Are you sitting your ACCA exams at home this week under the 'remote invigilation' system? If the answer is yes, this article is for you - I've met numerous students on my courses over the past year who either (a) failed, or
(b) had to cancel the exam because of technical problems.
These delays are frustrating and expensive as you will have to take more time off of work, study the same topics a second time, and potentially pay second exam fees.
Here are 5 things you can do to ensure you get a pass under the home invigilation system.
1. Use a big monitor.
It's essential to have a big monitor, especially on your CBE strategic exams, because you'll need to juggle many exhibit windows and response options--doing this on a small laptop screen time-consuming and difficult. While it's true that you can't use two monitors during the exam, the rules clearly state that you can connect a separate monitor to your laptop as long as you keep your laptop closed. With some adjustments to your screen and power settings, you will be able to connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse with little trouble.
2. Hard-wire your internet connection to your computer.
I've met students who had to resit their exams because of poor internet connections. Your connection to the practice platform might seem fine the weeks before the exam, but on exam day everything can seem bogged down due to so many users connected to the ACCA system. To ensure you have the fastest internet connection possible on exam day, dig an old network cable out of your closet and connect your laptop directly to your router. All modern wifi routers also have a port for wired connections--taking this step will ensure the fastest, most stable connection possible, and minimize the risk of internet disruptions
3. Keep your phone nearby, turned on, and on vibrate mode
You may need to speak with your invigilator if the internet drops or if there is a technical problem--if they can't reach you they may cancel your exam. So don't turn off your phone or keep it in another room, just keep out it of arms reach and on vibrate mode so you know if your invigilator is trying to reach you.
4. Simulate the experience in the practice platform with the notepad function NOW
When I had the opportunity to experience the CBEs several years ago, the biggest difference from paper for me was the lack of scratch paper. This meant no hand-drawn mind maps, answer plans, or side workings--everything had to be done on the computer. This was unfamiliar for me, and it really slowed me down. So don't wait unit exam day to experience this, start practising now--you can easily do this in the practice platform, right after you read this article!
5. Run a rehearsal session a day before
Don't wait for the day of your exam to set up your home exam station: this will add a layer of unnecessary stress. I recommend you do a dry run, a rehearsal the day before. Set up your laptop, large-screen monitor, web-cam, on a cleared desk. Then test out your setup with a question from the practice platform to get familiar with everything so there are no surprises on exam day.
With a good set-up, practice and a strong internet connection, home invigilation shouldn't be any more difficult for you. Good luck with your upcoming exam.
For more information, here is ACCA's FAQ guide https://www.accaglobal.com/lk/en/help/remote.html