I’m One Week Away From Exams. Where Do I Focus?
Here are our 5 top tips for feeling confident in your final week before exam/s.
Trainees sometimes need guidance from Accountancy Hub when they are one week away from their exam/s. At this stage, it’s not about learning everything — it’s about maximising marks, consolidating what you know, and minimising risk.
1. Prioritise High-Yield Topics
Every syllabus has certain areas that always show up AND one or two topics which hold the MAJORITY of the marks in the exam.
Focus on:
High-mark topics e.g. In ICAEW’s SBM, Business Strategy and Management is 30-40% of the marks. Spend a significant portion of your last week looking at questions which include Business Strategy and Management.
Core principles (e.g., consolidation basics, tax computations, variance analysis, audit procedures, financial reporting standards).
Areas where you can get methodical marks even if the question is tough.
👉 At this point, don’t chase obscure topics.
2. Do Exam-Style Questions
The best return on time this week is:
Past papers
Mock exams
Question bank timed sections
And importantly:
Mark your own work carefully
Identify patterns in your mistakes
Create a short one-page sheet called “Mistakes I Must Not Make” — this alone can gain you 5–10 marks.
3. Focus on Technique, Not Just Knowledge
A huge % of marks in accountancy exams come from:
Setting out workings clearly
Showing professional judgment
Using proformas accurately
Time-boxing questions and moving on when the time is up
4. Protect Your Brain: Sleep, Nutrition, Energy
The week before exams is like a taper before a marathon.
Try to have:
7–8 hours sleep minimum
Eat steady, slow-release foods (oats, eggs, high-protein snacks)
Avoid 8-hour cramming marathons
Aim for 3–5 hour blocks of smart study per day
Your brain does half of the “processing” during sleep.
5. Mentally Rehearse Exam-Day Strategy
Know before you enter the exam:
Your order of questions
Your time per question and part-question
What to do if you panic
How to handle a question you don’t understand (→ move on fast and come back)
Confidence = marks.
The final week is NOT for:
Cramming new, complex topics
Rewriting your notes
Avoiding the questions you find most difficult
Comparing yourself to others (as challenging as that might be!)
