APM Study support guide

28 Pages·2017·3.54 MB·English

APM Study
support guide
n Plan n Prepare n Pass
Advanced Performance
Management (APM)
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Welcome to your guide helping you to Sections HV
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study for your Advanced Performance

Getting started 03
Management exam
of Learning phase 10 PR
Why use this guide? ages study Revision phase 16 EPARATFINAL
✓ Structured approach to show you how to succeed St Final preparation 20 ION
✓ Signposted resources and how to use them
The exam 22
✓ Tips for success to help you through your studies
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Appendix – Links 24 H
✓ Interactive clickable checklists to keep you on track E
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This guide applies to exams for September
and December 2018 and March and June 2019.
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Your checklist
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C onsider booking tuition with SEIN
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an Approved Learning Partner
Enter for your exam
B uy an Approved Content
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Provider study text and question HV
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and answer bank SEIO
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Draw up your study plan
Get to know your exam
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Getting started
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Getting started – Tips for success RRTT
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We strongly recommend that you buy an up to date
Advanced Performance Management Approved Tips for success
Content Provider study text and question and answer LE
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bank to ensure exam success. These provide: HR
✓ The earlier you enter for your ✓ You should complete the Ethics and ASENIN
- the most up to date content and syllabus coverage. exam the less it costs! Use our Professional Skills module before G

exam planner tool to plan which attempting any of the Strategic
- tests, quizzes and other support designed to help
exam(s) you want to sit and when. Professional exams. This module
you prepare for your exam.
gives you insight into professional
✓ Use the ACCA Learning
skills that you can apply in your
- past exam questions updated for changes to the
Community to link up with fellow R
syllabus, question style and exam format* as well as students around the world studying exam and in the workplace. PHEV
practice questions and answers and full mock exams the same exam as you – get tips, ✓ If you think you could benefit ASEISIO
to ensure you are fully prepared for your exam. join discussions and share ideas from building your English N
and advice. You can also access live language skills to help you
You may want to consider attending a face to face or
Q&A sessions and presentations. succeed in your exam take a look
online tuition course with one of ACCA’s Approved
at the BPP English Language
Learning Partners for all or part of your studies. ✓ Spend some time familiarising P
support for ACCA which is a free R
yourself with the free resources E
online programme specifically PF
available via the study support designed to support you through ARAINA
resource finder on the student TL
your exams. IO
section of the ACCA website –
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we will provide you with specific Exempt from Performance
Students who use approved guidance on when and how to use Management (PM)?
these resources during the relevant
✓ Make sure you have the assumed
content materials are more stages of study.
knowledge needed from PM for T
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likely to pass than those ✓ Remember to personalise your APM (see the article Bringing E E
forward PM knowledge and skills X
edition of Student Accountant A
who don’t. into Advanced Performance M
so you receive APM specific
Management).
information as you need it.
✓ If you feel your knowledge is
lacking, consider buying a PM
Approved Content Provider study A
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text to refresh your understanding. LP
* Note: the exam format is changing from September 2018 INEN
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Getting started – Draw up your study plan RRTT
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Study plan checklist
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Calculate the number of weeks SEIN
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from now until your exam
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
date and draw up a plan – see
Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
the example to the left and a
Week 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
possible proforma for you to R
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Week 3 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday HV
use on page 7 AIS
Week 4 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday SEIO
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Y ou may need to add or take away

Week 5 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
weeks depending on your own
Week 6 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday circumstances and which exam
Week 7 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday sitting(s) you are focusing on PR
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Week 8 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday B lock out days/half days/ ARIN
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Week 9 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday evenings already committed TIOL
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to family/social events
Week 10 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 11 REVISION P lan study periods – evenings/
half days/full days, aiming for
Week 12 REVISION T
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roughly one evening/half day E
Week 13 REVISION E
per chapter of your study text X
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Week 14 REVISION M
I f possible leave a six week
Week 15 REVISION
period for the revision and
Week 16 REVSION AND FINAL PREPARATION
final preparation phases
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Evening study period Daytime study period Other commitments LINPEN
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Getting started – Draw up your study plan RRTT
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Tips for success PEA
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When drawing up your study plan
Students who use ACCA’s
✓ Be realistic and consider when you are best able to study
learning support resources
– maybe early mornings work better for you or perhaps
shorter, more frequent study periods. achieve higher pass rates R
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HV
✓ Once you have prepared your plan stick to it! than those who don’t. AIS
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✓ Consider building in an extra study period after every
few chapters to review and consolidate your learning.
✓ Take a 5-10 minute break every hour to help maintain
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your motivation and concentration. R
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✓ Use this plan whether you intend to self-study through ARIN
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all the phases or mix with some tuition from an TL
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Approved Learning Partner.
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Getting started – Your study plan RRTT
Print out and write down when you will study, relax and revise! TETEININ
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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 1
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Week 3
Week 4
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Week 7
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Week 8 R
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Week 10
Week 11 REVISION
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Week 12 REVISION E
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Week 13 REVISION AM
Week 14 REVISION
Week 15 REVISION
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Week 16 REVISION AND FINAL PREPARATION LINPEN
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07 Evening study period Daytime study period Other commitments Colour boxes in your preferred highlighter colours.
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Getting started – Get to know your exam RRTT
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➤
Review the syllabus This gives you an understanding of the aims and objectives of the exam, learning
outcomes and exam structure
and study guide
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Scan the specimen exam The specimen exam provides you with a clear picture of how Advanced Performance HV
Management will be assessed and how the exam is structured as well as the likely AIS
for Advanced Performance style and range of questions that you could see in the real exam. After September SEION
Management 2018 you will also be able to see samples of past exams that have been set
➤
Review the examining team’s Using these resources at the start of your studies will help you understand the focus
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of the exam by concentrating on the exam structure, question style, exam technique R
guidance E
and tips as well as pitfalls to avoid – see extracts from the examiner’s approach PF
article over the page ARIN
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Review the examiner’s reports These provide feedback on students’ performance after each exam session, highlight
problem areas that students need to improve on and tell you what the examining
from the last four sittings
teams are looking for
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Read the exam technique The article Reading the question requirements of APM and the video APM effective E
study and exam technique, will provide you with a head start in terms of knowing what E
articles for Advanced X
to expect and how to approach exam standard questions A
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Performance Management
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Familiarise yourself with You will be provided with this document in the exam and so you will not need
to learn these formulae
the formulae sheet A
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Getting started – What the examiner has said about Advanced Performance RRTT
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Management (extracts from the examiner’s approach article)
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Comments on LE
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answering HARN
links to other exams approaching APM the questions asked SEIN
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Performance management systems are the The best approach to the exam The question requirement usually
systems in an organisation by which the can be summarised as: gets a great deal of attention from the
performance of an organisation is measured, examiner who first writes it and the R
1. cover the whole syllabus PE
controlled and improved. The thrust of team of reviewers who perform the HV
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the exam will move towards the strategic 2. b e prepared to apply all of more than five layers of review before SEIO
level of considering different performance the exam is finalised. My approach N
this knowledge to a business
measurement techniques and management to this point is that candidates
scenario
systems. APM builds on knowledge should be given credit where their
gained at other levels, especially from 3. r ead and answer the question answer is technically correct and
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PM. PM tests the candidate’s ability asked relevant to the question asked. R
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in application and analysis of core PF
management accounting techniques. 4. at hdadt ivsa blueein tgo athdev iosergdanisation Tcahnedreid haates sb teoe wn rai ttee ngdoeondc ya nbsyw ers ARATINAL
APM develops key aspects introduced at to questions that they wish had IO
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the PM level with a greater focus on the been asked by the examiner rather
synthesis and evaluation of the key topics than the one actually set in the exam.
and techniques. It will also introduce more This approach scores little if no credit.
specialised techniques and current issues There is a longer article illustrating T
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in performance management. Therefore, the common misinterpretations seen E
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candidates should not expect to be in previous sessions. X
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retested in a PM style on topics but need M
to be aware that all of PM knowledge is
assumed to be known and will now be
used in a more critical capacity.
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Your checklist
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W ork through the control SESESEINININ
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sheet which has been
designed to give you a
structured approach to your
learning phase to ensure you: R
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- g ain the knowledge you AIS
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need; and

- l earn how to apply that
knowledge to pass the exam
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Learning phase
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