Thanks so much!

you got it!

❤️

Hey! I can't speak on behalf of anyone who has completed CTA during articles, I just know that in my experience, CTA in itself is extremely challenging. I was working as a part-time bookkeeper during CTA to earn additional income, and doing both at the same time was an insaaane amount of work, and I struggled to manage the workload. However, looking back, I'm glad I did CTA before starting articles because it gave me that additional time to mature a bit and have a proper academic understanding of audit before I started auditing other companies. Also, having worked whilst studying helped me have a practical understanding of the companies I audit. Doing articles and CTA at the same time does have its benefits - earning income while you study, finishing earlier etc. but I do know that people often struggle to find firms that will take trainees who have not yet got their CTA, with their reasoning being that they want trainees to know full IFRS, tax law, audit etc. so that they can easily apply theory on the job, without having to go through the process of learning it. So I think it really depends on how well you can manage your time, but I would say, if you are financially able to study your CTA first and then do articles, I would do that. I have found it so important to have a holistic theoretical understanding in my job, so I wouldn't want to rush the studying bit. I hope that helps, and good luck on your accounting journey! 🧚🏼‍♀

@@accountingwithmaddy Thank you very much for the detailed response. I've definitely seen most people suggesting CTA first before articles. The main one that spoke to starting articles as soon as a person enters the CA stream was PwC (Who are my first prize article choice) who I asked the same question to but it can be difficult knowing whether they are speaking genuinely or too much from the corporate perspective I do appreciate your experience that you shared

Hey elisheba! I think there are two ways to prepare yourself for the technical aspects. Firstly, I would go through each standard - so literally IFRS 1, 2 ... IAS 36 etc. and make a mindmap/summary page of each, making sure that you're familiarising yourself with the key concepts. I love drawing mindmaps because it's a fun way of making a lot of information seem easier to engage with. Secondly, once you're comfortable that you know what each Standard is talking about, past papers are the BEST way to engage with the material. Especially if it is a Standard that you are not so comfortable with. E.g. IFRS 15, 16 and 17 are newer Standards, so given that you most likely would not have studied them in ACCA, I would try find some SAICA past papers that cover those Standards so that you're fully prepped. I hope that helps, and best of luck for December!