Pros :
1) FCCA lecturer (a lot of experience)
2) Teach the calculation portion of P2 quite well
3) Small class size making studier more comprehensive

Cons :
1) Examples used in explaining standard can be confusing at times (to certain people)
2) "Not so good" handwriting.

Since he had the experience he will use practical examples to illustrate some of the standards.
One thing I notice is that practical experience is strictly less useful in P2 compared to other papers because practical always deviate from the theory sense. My P2 lecturer constantly lecture on the difference of examiner requirement & practical differences.
I have not attended his class before so I cannot quote any direct examples.
What I have been telling you is the general feedback from students.

For professional paper I will recommend to give as many key pointers as possible & elaborate on those pointers.
For 15 marks my advice is to write for least 2 page of answers.
I think 5 main problems will be enough : 1m for bringing the key pointer, 1m for theory explanation (general) & 1m for application to case.
I dont think there is a model for such answer on rewards (correct me if i am mistaken).
In my Dec 08 sitting there is similar question like that on last question which touch something on performance based remuneration.
However such question is like P1 so i am not sure how they will mark it.

It seems you really like andrew pang by putting P4 as a must for your selection
Okay here is an advice a lecturer (few lecturers) gave me for P4. Do not use your F9 marks as a yardstick for P4 since both paper is very different in terms of scope & exposure. The things you need to calculate in F9 you need to be 3x times faster in P4 for example.

Please ignore pass rates for P4 as its the deadliest paper in optional if not entire acca. You can go to Mco & look at their mark for top scorer (50 I think). My advice is please complete all your core papers before doing any optionals. I had known somebody through someone else that after doing badly for P4 he has also lose confidence in core papers & squandered them as well.

Case 2 out of question since you need to complete or taking your optional paper with all due core papers. For case 1 its acceptable but are you serious about this ? Part 3 is not like part 2 anymore & taking 4 professional paper is strictly not recommended. I have never seen / heard anyone taking 4 Professional papers. & pass all of them.

However I think you are more interested in the comparison of Andrew & Daniel.
I have a classmate who have attended andrew pang class before & i always had discussion with her about both lecturer performance. Then I also approached other classmates who have attended andrew class b4 & gathered their views.

I think you are already familiar with Andrew's methods so I will focus more on Daniel for convenience sake (or else it can span more than 1000 words). First of all :
1) Student feedback from Andrew class (opinion from > 10 ex students)
- He didn't really teach the theory portion of finance (which is very important), he only highlight for student to read back at home.
- He has many fast & good techniques of the calculational portion of finance, but normally exam only required a few.
- He is not patient enough when dealing with finance questions by students during class session or break time or after class.
- His class fees is quite low compared to Daniel's.

2) Student feedback about Daniel class (opinion from > 15 ex & current student)
Personal note : I noticed a lot of students in Daniel class have attended andrew class before so i left the issued of WHY to you.
- Daniel will cover the theory portion with student by discussing the key & fundamental areas, although its not in depth but at least he will explain it in class.
- In contrast with Andrew many & fast technique, Daniel focus on format & systematic. For each question he has devised his own format which is very simple to understand & comprehend even if you have not attended his class in F9 before. He practice a step by step approach by gaining all the minimum & easy marks b4 venturing into difficult part. In that way you will at least gain some marks even if you dont understand the question.
- A very patient & friendly lecturer, I think this is the one point agreed by most of his students. He will answer every question during class sessions & during break time. You will see a very lively class in which every student will actively participate by asking questions. Actually of all the lecturers I have been through, his class is the liveliest once since you dont need to incite the phrase of "Any question b4 i move along". In Parmindar class I hear it hundreds of times & no one dare / will ask any questions.
- FTMS college is really conducive for study & the environment is really stress free (the lecturers is another issue). You dont have to grab seats or compete with another person for it. The seats & chairs are really comfortable compared to KSA. Since you have attended Phillip class you will know what I am talking about.
- Like most chinese lecturers his english is not perfect or fluent compared to the likes of Parmindar or Haneef.
- Like Parmindar (both are close friends actually) he likes to boast about himself in a funny way (why you need to pay premium for his class instead of discount.....etc) Most of my friends find it funny & relaxing but there is always one who may dislike it which is why I always put "MOST" not "ALL".

Strictly speaking in this forum most prefer Daniel class & most of my friends (both his student , ex-andrew student, none) also prefer him. I will not say who is better or perfect for the paper but it just depends on what you seek or suit your style. However Daniel will most likely quit FTMS soon which is why many on this forum are seeking where is his next destination.

Ok since everyone had very little idea about Mr Chan I have scout around for information & very little are willing to share info much.
From what i can deduced, this is what information i can gather (anybody can correct me if i am wrong).
- he has taught for at least 10 years.
- a conventional lecturer (old school). Heard he doesnt allow students to eat or talk in his class. Very serious lecturer. Doesnt like students that dozed off (literally sleep in the class)........., you normal school teacher attitude. Some students like the environment while others may not.
- Heard from a student he can spent an entire class on just one question of P4 (i am not surprised if anyone have attended P4).

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Added on June 18, 2009, 3:52 pmThats a very strong combo for core papes but but I have doubts for optional. It seems that Chow has been shifting around finance & PM for every sitting. During my sitting at FTMS he taught F5 only. Then at Mco he taught P5 only. The last sitting he taught F9 & P5. Now he will be teaching P4. I am really losing some focus here. That Ian lim lecturer has been teaching whatever subjects Chow doesnt want to teach which consist of F5, F9, P4 or P5.

Somebody told me from the past that Phillip Woo does teach business last time (now is called P3).

This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 18 2009, 03:52 PM

Choose based on lecturer would be the best if you can afford & willing to go to 3 different college.
For example (to be fair to 3 college) :
P1 : Phillip woo (taylor)
P2 : menon (sunway)
P3 : Michael M (inti)

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Added on June 19, 2009, 10:28 amSeriously though I have not met one college that condemn their own lecturers. CIMA is not ACCA enough said.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 19 2009, 10:28 AM

So let say you flung F5 then you have to sacrifice either P1 or F5.
if you choose to continue with P1, then you can take F5 next sitting with another 2 optional paper.
If you choose to take F5 instead of P1 then you need to resit P1 for next sitting with another 2 optional paper.
My advice is stick with P1 even if you did not make it for F5 since you can take optional paper P5 which is very similar with F5.

However since you have preference for both P6 & P7 then need to adjust a little bit.
What I can say is it is not safe to use fundamental papers marks as yardstick or benchmark against professional papers (especially optional).
This is what I can deduce :
F5 with P5 : Both papers are very similar hence (F5 toughest in f papers & P5 easiest in P papers)

F6 with P6 : Both are very different paper as what are tested in F6 wont be tested in P6 (very minimal if did tested). What you learn in P6 is like not add-on like P2 but something totally different since examiner felt if you choose tax as option you need to be more generalised. Hence the scope of tax will get bigger which will cover unit trust, investment holding, regional hubs,.....etc.

F8 with P7 : Both are very different again but not in terms of syllabus like tax but in the format of answering & presentation. F8 examiner stress on format rather than knowledge hence student with work experience may suffer in F8 (wide difference in theory vs practical). However student with working experience in assurance line will benefit in P7. You need to have "business sense" from P3 & good grasp on financial standards from P2. A lecturer told me student who have never worked b4 or lack general knowledge should avoid taking this paper.

F9 with P4 : F9 is subset of P4 since you need all the F9 foundations to do well in P4. F9 normally focus on 1 scenario at a time. P4 brach out those scenario into a "What if" circumstances. So student need to understand everything there is to know or they wont even know how to start. Suffice to say, avoid this paper at all cost unless you are interested in banking.

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Added on June 19, 2009, 3:58 pmI have seen the examiner blog & most student are also confused with his objective.
However i can roughly deduce that he has used a very different book for reference (not BPP or Kaplan) which has sparked the uproar of many students. But you gotta admire those students since they are more interested with knowledge rather than passing. Most petition to have a lower pass rate. Anyway the examiner is in a cheery mood. Some of my classmates bombarded the survey with negative feedbacks about finance.

I was also at Daniel class too, where do you sit ?


This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 19 2009, 03:58 PM

I doubt anyone can since he has not conducted normal class for a long time.
I remember that last time P3 case study question is very general & had ambiguous requirement. Use wrong model / framework then you will most probably flung the paper. Just imagine so many models but can only apply one to the question.

Michael has been known to teach sound technic on how to approach such question. Like case 1 use A model, case 2 use B model.....etc.
Yep i admit not many will find KL convenient unless your areas is in around Kl or connected by LRT.
I had many friends from Setapak, Puchong, Kepong & Damansara & they complain every time when we had night class (which is all the time in optional class). Then another group from Melaka (imagine 2 hours trip to & from Kl for classes)

In Kl you can literally skip all classes & nobody will even care about it.
If i am not mistaken ACCA offers maximum exemption for all fundamental papers & all graduates are required to sit for 3 core + 2 optional professional paper. Any graduates cannot attempt optional until they cleared core papers which is P1, P2 & P3.

P4 finance the killer paper of all optional paper with pass rate around 30% to 40% but that applies to world rate. In MYS its not unheard of to have only 1 student pass out of 30 or 40 student. P5 is slightly easier. P4 & P5 does linked to the fundamental papers which is F5 for P5 & F9 for P4.

First of all you have not attend any of those fundamental class that linked to the professional option that you wish to take.
If you wish to disclose more info on what you learned in degree, perhaps I can compare your course & acca syllabus. (it will take a while though)
You can pm me if you wish.

2 experienced lecturer will be at KDU & Kasturi.

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Added on June 22, 2009, 6:51 pmPlease refer 1st post for recommended lecturers. Link below :
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/987309

This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 22 2009, 06:51 PM

If the company outside MYS is a branch, subsidiary or an office of Petronas in MYS then its still liable to MYS tax.
If its not (unrelated company) then most probably you will attract foreign tax. The issue is whether you are protected by Double Tax agreement. If not then you have to pay double tax. If you are protected then you will only suffer the foreign tax (Sing : 6%) instead of MYS 28%.

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Added on June 23, 2009, 2:41 pmDifferent mentor will provide different guidance on the topics you choose to pursue.
Mentor like Andrew Pang will foucs on topics on performance measure while others like Parmindar will focus on topics like business.
Andrew should cost around Rm 1xxx while Parmindar around RM 2xxx.

I dont think pass rates is important for OBU since its the grades which matter more like A, B or C. Anyway will the grades affect your OBU class at the first place ?

This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 23 2009, 02:41 PM

Ok since everybody wants to know whether daniel ho is teaching or not in Dec09 sitting so I take the liberty to directly email him , this is his reply :

"so sorry to everyone in KL, im taking a 6 months break in KL, so im not able to teach december 2009 examination. thanks for your query thought, hope everything is ok."

If no DTA agreement then he have to pay both MYS & foreign tax, since this case foreign tax is nil then only liable to MYS tax.
Normally in tax haven country like British Virgin Island you will hear such things.
But in MYS its hard to avoid tax especially if you are in GLC.

You are asking this for educational or practical purpose ?
Bcos in P6 we normally learn how to handle people that avoid tax with anti-avoidance provision not the other way around (although in real life its exactly the opposite). Sadly my experience is not enough to give opinion on how to manage such things

I did not take under Phillip Woo b4.
But I have shared some experience with those who does & I can say he is a very experienced lecturer with plenty of practical experience to share.
His class is a combined class with double periods in weekends. For those whom are familiar with KL centres culture that will be the worst case scenario that can befallen upon anyone (especially KSA). Then there is the fact that he really likes to spot for exam during revision class.
Apart from these 2 frequent complains I always heard about, one should not missed his class at all.
However his notes are very very thick & students need to be hardworking to read & make their own notes or they will find his class too cumbersome to handle. Since there are plenty of alternative lecturer for this 2 paper I choose not to take it at KSA. (everyone knows how i felt about the environment there, no offence to anyone though).

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Added on June 23, 2009, 10:51 pmI think there is a way I could think of (but not so sure).
First the problem arise bcos the work is incidental to work in MYS hence taxable as employment income (deemed derived from MYS).
So an alternative is to work for the subsidiary instead (a straight transfer) by signing another contract of employment.
The problem is whether how long he is actually working there (if its periodic then it will not be advisable)

I would normally recommend dividend or share based payment but I dont think normal employee would receive such benefits that easily since such arrangements only works if you have plenty of money or working as a senior executive.

This post has been edited by Topace111: Jun 23 2009, 10:51 PM

All optional class would normally be at night since 90% of the students are part time students & its pointless to run fulltime class which only aters to less than 5 students. With exception of sunway I dont think you will many places conducting optional class at morning or afternoon.

My recommendation with P6 lecturer is to stick with your respective F6 lecturer.
Apart from Chin Ann & Alan Yeo there is also Siva Nair who is one of the current P6 markers.
One thing that students should prepared for P6 is that all lecturers alreasy assumed student with good grasp on F6 syllabus & foundation.
Another thing is that P6 area is too wide & do not be surprised if lecturer skip & sacrifice some topic & those topic came out in exam.
Like my sitting things that never tested for more than 10 sittings still came out as major questions.

For tax lecturer will normally go very fast & students should adjust quickly or risk losing focus in class. Tax is not difficult if handled separately. However when you have finished your classes & begin to revise, it will become too much for students to handle in the end.

For each lecturer I will identified their strongest point :
Alan : Has practical working experience (has his own tax firm)
Siva : P6 marker & have good contact / network with examiner Richard Thornton (he always mentioned that in class)
Chin Ann : Teaching tax for T9 (CAT), F6 & P6 so he can adjust himself to suit student needs in different area of tax.

RE & RI class are only applicable to Parmindar P3 students.
RE means he will only cover exam technics in class & strategy in answering question based on past year questions as reference.
RI means he will cover the core areas of P3 by summarising his normal class notes.

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Added on June 26, 2009, 9:45 pmPart 2 is slightly higher than advance diploma but slightly less than bachelors degree (depends on which uni) so best to stick with advance diploma for prudence purpose unless you want to impressed the prospective employer.

Unless you have fulfilled 3 year PER requirement we are not certified or chartered yet.

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Added on June 26, 2009, 9:55 pmIf you have work experience & quite senior then Siva would be suitable for P6 but if you are still fresh & forgotten most about tax then Chin Ann would be more suitable.

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Added on June 26, 2009, 10:08 pmI think sunway wants to milked as much as money as possible from acca division as they still can since they are no longer have the competitive advantage like last time with factors like departure of good lecturers, acca current objective to make scoring impossible, emergence of new competitors like taylor, inti, et al & among others. Since these agreements are between willing parties no student can blame the college for raising its fees if they still wish to pursue it there.

Anyway how much a student choose to spend on their education depends on their own wisdom as well. Do you want spend 4x market rate for the same content, I think students are wise enough to decide. Real life analogy can be like MAS vs AirAsia, PS3 vs WII, Iraq football squad with MYS one, etc. Anyway no matter where you study the end always justify the means. If you did well in acca they dont really care how & where you achieved it.

All that said its just "a" qualification.

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

Generally recommended books will be BPP & Kaplan.
However if you want direct from the source you should buy books written by Johnson & Scholes since examiner used their works heavily in P3.

The thing you "need" to know about P3 is quite small since you are only required to be familiar with universal model like SWOT & PESTEL.
However you "should" know a lot of things if you want to get through P3 smoothly. Technically all business books can be relevant.
For P3 is best to stick with a lecturer for guidance on key topic so revision (IRC) is good enough.
However its also beneficial to quote practical experience from lecturers example which will easily impress marker about professionalism.
I think you can scout around for MBA books too if you are interested.
If you want I can PM key topics about P3 for guidance.