Most students wait until they finish college before attempting a professional certification. The logic makes sense — why overload yourself? Parth didn’t see it that way. He was sitting in his final year at Delhi University, his B.Com Hons semester exams on one side, the ACCA Financial Reporting paper on the other, and he decided to take both head-on.
He cleared FR with 71 marks. Here’s how he did it — and what he’d tell every college student sitting on the fence right now.
The Interview
Q: Tell us a little about yourself — who is Parth, and where does ACCA fit into your story?
I’m a final-year B.Com Hons student from Delhi University. I’d been thinking about ACCA since second year, honestly. Accountancy and finance were always the subjects I genuinely enjoyed — not just studied to pass.
At some point I realised that a B.Com degree, as solid as it is, doesn’t really differentiate you anymore. Everyone has one. ACCA felt like the qualification that would actually open doors — especially internationally. So I decided not to wait.
FR — Financial Reporting — was the paper I’d been building toward. It’s one of the heavier ones, and I didn’t take it lightly.
Q: What was the biggest challenge going in — the syllabus, the timing, or something else entirely?
Honestly? The timing. My college semester exams and the ACCA FR paper were practically running parallel. There were weeks where I’d be in the university library during the day for my B.Com revision, and then come home and switch to IFRS standards at night.
The FR syllabus itself is no joke either. Consolidations, financial instruments, leases under IFRS 16 — these aren’t topics you can skim. They demand proper understanding, not just rote learning. And the application-based questions in ACCA don’t forgive surface-level prep.
There were a few nights where I genuinely wondered if I’d bitten off more than I could chew.
Q: How did you find QuintEdge, and what made you enrol?
I’d come across QuintEdge on YouTube — Avijeet Sir’s explanations kept showing up whenever I searched for ACCA concepts. What struck me immediately was how clearly he broke things down. No jargon overload, no rushing. He actually made you feel like the concept made sense.
I did a bit of research, spoke to a few seniors who’d enrolled, and the feedback was consistently strong. So I joined. And I didn’t regret it for a single day.
Q: What was different about how the FR paper was taught at QuintEdge compared to how you’d studied on your own?
Self-study with just the ACCA study texts is tough because the material is dense and there’s no one to tell you what’s actually important vs what’s secondary. You end up spending equal time on everything, which is a trap.
At QuintEdge, the faculty — Avijeet Sir and Krupang Sir — was very specific about exam focus areas. They’d explicitly flag which standards carry more weight, how the examiner typically tests a concept, and where students usually lose marks. That kind of strategic direction is something you simply can’t get from a textbook.
The live classes were interactive too. You could ask questions in real time, and if something wasn’t clicking, it got explained from a different angle. That flexibility made a huge difference for me.
Q: FR has some notoriously tricky topics — consolidations, financial instruments, lease accounting. How did you get on top of those?
Consolidations were the one area I was most nervous about going in. The adjustments, the non-controlling interest calculations, the intragroup eliminations — it’s a lot to hold in your head simultaneously.
What helped was the way QuintEdge structured the teaching: theory first, then worked examples, then past paper questions. By the time I was sitting mock tests, I’d seen enough variations that the exam format didn’t intimidate me.
Financial instruments under IFRS 9 was another one. The classification and measurement logic — amortised cost vs FVOCI vs FVTPL — it’s conceptually nuanced. Avijeet Sir’s way of building up the logic step by step, rather than jumping to memorisation, genuinely helped it stick.
There was this one session on lease accounting where everything clicked at once. That was a turning point.
Q: You were managing two things at once — B.Com exams and ACCA prep. What did your daily routine look like?
It was disciplined, but not punishing. I’d block my mornings for university-related study, attend QuintEdge sessions in the evening, and keep weekends dedicated mostly to ACCA practice questions and revision.
The recorded sessions were a lifesaver during university exam weeks. When I couldn’t attend live, I’d catch up on recordings and not fall behind. That flexibility meant I never had to choose one over the other.
I also made it a point to solve past ACCA FR papers under timed conditions at least once a week in the final month. That’s honestly what sharpened my speed and confidence the most.
Q: Take us to results day — what was that moment like?
I won’t lie — I was nervous. Even if you’ve prepared well, ACCA result day has a way of making your heart rate spike. I opened my results with my family around.
When I saw 71 marks, there was this pause — and then it just hit me all at once. All those late nights, the double schedule, the exam anxiety — it all collapsed into one overwhelming feeling of relief and pride.
My parents had always backed my decision to pursue ACCA alongside college, even when some relatives were sceptical. Sharing that result with them was honestly one of the best moments I’ve had.
Q: Looking back, what’s your advice for a college student considering ACCA — specifically for the FR paper?
Don’t wait to finish college. That’s the first thing. The overlap between B.Com Hons and ACCA is significant — the concepts are related, your study instincts are sharp, and you have the energy for it right now. Use that window.
For FR specifically: understand the logic behind IFRS standards, don’t just memorise them. The ACCA examiner rewards students who can apply principles to new scenarios, not those who’ve mugged up definitions.
And invest in proper coaching. Trying to crack FR purely on self-study is possible, but you’ll spend twice the time figuring out what matters. A good faculty shortens that learning curve significantly.
If I could do it in my final year, honestly — there’s no reason you can’t start right now.
Inspired by Parth’s story?
Your transformation could be next. Talk to our counsellors and find out how to start your ACCA journey — even while you’re still in college.
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