“I can’t believe it’s this hard to qualify!”
“I cried through many of my BPP classroom sessions (well during the afternoon break) and I also celebrated each exam pass with a mug of champagne and fish and chip dinner!”
The revision struggle is real.
“I can’t believe it’s this hard to qualify!”
That’s what I told myself during my CIMA exams.
Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but when I was 9 years old my teacher Mrs Edelman asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up Helen?!”
To which I said – “I want to be an Accountant!”
What a numbers geek I was (well, I still am – ssshhh don’t tell everybody!)
I’m writing this blog today so that you can be inspired and motivated with your Accountancy journey.
You’ve started your Accounting qualification cos you know it will give you a great career.
You picked the accounting body that you think will suit you and your future job … or you just picked one cos someone made it look like the best one.
You might have gone to university, studied Finance or Business, maybe even a Masters and taken the next step to get qualified as a Chartered or Certified Accountant.
Welcome to the emotional rollercoaster that is being a qualifying Accountant!
I know it well, but I want to tell you to keep going!
Stay in the seat, buckle up with your seatbelt, keep your head up high and your eyes open … I know it’s a scary ride but trust me (and most other fellow qualified accountants) – it’s absolutely worth it!
No-one told me how bumpy the ride would be or how tough it would be when I failed (and I failed a lot!)
The journey will be at least 3 years – unless you want to rush like a maniac and stress yourself out.
Okay, okay, I know you will feel stressed anyways but you know what I mean.
My CIMA journey took me 6 years (I’m embarrassed to admit that, I ‘only’ had 10 exams to pass and I sat them 18 times in total!)
I cried through many of my BPP classroom sessions (well during the afternoon break) and I also celebrated each exam pass with a mug of champagne and fish and chip dinner!
For me, it was an emotional rollercoaster and I have a feeling you might agree with me?!
If you’re reading this, you’re probably qualifying and you are right in the middle of your rollercoaster ride.
My aim with this blog is to help you feel calmer, stronger and be able to open your eyes and enjoy the ride (yes really!)
Let’s start with the basics – no, not Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – but the basics of feeling calmer during your study and revision.
👉🏻 Write a Revision plan
Yes plan and set yourself up for success, so that you can map out what you want your week or month to look like and have a balance. Planning doesn’t need to take you hours and it shouldn’t, but trust me if you have no plan, you have a blank piece of paper and that’s the least motivating revision tool ever!
👉🏻 Learn the syllabus
Obviously, you have to have a knowledge base to pass your exams, but I want you to focus on learning – be a sponge, soak it all up – be open to learning. But massive caveat * learn in the way that works for you *
Think about it – how do you remember and process information and data – is that listening, reading, writing, re-writing, brainstorming, or real-life conversations.
The way you learn will make you feel calmer and stronger.
(I changed tutors more than once because I didn’t like their style of teaching – so don’t be afraid to be that person)
👉🏻 Stay in your lane
Easier said than done but I need you to stay in your lane, turn up the volume in your car and drive your own race. No comparing yourself to Sue Smith or Joe Bloggs or where *that* colleague is on their Accountancy journey. The way that you are going to have a calmer journey is to focus on your exam ride. Turn up the volume on your confidence and knowledge recall and turn down- switch off even – what other people do or think!
I hope you feel calmer already by just reading this blog.
Now I want to spend the next paragraph giving you the biggest revision boost ever!
YOU CAN DO THIS!
Yes – I‘m shouting, because this is important.
Your confidence and self-confidence is ridiculously important.
I want you to walk into your exam feeling like you can PASS that exam.
I need you to revise this weekend believing that you are strong and can practise successfully.
And to pass your exam I need you to have confidence in yourself.
Your confidence will fluctuate based on which exam you’re sitting of course – I’m much better at written questions than calculations.
But trust me when I say this, the words and stories you tell yourself between NOW and your FINAL exam result – will impact and influence your behaviour and habits.
Let’s make your words & thoughts as STRONG and POITIVE as possible.
(Opps I’m shouting again!)
If you’ve read this blog thinking “Who is this lady shouting at me?!”
Hi, I’m Helen.
I’m a CIMA Revision Coach and I’m here to give students structure, support and a strong exam day strategy.
Eleven years ago I got my CIMA letters and qualified, I failed loads of my exams along the way, but I kept going and eventually stepped off the Qualifying rollercoaster!
Feel free to hang out with me over on Linkedin ( www.linkedin.com/in/helenprettycoach ) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pretty_successful_careers/ )
I’m proudly not a tutor, I’m a coach. Of course we need tutors – they teach you the syllabus, but as a Coach – I teach you how to actually pass your exams … with confidence!
Keep going with your Accountancy qualification – I know I’m biased, but it really is worth it. The rewards and opportunities that come your way once you qualify are amazing.
Hannah has built this platform to support you along your journey too – so focus on your studies and know that we are here to help, inspire, motivate and support you to get your plaque up on your wall!
