What Are Your Options After You Get Your ACCA Results?

For most students, passing the ACCA exams takes up a huge amount of their time and energy – but once the results are in, a whole new challenge begins.

Here’s our advice on what to do, whether you pass or not.

Didn’t quite make it?

The first thing to remember is that re-sits happen for a reason – you’re not alone, and failing your exam isn’t the end of the world. You always have the chance to try again.

When preparing for a re-sit, think about what you did last time and what you might need to change; did you leave enough time to cover all the material? Were your revision tactics effective? Did you get all the help you needed from your classmates and tutors?

It might also be helpful to read the examiner’s report, which will give you an idea of the most common mistakes that were made in that paper and help you to avoid them next time.

You don’t have to do this by yourself, either – look into taking revision courses for expert advice and personalised feedback on your exam technique.

Most importantly, don’t let one setback get you down; nobody wins all the time! As the saying goes: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Got the results you wanted?

If you passed first time, congratulations! This is a great step towards a solid career. However, have you given enough thought to what kind of career is best suited to you?

An accountancy qualification can be useful in a lot of jobs and industries – have you considered what you might like to specialise in, or which industries would suit you best? Do some research, write down some ideas about where you’d like to be in three years, and see what you’ll need to achieve them.

If you’re not sure, ask! Whether it’s a friend, family member, tutor, or a professional careers coach, talking through your ideas out loud can be very helpful in pinpointing what you want to do and how you can get there.

No matter what you decide to do, remember that networking is key – join LinkedIn and start building a base of professional contacts who can help you move forward. Attend events and reach out to old colleagues and classmates; their help could be extremely valuable to you in achieving your dream career.

Regardless of how you’ve done in your exams, you should always make a point of taking a break (even a short one) to let go of any stress. Any exam will put you under pressure, and some ACCA papers are notoriously difficult – so make time to relax.

After that, you can start working towards the next step of the rest of your life!