How to prepare for the CAP2 exams might seem like a secret cloaked in mystery, but Garrett Mulvin of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Exams team spills the beans on exam success
The CAP2 summer exams will take place from 26 to 30 June, and many CAP2 candidates have started to prepare.
Knowing how to secure a passing score of 50 percent on any CAP2 paper is not a secret. Below are some key reminders to help students achieve CAP2 success.
Sample papers
There are four sample papers available for each CAP2 subject. The sample papers are reflective of what students will face during the exams. The sooner you access and review the sample papers, the better you’re prepared.
Professional Examination Committee (PEC) reports
The CAP2 PEC reports contain examiner comments highlighting the topics examined and students’ particular areas of weakness in recent CAP2 examinations.
By looking at the comments, you can see how to avoid the mistakes others have made in the past.
Exam conditions
Many candidates get a shock the first time they attempt a sample question (not to mention a paper!) under exam conditions. Things tend not to go as planned.
You will likely be uncertain, make many mistakes and run well over the allotted time.
Don’t be discouraged by this – it is part of your exam preparation journey! Learn from it and prepare to attempt another similar question.
Cirrus
All CAP2 exams are taken on Cirrus – the e-assessment platform.
Practice papers on Cirrus are available for each subject.
It is essential to become familiar with the functionality and feel of Cirrus. Navigating between questions, creating tables and flagging incomplete questions you may wish to return to are just some Cirrus functions that must become second nature to all students.
The mocks
Mock exams allow you to practise questions and test your CAP2 knowledge on the Cirrus platform and under exam-realistic conditions.
Mock exams can serve as a confidence-building exercise, help you control your nerves, improve your exam technique and, ultimately, maximise your performance on exam day.
You will always be better off having completed a mock exam than not having attempted one at all!
Time management
Exam technique is essential to exam preparation, and time management is an integral part of that.
A CAP2 student has a little over two minutes to allocate to each available mark on the paper. With practice, your time taken per question will fall, thus increasing your chances of exam success.
Once you’ve used the suggested completion time on a question during the exam, finish up and move on to the next one.
Years of feedback from marking teams confirm that you will get a better return by moving on to the next question rather than spending too long on the current question.
Be prepared!
Ensure that both you and your equipment are prepared for e-assessment. The links below provide important information for all students.
How to get started:
https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Current-Student/Exams/E-assessment-info/How-to-start
FAQs:
https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/Current-Student/Exams/E-assessment-info/Exams-FAQ