Please could you tell us a little bit about your background and why you chose to study accountancy? Was there anything that triggered your decision? Can you explain why you chose ACCA?
I have been at Baker Perkins Ltd for 5 years following on from achieving a BA (Hons) degree from Nottingham Trent University in Economics, Finance & Banking. Following on from my placement year at Baker Perkins I was pushed toward accountancy and chose to study with ACCA as my old manager suggested that it would be the most beneficial for my job role.
Tell us a bit about your studies? Did you have any challenges that you had to overcome?
My revision game plan has always been to start revision exactly one month before my exam, then spend a couple of hours a day going through past questions as well as reading the model answers. I start by picking questions from all topics and choosing those that I think look easier. Then look to pick the harder questions closer to the exam. Always remember it is important to maintain a work/life/study balance.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting their studies in accountancy?
It’s a long but rewarding journey, for me personally I think that it starts off difficult but as the exams go on you begin to understand the terminology and exam technique and they tend to improve.
Congratulations on becoming a Global Prize Winner! Were you surprised? Were you hoping to become a global prize winner?
I was surprised I thought that the exam went well when I sat it, then upon seeing my grade I realised there was a chance that I could be the prize winner. I never planned on becoming the prize winner, however, I go into every exam aiming for 100%.
What do you think it takes to become a Global Prize Winner?
I think that a large part of becoming the prize winner is luck, in every exam you have strong topics and weak topics, so if you get an exam that favours the strong topics there is always a chance.
Can you pick out any highlights from the AAA course? What did you like the most about it?
No particular highlights, but I found the course as a whole a nice pace with plenty of chances for question practice. There was a good selection of students who contributed which I feel helps to improve the course and allows very different ideas to be shared.
So, what are your plans for the future?
I plan on hopefully completing my final exam in June, then once that is completed I get to enjoy no more exams, I’ve got a holiday in August then I can begin to start house hunting!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Contributing in the courses is such a big help when it comes to exams, it allows yourself and also others to build up an arsenal of different techniques for tackling questions. Furthermore reviewing the answers at the back of the question books allow you to understand the less popular answers to questions and also the typical layout which I believe helps to aid the exam itself.
Congratulations from FI!
Thanks Mark, you have been a pleasure to have as an FI student and we’re incredibly proud of what you have achieved!
Aaron Mortlock, FI Cambridge Tutor, said “I am so pleased for Mark. He showed dedication to his studies throughout the courses I taught him; this dedication has paid off immensely with this fantastic award.”
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