctor planning to open up a firm then taking up MBA or accounting its also beneficial. I'm sorry if it dues to my ignorance but I don't really see any point in taking 2 together.
If you want to choose, you should only choose the ONE THAT YOU WANT.

4) Experience
If you obtained acca you need to work for 3 years to gain the recognition status as "Chartered accountant" from UK & you can also apply the local one called MIA. Obtaining local degree only can apply for MIA. If you have high IQ & EQ + you are performing quite well in acca (less failure & consistent rate) then there should be no reason for Big4 to reject your application (unless you are being greedy with salary & post)

5) Place of exam
Its same wherever you take your acca since all people around the world are taking the same exam paper. Thats why the graduate gained better recognition than degree holder bcos degree quality is based on where you obtained it (some place have quota, domestic bias, money policy...etc).
The principle is something like this : You can take wherever you want & you can work wherever you want once you obtained it.

6) Offer
If you are being offered something you don't want don't take it or you will regret it for the rest of your life. If you have a clear objective then pursue it straightaway without further ado. I take it you are beign offered to do economics in public Uni.

Let me introduce you of some basic principle in education :
Easy to get in, easy to get out : Mostly private college that charge premium fees for their course. (mostly are non-profession)
Hard to get in, easy to get out : Mostly public uni that offered profession courses.
Easy to get in, hard to get out : Professional qualifications based in UK : they want foreign student income you see.
Hard to get in, hard to get out : Professional qualification based in US : they want to bar foreign student as they already have too much influx.

hi Topace111, thanks for the prompt and detailed reply! you cleared all my doubts!

what if i get the offer to study accountancy in UPM? can i work for big4? i heard someone said i dont have to go for ACCA? he advised me to take ACCA only after my graduation.

or should i just quit my degree and enrol TARC or sunway?

Topace, you post some interesting answer. However, is it really true you will have no disadvantage if let say, you decide to study ACCA in UK/Singapore (there are some paper with UK/Singapore variant) and then want to come back and work in malaysia. I mean, surely what you learn and tested in these paper are different from each variant right?

I'm thinking of going to UK and study ACCA for a while there but definitely want to work here in Malaysia. But I'm really concerned with the issue above. What do you think?

Firms like Big4 needs Skilled but low paid workers so they constantly needs influx of fresh graduates. If your PR skill is good then you can definitely enter into big4. Although the name should sound glamourous but I should warn you about something :
1) Working hours is extremely long in MYS big 4 : We don't have strong workers union that protects workers right in MYS & working from 9 am to 1 am is not unheard of especially in peak period.
2) pay is always low for graduates that doesn't have title / experience.
3) High dropout rate / labour turnover : very few can survive under harsh situation which is why they are quite strict in interview to filter those that are not well equipped for such culture. However they do need a lot of good graduates.

If financial limitation doesn't apply to you / parents pressure to enter public Uni doesnt arise then its good to pursue acca straightaway.
But seriously I don't think anyone should pursue acca straightaway if you have option to do degree. The reason many can join acca even most are recommended to do so after degree its bcos acca set a very low requirement for admission. Therefore the gap of intelligence between students are quite large notwithstanding the amount of effort is different depending where you actually take them.

Personally I don't think you should quit your degree after all the efforts you put in STPM. If you have degree later on you will be exempted for certain papers in ACCA & only take around 1 to 1.5 years to complete instead of 3. Then you will come out with double qualification.
That is assuming you have time to spare & to wait.

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Added on May 16, 2009, 10:17 amThe advantage will exist if you decide to work in the country that you are currently studying. My assumptions is based on MYS first. There is only 2 paper that applies 2 different variant in acca which is law & tax. Apart from that some papers like finance & reporting applies different stream.

If you definitely want to work in MYS but studying in UK this point really confuse me a little bit. First of all the tax & law system is different. Then the culture of study there is also quite different. Instead of taking 2-3 papers per sitting in MYS , their culture is taking 4 paper per year not per sitting. Thats why western graduates later than most asian one as they put a lot of learning into their studies not just merely passing the paper.

Unless you have relatives living there I don't think the cost of education, living & accomodation will suit most normal students.

This post has been edited by Topace111: May 16 2009, 10:17 AM

9am to 3am, is not unheard of. I've done that the whole of this week.

Yeah, i have some relatives over there. I'm kinda stressed out right now and want to have a change of environment. Maybe for 1 term or maximum 2 terms only. After that will come back to Malaysia. Because I know this guy that did his part1 and part2 here in Malaysia and want to finish his part3 in UK, that's why I tried to ask your opinion. Couldn't ask him since he's rarely online.

I'm kinda stressed so go online few minutes after hours of study. Next week onwards I will be mostly unavailable too. Now is nearing exam time so I think most will be studying.
If you study acca in uk it should be easier & more relaxable since the lecturers there are "quite close to the source" & the fact that all of the examiners are residing there.

I don't think you will be coming back to MYS after enjoying some stint in Uk. Some of my current classmates have already set their sight on leaving MYS for Singapore (relatives factor is also important)

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Added on May 16, 2009, 10:26 pmYou have my utmost respect for endurance

This post has been edited by Topace111: May 16 2009, 10:26 PM

hello guys,erm i'm interested in taking acca and i've just finished my spm last year, right now i got scholarship from mara to study oversea for perakaunan(PILN,Program Ijazah Luar Negara) while my fren got the same scholarship and it says CAT-ACCA.she'll be studying CAT at Kolej Poly-tech MARA n i'll be making A-level at Kolej MARA...

my question is, how long does it takes for both courses and where will they send us to?how many paper that i can skip to get ACCA certificate? in the application form it says either UK or AUS ...


thanks in advance

Thanks Topace. Appreciate your insight very much.


If you are really interested with ACCA why don't you try to change to the same course as your friend as well? Unless you're not sure whether you want to do ACCA, then maybe it's better to do degree first.

As for your question, the most you can apply for exemption is 9, however, it depends on how your degree syllabus correlate with ACCA syllabus and also whether your university is recognized by ACCA or not (I think so). But if you really want to take degree first and then ACCA, better go UK.

For CAT->ACCA route, generally it takes around 3 years to complete. As for your case, A-Level usually last for one and half year and then another 3 years for degree.

thx 4 the reply,i've heard that taking CAT and then ACCA is hard...so im planning to take degre first..and you will have nothing if you failed the paper and end up starting all over again...its quite risky..how trues is this?

i do some googling and found this http://sifu2b.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/aka...-apa-kata-anda/.

it says that youll be having difficulties to find any jobs by using a degree because you have to compete with others who have ACCA or ACCA-CAT..anyone can clarify this?.and what so special by working with the big 4??

not to mention that i got Fast Track in UiTM,meaning that i can complete dip in 2 and a half years & 2years for degree..


which one is better in terms of validity of the certificate...


bolded the q's,

may i know where is the best place to study acca (part time)

This post has been edited by itsmeefund: May 17 2009, 11:52 PM

Guys , need ur help !!

PAPER P1

Evaluate /Assess / Criticise /Comment etc etc

How to write on these ??

Any lecturer give guildelines on these ??

Its the examiner favourite style of asking P1 question.
It means write BOTH sides of the answer lo.
It can either be :
1) Agree with the statement and disagree with the statement
2) Advantages and disadvantages

This post has been edited by Topace111: May 18 2009, 09:36 PM

Wishes all the best to all ACCA student who is going to have their exam this june.

I thought CRITICISE more on Disadvantage

Anyone selling P6-P9 books for December 08 sitting? Kindly PM me

Most of the time will be "evaluate" or "assess".
Examiner roughly ask for "criticise" since it will become rather straightforward for student to answer. The higher level you progressed the less direct the question will be. The reason bcos examiner want to know how much the student can assess the whole scenario.
If they do only ask "criticise" or "support" only then you need to elaborate more since examiner has been very clear with requirement.

Check Pilot paper to see his style.
Sometimes some student fail not bcos of their own incapability but their method of answering question is different from examiner preferred style.
F8 examiner likes table & columns. P3 examiner likes numbering / sequencing. P1 examiner likes student to point out all general pointers before moving to application. These small details can easily determine one's fate in exam.

anyone have tips on P3 & P4. I'm self study and need it urgently. tolong.

This post has been edited by wkf: May 19 2009, 10:05 PM