All ACCA students naturally look to get tips on the expected topics that will be tested in their exam. That’s no different for students sitting my exam – ACCA AFM.
Nothing can replace covering the full syllabus, working relevant past exam questions and doing proper mock exams which are marked/corrected. This is the foundation to success.
However, not withstanding this, in ACCA AFM they are not going to test every part of the syllabus. That’s impossible in a 3 x question exam. So focusing on what is expected to be tested is understandable.
But, how do you work out what is likely to arise in the exam ? It’s not easy for sure, but let me shed some light on the approach I follow.
The starting point is to know those topics that must be tested (to some extent) in every exam. In ACCA AFM, we have two of those – AIA (with/with out Options) and Risk Management.
Then you must consider other topics which have appeared so many times that they are almost the “third musketeer” joining the two above. That is business valuations with or without corporate reconstructions.
You must look at the “cyclical subjects”. Those that get tested on a semi regular basis, but the pattern indicates it’s got a chance in the next exam.
The exam quarter is a factor for sure. Past patterns indicate this.
Think about when the exam questions were written. What was happening in the world of business and finance then. That’s an influence for sure.
It’s a fallacy to think “it came up last time and won’t be tested next time “. That’s simply not true.
Finally, the fact that there are several exams and not one ACCA AFM exam you have to cast your net wider. That’s why I incorporate my exam tips in the two mocks etc that I have written. I also make the exams at the upper end of the exam challenge.
Trying to get into the examiners mind is an art not a science. (Where I have heard that before). But, this is how I approach this task.
