Aastha, a young and determined ACCA aspirant, has recently conquered the challenging ACCA exams with flying colors. Her journey, marked by dedication and perseverance, is an inspiration to many who dream of a successful career in finance. In this exclusive interview, she shares her experiences, challenges, and the strategies that propelled her to the top.
First of all, Congratulations on clearing the ACCA exams! Your achievement is truly inspiring.
Can you share your overall experience preparing for and clearing the ACCA?
Sure, Preparing for the ACCA exams was a challenging yet rewarding journey. I dedicated consistent hours each day to studying and practising with past exam papers so that I could get familiar with the exam format. Joining edZeb and attending class discussions helped me clarify complex topics and kept me motivated. The support from mentors and using the right study materials also helped me alot.
What initially sparked your interest in pursuing the ACCA qualification?
Yeah, so I started back when I was in 11th grade, I got to know about ACCA. And I think I chose commerce only after that. And then later on, I finished my 12th and I found out about Christ University. I got into it from there. Since I was in Christ, my first nine papers were exempted. Because Christ University is affiliated with the ACCA. After that, I met Akhil sir that is where my ACCA journey began from. I did go through the recorded lectures to get clarity on what kind of mentor I needed. After that, I went to attend live classes right before my exam and around 15, or 20 days of live classes were there. And we started discussing how we’re supposed to write the answers for my exams.
Anything you find challenging while preparing for your exams? And let us know who stood beside you and always had your back.
So, the thing is during my SBL exam, I was shifting. I used to live in Delhi and I went from Delhi to Noida. So throughout that exam process, like I think 10 days before my exam, we were shifting to a new house. So, Akhil sir was very understanding during that process. I met him recently also and he said that he was very scared about whether I’d be able to focus because, at the end of the day, I’m living in a new place now. And it’s not the comfortable environment that I was in. So I think during that time also, sir was constantly there. So I was able to, you know, even if I was nervous about it, I was able to understand, that it was all okay, there was somebody to support me. And it’s my pleasure. One at least I have the knowledge, I have the experience to give it again, to clear it again. So that is the biggest challenge that I faced.
So, which skill do you think that ACCA certification particularly provides, that is not there in the graduation?
I think everybody needs to see if there are two different things (confusion). If you go through the skill level, you will have a different kind of skill set. And if you go through any university that is affiliated, you will have different kinds of skill sets. Especially when I talk about my University, I think the reason they were affiliated was because our course itself included a lot of ACCA curriculum. The ACCA certification particularly provides a global idea of accounting practices and standards, which is partially covered like the theory part in graduation. Before I even started studying for any of the subjects, I had gone through the books because that was a part of my course. So I had some idea about it, about what to expect when I was at the end of that year and I actually started studying about it. I gained technical skills in financial management, taxation, and audit, along with a focus on professional ethics and strategic business leadership at edZeb. That is how I was able to handle complex financial situations and it helped me make better decisions. More practical and technical skills are missed out in colleges, they focus more on completing syllabus from books.
Yeah, I can also relate to your viewpoint. Do you find any personal growth or any immediate development you see in yourself?
Sure, I definitely felt more confident once I was done with my exams. Like that started from the first exam itself. I started feeling more confident because this was a big dream for me and my family. My dad already wanted me to do ACCA and when I was able to clear even the first exam, he was very happy and I was very happy which was very huge for us. Especially clearing the exams one after the other again and again is not very easy to know. It takes, it’s sometimes you know, it gets frustrating because you are constantly studying and you are passionate like whoever I was with in Christ or even my school friends, they were currently at that phase of their lives that they were either going into jobs or pursuing master’s. And I was somebody who was doing a professional qualification in which the passing rates are sometimes so low that people are not able to clear it. So it was a very difficult time, but at the same time, it was very rewarding. Every time the results came, it felt very rewarding that finally, all my efforts paid off.
So is there any feedback or suggestions for edZeb to improve on?
As of now, no. I think edZeb is doing great. The faculty is amazing and all I can say is I hope the teachers keep motivating all the students as they motivated me. And they would have great results too. I am so grateful for the efforts they put in and backed me every time.
Would you suggest edZeb to anyone who wants to enrol on the ACCA program?
Yeah, yes, yes. For sure. I have already contacted a lot of my friends who are currently stuck up with something else in life. I’ve already recommended them to join edZeb as the team here so amazing that they can go ahead and you know, because a lot of my friends have started pursuing their ACCA. So a lot of them have talked to Akhil sir and they are starting with him right now as well. So definitely would recommend it.
Okay, so like out of 10, how would you rate edZeb?
Oh, a 10 on 10 for sure.
So, Last but not least, I have one last question for you. Did your mentors help in providing personalized notes and did that enhance your understanding and retention of the ACCA syllabus?
The thing is, what I personally liked, the best part was the teachers never ignored the study text, but they made sure that they gave their own notes. So before what I used to do during SBL or SBR was whatever was taught in the class, I used to listen to that, I used to make my own notes, and then I used to go back to the study desk and I used to correlate that, okay, this is the point that we covered today, okay, I see it now, it’s in the book also. For my confirmation, I also referred to the edZeb YouTube lectures So everything that the people saw, they taught in a way that it wasn’t monotonous, but at the same time, it was very interesting also for us.
Thank you so much, Thank you, Aastha, for sharing your inspiring journey and insights with us. Your story is a testament to the power of dedication, perseverance, and the right guidance in achieving one’s goals. Your experience with ACCA and edZeb will undoubtedly motivate others aspiring to succeed in the field of finance. We wish you continued success in your career and future endeavors.
