ACCA award winner Apoorva Rawat, shares her journey to success and how Kaplan’s study materials supported her.
I started studying ACCA after finishing school - in India.
I actually wanted to study ACCA in the UK, but because I knew I could get some practical experience here I decided to stay.
I completed seven modules in a year and a half, which meant I was able to get a job very quickly. This was my first job at 19 years old. It was at a British Accounts outsourcing firm, so basically they did British accounts but in India - and it was amazing.
I worked here for a year, and whilst working completed two more modules.
Working and studying
I actually loved working while studying - you can actually go out and do the things that you're reading about. So if you studied tax, you're doing personal tax returns and then if you're studying financial reporting, you're actually making the statements.
I then decided that I wanted to go for the Oxford Brookes course. I had to do the research and everything, so I needed the time to focus. Therefore, I left my job to study full time.
I have now completed my BSc, I've finished nine modules and have four papers left to complete.
Choosing the best study materials
Although Kaplan hasn’t always been the provider I studied with, through my studies all of my textbooks have been by Kaplan. This was largely because the competitors’ books were less detailed.
With the books, if you study all of the text you know it is very likely to come up in the paper. So I've been using Kaplan for all of my papers since F1, even right now as I am preparing for SBR.
Choosing providers
I eventually chose to continue my studies with Kaplan mostly because of the quality of its materials. I’d read a lot of testimonials on the web page. I also chose it because of the tutors. I found many of them in the approved list.
I also thought it was better to go with a well established provider with fully designed courses. This meant I could access the resources online and study whenever I wanted.
My experience was pretty amazing. You wouldn't really believe it, but I actually got infected by Corona during the research stage of my assessment, and I told my Kaplan tutor that I didn't know what to do, so she said ‘let's apply for an extension’ and got it all sorted for me.
Luckily I did get the extension, as it allowed me to submit my best work which led to me winning the Best Research Analysis Project Prize. Kaplan was a good support and guiding experience. My tutor actually adjusted a lot of things for me, such as my schedules and stuff like that. It was a very good experience.
What’s next?
I was supposed to leave for the UK this August as I had enrolled for an undergraduate economics course, but COVID disrupted that. However, now I have completed a bachelor’s degree.
I'm interested in financial technology, so I think I'll apply for that next year or I'll go for a job here in India or maybe in Dubai, wherever there's a more lucrative opportunity.
Advice to others
If anyone is looking to study ACCA the only advice I'd give them is it is all about consistency. Don't be discouraged by bad marks.
No matter how much you study, some papers will be good, some will be bad. Don't give up because that's very easy to do when you have so much on your plate.
Take your next steps
Study, practice and revise with our ACCA study materials.