After three years of hard work, Ashwini Poopalasingham is delighted to have reached the milestone of becoming exam qualified.
I passed the Case Study exam in December and I’m now officially exam qualified! It still hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m just so happy. I got my results on 12 December and it was my birthday a few days later – so I can say that I qualified by the age of 25! It’s really rewarding and I feel a huge sense of pride to have accomplished that.
By the time I reached Advanced Level, I knew what to expect from exams and I had refined my approach to studying. It was the first time I didn’t burn out and I made sure to take breaks. My revision was so much more productive afterwards. I sat two Advanced Level exams, Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management, in July. I did my best and used all the tips I’d been given, but I came out of both not really knowing how I’d done. That’s something I’ve found across my exams – it can be hard to call it. I passed both, but I thought I had done better in Strategic Business Management, when I ended up scoring in the high 70s in Corporate Reporting!
The Case Study exam is really different from the others as there’s no question bank to work through. The whole exam depends on how well you know the case, so you just have to read through the advance information again and again. I found doing mocks really helpful – I ended up doing six in total.
In the month before an exam, I’ve been disciplined about staying home and not committing to anything – but the weekend before the Case Study exam I was a bridesmaid at my cousin’s wedding! So I made sure I’d done all my prep and organised my open book notes well in advance. I also read through my mocks again and referenced them against the mark scheme so I could see the kinds of things the examiners are looking for and make sure I was ticking those boxes. You can never predict exactly what’s going to come up, though.
One of the most positive memories I have from my training experience… was the way we all helped each other and shared everything we had
When I look back over the past three years, my first exam failure at Certificate Level stands out in my memory, I think because at the time I didn’t really know how to cope with it. But it was also a good thing, as it taught me how to bounce back. If I had let that failure bring me down, I wouldn’t have got here today. It was the same with Business Planning: Taxation at Professional Level - although it was horrible failing and having to retake, it taught me how to approach open book exams better. During my resit, I figured out how to prepare my notes and manage my time properly. So I learned lessons from both of those failures.
After failing Business Planning: Taxation, I was with a different cohort for the rest of my exams – and that’s one of the most positive memories I have from my training experience. It was the way we all helped each other and shared everything we had. There was a real sense of support and feeling that we had each other’s backs.
There are exciting things ahead for 2025 – not least officially becoming an ICAEW member! In May, I’ll be starting an IT audit and data analytics secondment at my firm. I’m really intrigued to find out more about the field of data analytics and artificial intelligence, and maybe move into a financial planning and analysis-type role in the future. Before then, I’m planning to complete a few training courses that have been recommended to me. And I’m going to be making use of all the free time I have now! I’m looking forward to getting back into my hobbies, like dancing.
I had to make some sacrifices over the past few years, but the discipline has paid off. Pursuing the ACA was definitely the right path for me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with my family and friends at a New Members’ Ceremony next year. For those just starting out on their journeys, the best piece of advice I can give is to take breaks – and don’t feel guilty about it. I haven’t always followed that advice myself, but I ended up finding the right balance. As long as you’re putting the work in, you deserve that walk in the park or that pub lunch with your family.
Catch up with Ashwini by visiting the My ACA Journey page; and listen to the ICAEW Student Insights podcasts on exam failure and artificial intelligence.
