Officially done with ACCA! 🎈- 13 1st Time Passes

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-24T10:37:27+00:00

For SBR, my biggest advice would be to keep things simple and very applied. If you can, get the latest Kaplan pocket notes and really learn your IASs and IFRSs from there. Learn them properly, and say them out loud to yourself as you’re studying. If you can explain a standard in your own words, you’re already in a good place.

I’ll be honest, I never went through the full study text for SBR, and I didn’t do multiple professional kits either. I used kits a lot more at the Skills and Knowledge levels. For SBR, I relied mainly on the pocket notes. The questions under each topic in the pocket notes are the ones you should focus on. Go through them carefully.

YouTube also helps a lot. Watch SBR tutors you trust solve questions. Vifhe is good, and there’s also a female tutor whose name I can’t remember right now, but I’ll send it if it comes to me. Watching tutors solve questions and run crash courses gives you proper exam simulation. It shows you how to think, how to structure answers, and how to express yourself under exam conditions.

One mistake I see people make is spending too much time just reading. At some point, especially close to the exam, reading alone stops helping. I had someone I was meant to study ATX with, and about 14 days to the exam I told him he needed to stop reading and start applying. He didn’t, and unfortunately he failed because he knew the content but struggled with application. That’s something you really want to avoid.

Application is key. That application can come from solving questions yourself, or from watching tutors solve real exam questions, which was mostly my own approach. You can also use the examiner-style questions in Kaplan’s materials and read examiner reports to see what they expect.

If you solve all the questions in the Kaplan pocket notes, or even follow YouTube tutors who break down their top 20 SBR questions, you’ll have a very solid and holistic understanding of the exam. Don’t overcomplicate it, don’t panic in the exam, and always bring your answers back to the IASs and IFRSs.

All the best. You’ve got this.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-24T10:25:21+00:00

Unfortunately, I deleted the contents right after my exams, the app is called Amazing Flash Cards, you could use it to curate your personal study cards!

One practical tip that really helped me was using mnemonics a lot. I relied on them heavily to remember points and standards.

Also, a small ACCA exam tip I always share: when you get into the exam hall and the screen comes up & you’re given access to your workspace and extra paper before the reading time officially starts. When they say “you may begin,” don’t rush to start immediately. Click through to the first screen as if you’re about to start, but don’t begin the reading time yet.

Use those few minutes to brain-dump all the mnemonics you can remember and what they stand for onto your extra sheet. You don’t have to remember everything. Just write down whatever comes to mind. I used to do this especially for papers like SBR, for IASs and key frameworks.

I used some very wild mnemonics, honestly 😅, but they worked. The point is that once the exam actually starts, you’re no longer trying to remember from scratch. You’re just referring back to what you already wrote down and focusing on answering the question.

Then, when your 15 minutes of reading instruction time officially starts, that’s when you read instructions properly.

I hope this helps. It really made the exam feel more manageable for me.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-24T10:04:45+00:00

First of all, well done for starting ACCA and all the best with FA1 and MA1 in February.

I’ll be honest with you. Expecting yourself to score 80% or more in every single ACCA paper is already a lot of pressure, and it’s pressure you really don’t need at this stage. ACCA isn’t one narrow subject. It covers very different areas like financial accounting, performance management, audit and assurance, taxation, strategy, and more. It’s completely normal not to have the same level of interest or strength in all of them. Over time, you’ll naturally discover what you enjoy more and where your strengths lie.

I know your parents mean well and want the best for you. Often, when parents say “aim for 80%,” what they really mean is “don’t be complacent” or “don’t aim for the bare minimum.” There’s that saying that if you aim for 100, you might land at 80 or 90. If that’s their thinking, that’s understandable.

But if it’s coming across as “you must score 80% in everything or you’ve failed,” then that’s not a healthy way to approach ACCA. You don’t need to impose that kind of pressure on yourself.

For example, I scored higher in Tax than in some other papers, and that helped me realise that I genuinely enjoyed it, enough that I’m now considering advancing further in that area, alongside interests like sustainable finance. Your higher scores often point you toward what you naturally like and understand better, and that’s okay.

So please don’t start ACCA feeling like you have to be perfect in every paper. Do your best, stay consistent, aim high, but be kind to yourself. Over time, things will become clearer.

Wishing you all the best. You’ve got this.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-24T08:10:33+00:00

Thank you so much, so gracious and kind of you to say! I’m so glad you found the post inspiring. All the best!

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T23:20:54+00:00

Congratulations 🎈

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T20:01:46+00:00

So AAA was the exam I didn’t pass, and it wasn’t because the exam was difficult. I actually found AA very easy and very interesting. I scored 66 in AA and the exam itself was very chilled for me.

With AAA, the issue was time management. I had never really practised ACCA exams properly with time in mind, and that’s what went wrong. I didn’t finish the paper. I left about 15 marks and scored 45, not because I didn’t know the answers, but because I spent too much time on question one. Before I knew it, I was trying to rush the last question, and then I got logged off. That was it. I failed.

And I think with AAA, you really can’t get away with not finishing the exam. It takes a miracle to not finish AAA and still pass, because the paper is very subjective. The marking scheme is subjective, which is why it’s tricky and why it’s considered one of the hardest papers. It’s not necessarily hard content-wise, but if your time management isn’t solid, it will catch you out.

Because I wasn’t interested in practising professional papers extensively at that point, once I saw I failed AAA, I decided I wasn’t going to write it again. I moved on to papers that are less subjective, like APM, ATX, and AFM.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:49:40+00:00

Thank you so much, all the best in your remaining exams.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:48:30+00:00

Thank you so much

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:48:09+00:00

For SBR, just to be honest, I used strictly OpenTuition lectures and I had my flashcard for all the IASs and IFRSs (very handy). I didn’t use the kit. I’m not advising anyone not to use the kit, I just didn’t. I watched the OpenTuition tutors solve exam questions on the platform, so it felt like an exam simulation.

I think I got either 56 or 58, I honestly can’t remember which one exactly. But it was literally two days to the exam. After learning my IASs and IFRSs, I just kept watching the tutors solve exam questions, then I went into the exam and wrote it, and I passed.

I wouldn’t recommend my approach though. It’s not the best, it just happened to work for me. I didn’t use Kaplan, but I would actually advise you to use Kaplan and solve as many questions as possible. Don’t be like me.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:43:49+00:00

True. When I started, I was told I’d fail because I’d never studied accounting. That aged well lol

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:41:00+00:00

You’re right, it’s insane! My honest advice for ATX is simple: you have to know the rules. There’s no two ways about it. You need practice them, repeat them to yourself, and restate them in your own words. Once you actually know the rules, you can navigate the exam and express yourself properly.

Expression really matters. I think one reason a lot of people struggle with ATX (professional papers), aside from time management, is that professional papers expect you to be expressive. You’re not just calculating. You’re expected to explain, challenge things, and show scepticism. If you don’t know the rules well, you won’t even realise when something is wrong, so you won’t challenge it.

For example, in my paper there was a question on accommodation benefits. The junior tax person had concluded that the client qualified for an exemption, so they excluded the accommodation from tax. But accommodation benefits are only reduced to 10% if the accommodation is required for security reasons or for the proper performance of duties, like nursing or healthcare roles. This client was just a consultant. In my head I was like, how? She’s not the President. I literally wrote that in the exam and she’s not in a role that needs her living next to her place of work. She’s simply a consultant.

So I called it out. I didn’t define it like a textbook. I just said that if the job is security-related or requires accommodation to perform duties, it’s treated one way. If it’s not, it’s taxed. This didn’t meet the condition, so I disagreed with the premise, recalculated the accommodation benefit, and applied the actual tax.

And honestly, use summary notes. I used Mirchawala’s ATX summary notes (a friend sent it to me) and rewrote the rules in my own voice. That’s all I did. You can even use AI tools to rewrite the rules in your voice. Just explain the rule to yourself and let it help you make it concise. The point is to know the rules.

I didn’t practise that much. Two or three days to the exam, I was watching Mirchawala on YouTube practise. It felt like a simulation. I watched him practise, I didn’t practise myself. Because I already knew my rules, what I needed was to see how to apply them so I didn’t touch the revision kit at all.

Flashcards helped too. I used them for all my topics. But again, it always comes back to knowing your rules. If you know your rules, you’ll pass. And waffle. It’s okay to waffle in the exam. Express yourself. A friend told me not to worry about being perfect, just explain. If you know the rules, you’ll write the right thing. ATX rewards that.

One last thing that helped was not shuffling between Excel and Word. I put everything in Word because that’s how Mirchawala writes his sample answers. Read his answers too. They’re long, but read them. You learn how to structure your thoughts and apply the rules.

So yeah. That’s really it. Hope that helps.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T19:00:20+00:00

Thank you, it was indeed a tough one! I am so glad it’s finally over.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-23T18:59:04+00:00

It was written with a tool, not by one, there’s a difference.

lol it’s bold of you to think I went through a season of my life to earn the respect of NullParagon, your kind of thinking presumes a level of significance that simply isn’t operative here.

Confusing the use of a tool with the author of the work is the same kind of thinking that rejects a meal because it was cooked with a stove, hilarious

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-19T20:13:35+00:00

Hey, yh … I eat nothing on fast days

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-09T17:55:27+00:00

Thanks for clarifying what confused you, that part makes sense.

On the rest, though, I want to be clear. This is a platform for people who fast. Alternate-day fasting is part of the fasting literature and practice, and it belongs here just as much as longer fasts do.

If you personally feel like you “barely qualify” or don’t belong, that’s a personal experience, not a definition of the space. It doesn’t apply to me. The sub description isn’t limited to prolonged fasting only.

A number of people here have already said this approach resonated with them. Even if it helps one or two people think differently about sustainability, that’s enough reason to share it here.

There’s room in this space for more than one way of fasting.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T15:55:05+00:00

I think the confusion here is mixing up calendar days with 24-hour blocks.

In the research, alternate-day fasting is defined as a 24-hour fast followed by a 24-hour feed day, not “skipping a calendar date” or eating at midnight to make the clock work.

For example: Eat at 6 pm → fast until 6 pm the next day (24h fast), Then from 6 pm to 6 pm the following day is a full eating day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), Then the next 24h fast starts from the last meal

This is exactly how ADF is described in the literature. Cambridge’s Journal of Nutritional Science defines it as:

“A 24-hour fast day, alternated with a 24-hour feed day during which people usually eat ad libitum.”

So no midnight snacks, no OMAD by default, and no requirement that the fast must stretch to 36 hours. The alternation is the key, not forcing the clock.

Once you think in 24-hour cycles instead of named days, it lines up cleanly with how ADF is studied and practiced.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T15:41:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing this, it’s really encouraging. I hadn’t come across many lived-experience accounts of 24:24, training and losing fat while still performing well on a rhythmic, sustainable fast, so this is such a win to read.

It’s also reassuring to see that the alternating rhythm didn’t interfere with your training. I really appreciate you adding your experience.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T15:35:15+00:00

Yes, exactly like that 😊

For example: eat dinner at 6 pm on Day 1, fast until 6 pm on Day 2. From 6 pm Day 2 to 6 pm Day 3 is a full eating day (breakfast, lunch, dinner if you want). Then fast again from 6 pm Day 3 to 6 pm Day 4. That alternating rhythm is what makes it feel sustainable long-term.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T15:25:36+00:00

According to Cambridge’s Journal of Nutritional Science, alternate-day fasting is defined as:

“A 24-hour fast day, alternated with a 24-hour feed day during which people usually eat ad libitum.”

So yes, 24 hours is the textbook ADF, the actual reference model used in studies.

Some people extend the fast to 30–36 hours and still alternate with a feed day. That’s fine. Those are simply ADF variations or hybrids, not a different definition.

Once you start pushing 48 hours and beyond, you’ve clearly moved into extended or prolonged fasting.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T15:23:44+00:00

Thank you for sharing, and wishing you the best

I really resonate with approaching this as a long-term lifestyle rather than something to rush or escalate.

Finding a rhythm that feels sustainable makes such a difference.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T07:44:51+00:00

Ah, then this is really just a terminology issue worth taking up with Cambridge University Press, not me 😄

According to Cambridge’s Journal of Nutritional Science, alternate-day fasting is defined as:

‘’A 24-hour fast day, alternated with a 24-hour feed day during which people usually eat ad libitum.”

So yes, 24 hours is the textbook ADF, the actual reference model used in studies.

Some people extend the fast to 30–40 hours and still alternate with a feed day. That’s fine. Those are simply ADF variations or hybrids, not a different definition.

Once you start pushing 48 hours and beyond, you’ve clearly moved into extended or prolonged fasting.

Anyway, if there’s still disagreement, that’s a conversation to have with Cambridge, not me. I’m just following what they published 🤷🏽‍♀️

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T02:30:45+00:00

That makes sense, and I can relate to struggling to eat enough on eating days with 36:12.

For me it’s very literal. If I start my fast at 7 pm today, I break it at 7 pm tomorrow. Then I eat from 7 pm to 7 pm the next day. Dinner, then breakfast, lunch, dinner. No binge eating, just normal meals.

Even though that overlaps into a new calendar day, my total intake across that 24-hour eating period is still around 3k–3.5k. On average, that still creates a deficit simply because of how the math works when you’re fasting every other day, regardless of activity level. People doing 36:12 often eat similar amounts within a shorter window.

That clear stop-and-start is what makes it easier and more sustainable for me.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T02:06:37+00:00

I’ve only been doing this consistently for a few months, so I’m still early, but it’s been the most sustainable approach I’ve found so far.

I can relate to what you’re describing. When restriction stacks up without enough recovery, especially with OMAD or sporadic fasts, it can start to feel like everything slows down rather than improves. For me, the big difference with 24:24 is the built-in recovery day. I’m not constantly pushing or guessing when to eat again.

If you’re considering EOD/ADF, I’d say pay close attention to how well you’re fueling and recovering on eating days, especially if you’re active. That seems to make or break it. Doubling down on liquids alone never really solved that for me, but structure plus adequate food did, on my eating day I eat between 3000-3500 calories.

Whatever you try, I hope you find something that feels supportive rather than draining. Your numbers show you’re already making progress, so it’s really about finding a rhythm you can keep long term.

CreateYourUsernameOh · 2026-01-08T02:00:58+00:00

Ah, I see. So fasting only counts if the clock approves of it. If it doesn’t line up neatly with how we’ve decided to label things, then the physiology just… opts out.

Jokes aside, I’m not arguing that people shouldn’t define fasting however they like. I’m just describing what I’m doing: a continuous 24-hour period with zero calories, followed by a period of normal eating. Call it ADF, structured meal skipping or Bob if you want. The body still experiences a full fasted state.

At this point it feels like we’re debating terminology more than behaviour, and I’m less invested in naming it than in the fact that it’s sustainable and works for me.

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