ACCA Students.

crappyz

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eh crappyz u did bsc business uol at unisim or? what made u took acca after u got ur degree? in ur opinion, is bsc business easier than acca? oh and after u graduated from the bsc business course did u get any exemptions from any acca modules?
not sim
took during final year
didnt want to apply exemption
 

supzfier

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i took my uol at sim. unisim is another degree at sim.

my opinion is that it cannot be compared, uol is a degree, acca is a professional qualification.

The approach to degree and professional qualification is different, i provided some info on the difference
 

TeenieBopper

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i think alot of people should know that a professional qualification is known to be harder then a degree....due to alot of factors
 

PPPPPPP

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agree that acca and a degree both require different sets of skills and hence are not comparable. however, in my opinion, yes, a professional qualification is indeed more difficult to attain than a degree due to the following factors:-

1) acca is 100% written based examination whereas a degree comprises of various components (e.g. project 20%, common test 20%, written based exam 60%). furthermore, each component may not cover the entire syllabus (e.g. common test only on 30% of the syllabus). the risk of failing is hence diversified.

2) there is no supplementary paper for the acca exam whereas certain universities allow their students to sit for a supplementary paper if, for example, their grades are in the 45%-49% range.

3) in certain universities that i know of, the foreign examiner drops hints to students as to which chapter is tested (some even tell students to omit a particular chapter altogether). although certain experienced lecturers may provide insights to what may be tested in the acca exam, they are not absolutely accurate, afterall, they aren't the examiner.

4) I can't be entirely certain on this point but i don't think acca moderates their papers. a majority of university degrees perform moderation using the bell curve.

p.s. the above factors are merely suggestive but not conclusive.
 

supzfier

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just quoting myself in an earlier post

"I would not compare ACCA LVL 3 / Professional level in this discussion because it is at a higher level than any of the uni acc degree (including local uni, no doubt, if you wonder, because i have asked local uni lecturers / ntu alumni who has become lecturer) P1 P3 may not be, but P4 P5 P6 P7 P2 must surely be at a higher level than uni degree levels
 

jookee

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Hi guys. I'm gonna take the F1, 2 and 3 exams at the end of this year. I'm suppose to make the registration now. I've to decide to take either the paper-based exam(PBE) or the computer-based exam(CBE).

Q1: Which one do you guys think its better? CBE or PBE?
Q2: What are the pros & cons of CBE? Will I get the result on the spot if i do CBE?
Q3: As I'm new to ACCA, just to find out... for each paper attempted, will we be given grading like A, B, C, etc, or score? Or just mere pass/fail?

Thanks alot!
 

garytanbw

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Can I ask something here? Since ACCA is equivalent to a degree, Why do ppl still taking degree in Acctg in SIM or UOL? I understand degree in Acctg from NUS/ SMU (local Uni) are good and can get CPA also...
 

Petrelli_83

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Can I ask something here? Since ACCA is equivalent to a degree, Why do ppl still taking degree in Acctg in SIM or UOL? I understand degree in Acctg from NUS/ SMU (local Uni) are good and can get CPA also...

ACCA's a qualification, not really equivalent to a degree. Beyond level 2, it's supposedly harder than a normal degree. And it's passing rates are dismal, so technically, the standards are higher. But ACCA is pure accounting, and not as well rounded as the curriculum in NTU/SMU, where general electives and core electives such as calculus, art, history etc are offered alongside the usual rigor. Besides, accounting degrees are usually easier to complete since there is a lot of moderation going on. SIM-UOL in Accountancy is a good degree, and the merit of its curriculum undisputed, but it's still a private degree after all, there's a stigma associated with private degrees that the students who enrol are of a lower quality, since the entry requirements are much lower than the local grads. Whether it's true or not is controversial, and i'm want to emphasize that is not my view and i believe the quality of a person is not determined by his or her grades.

Hence, People would take the ACCA to strengthen their resume. For example, there was talk in the forums that big 4 don't give a lot of recognition to UOL acctg degrees, and would actually give priority to ACCA holders. But then again, ACCA without a proper degree is detrimental to career progression. Yet, a private degree without ACCA makes it hard to get into Big 4.
 
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ACCA's a qualification, not really equivalent to a degree. Beyond level 2, it's supposedly harder than a normal degree. And it's passing rates are dismal, so technically, the standards are higher. But ACCA is pure accounting, and not as well rounded as the curriculum in NTU/SMU, where general electives and core electives such as calculus, art, history etc are offered alongside the usual rigor. Besides, accounting degrees are usually easier to complete since there is a lot of moderation going on. SIM-UOL in Accountancy is a good degree, and the merit of its curriculum undisputed, but it's still a private degree after all, there's a stigma associated with private degrees that the students who enrol are of a lower quality, since the entry requirements are much lower than the local grads. Whether it's true or not is controversial, and i'm want to emphasize that is not my view and i believe the quality of a person is not determined by his or her grades.

Hence, People would take the ACCA to strengthen their resume. For example, there was talk in the forums that big 4 don't give a lot of recognition to UOL acctg degrees, and would actually give priority to ACCA holders. But then again, ACCA without a proper degree is detrimental to career progression. Yet, a private degree without ACCA makes it hard to get into Big 4.

so it is harder than degree?
 

pentium69

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ACCA's a qualification, not really equivalent to a degree. Beyond level 2, it's supposedly harder than a normal degree. And it's passing rates are dismal, so technically, the standards are higher. But ACCA is pure accounting, and not as well rounded as the curriculum in NTU/SMU, where general electives and core electives such as calculus, art, history etc are offered alongside the usual rigor. Besides, accounting degrees are usually easier to complete since there is a lot of moderation going on. SIM-UOL in Accountancy is a good degree, and the merit of its curriculum undisputed, but it's still a private degree after all, there's a stigma associated with private degrees that the students who enrol are of a lower quality, since the entry requirements are much lower than the local grads. Whether it's true or not is controversial, and i'm want to emphasize that is not my view and i believe the quality of a person is not determined by his or her grades.

Hence, People would take the ACCA to strengthen their resume. For example, there was talk in the forums that big 4 don't give a lot of recognition to UOL acctg degrees, and would actually give priority to ACCA holders. But then again, ACCA without a proper degree is detrimental to career progression. Yet, a private degree without ACCA makes it hard to get into Big 4.

so it is harder than degree?

for ****s sake. read
 

Biogentic

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how to compare whether a degree is harder or a professional qualification???
degree you have those irrelevant modules towards your subject of study like ettiqute, IT knowledge, other languages, etc...

whereas acca whole contents or subjects are all about accounting knowledge... u can only compare a particular modules in university to the equivalent of acca. example financial accounting in uni compared to that of financial reporting standard or corporate reporting.
 

garytanbw

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Advices

Currently a saf regular. 29 and intending to do a switch in career. Planning to take ACCA. At my age now, is it a major disadvantage to me in this line? planning to go auditing. Have been really considering about it. Require some advices here. Thanks.
 

Biogentic

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Currently a saf regular. 29 and intending to do a switch in career. Planning to take ACCA. At my age now, is it a major disadvantage to me in this line? planning to go auditing. Have been really considering about it. Require some advices here. Thanks.

i think u read back a few pages, it is considered quite old to start audit at over 30yrs old.
 

Zandon

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Currently a saf regular. 29 and intending to do a switch in career. Planning to take ACCA. At my age now, is it a major disadvantage to me in this line? planning to go auditing. Have been really considering about it. Require some advices here. Thanks.

assuming if u graduate the least possible time, say 2yrs, u would be 31.

my friend told me in his firm (one of the big4), there are entry level that are 30+. BUT i do not know if they have accounting background or what kind of attributes that make the firms wanna hire them.

few days ago i attended this seminar organised by AISS abt finding job, a partner of KPMG said they do consider exp people who want to switch job. This is because they do have some soft skills required.

However, having said that, u cant place all ur bet and think u will get into the big firms for sure.

What i can advise u is to go finish ur ACCA asap, and be alert about job openings. Working while studying is another alternative, but there are sacrifices to be made.
 

Petrelli_83

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I won't advise that you completely switch out of SAF. But i would certainly advise that you take up a professional qualification to enhance your skillsets, and ACCA is certainly one of the best (and cheapest) bets around. I'm pretty sure SAF has internal control departments (outside of the secret police, of course) that could use some internal auditors. That way, u won't suffer too heavy an impact on your current salary.
 
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