Complete ACCA PM Study Guide – Syllabus, Paper Pattern, Academic Plan, Mock Exams, Tips And More

DECODING THE SUBJECT

All goods and services are delivered at a cost. Any business needs to arrive at the most accurate cost of its products/ services to fix its selling price. The syllabus of performance management fundamentally teaches us the science of arriving at the most accurate cost and selling price of any product/ service.

However, costing is just one aspect of performance management. At a broader level, you will learn various Decision-making & Evaluating Performance techniques at different levels in a business organization.

ACCA PM SYLLABUS

Performance management ACCA syllabus covers principles and concepts of performance management that will help students in real world jobs. The ACCA PM Syllabus teaches students skills like cost and management accounting, decision-making, budgeting, and measuring performance. Understanding the ACCA PM Syllabus ensures students are ready to manage performance in different organizations.

To help you understand better, the ACCA PM Syllabus can be broken down into the following categories:

EXAM FORMAT

Section A:

• 15 objective test (OT) questions.
• Each question is worth 2 marks.

Section B:

• 3 questions, each worth 10 marks.
• Each question comprises 5 OT questions worth 2 marks each.

Section C:

• 2 constructed response (CR) questions, each worth 20 marks.
• A mix of computational and narrative questions.

The ACCA PM Exam format includes a mix of objective tests and constructed response questions, testing both computational skills and narrative understanding. To succeed in the ACCA PM Exam format, candidates must show a solid grasp of performance management techniques and their practical applications.

ACCA PM EXAM STRUCTURE

The ACCA PM Exam is assessed by a three-hour computer-based examination Exam structure consists of three sections: Section A, Section B, and Section C.

Section A:

• 15 objective test questions, each worth two marks.
• Questions may be narrative or calculative.
• Covers the entire Performance Management syllabus, making it crucial to study the whole syllabus.
• Avoid spending too much time on any single question, as each is only worth two marks.

Section B:

• Three questions, each with five objective test items, totaling 10 marks per question.
• Based on a common scenario and covering any syllabus area.
• A mix of calculative and narrative questions.
• Allocate 18 minutes per question to manage time effectively.

Section C:

• Two questions, each worth 20 marks.
• Can include one full 20-mark requirement or multiple requirements.
• Primarily from syllabus areas C, D, and E, but may include area A.
• Requires detailed workings and stated assumptions.

The mix of numbers and written interpretation, with the need to apply answers to given contexts.

Follow-up marks are given for discussions based on a candidate’s calculations.

A formula sheet is provided, but its usage varies depending on the exam content. This concise ACCA PM Exam structure ensures thorough preparation across all areas, highlighting the importance of understanding both calculative and interpretive aspects of performance management.

ACCA PM PAPER PATTERN

The 100-mark ACCA Performance Management exam paper has been designed to ensure that all the different areas of the syllabus are covered adequately. Following are the various sections and question types that you can expect-

ACCA PM PASSING TRENDS

You are expected to score 50/100 to pass this examination. This is easily manageable with a clear understanding of the concepts, good practice of the questions and a positive attitude. The pass rates of ACCA PM paper across the globe are roughly between 35%-45% for most attempts.

SOURCES OF CONTENT

You need to refer to these two content sources for your preparations primarily –

• The Study Text – for conceptual understanding
• The Practice/Exam Kit – for practice questions

There are only two ACCA-approved content providers that you should consider, namely, Kaplan Publishing and BPP Learning Media. Apart from this, you can also refer to the technical articles published by ACCA on different topics.

STUDYING METHODOLOGY

1. Commence preparations with the Study Text & go through all the concepts, & solved questions. Thereafter, attempt all questions from the Exam Kit to get more clarity and a deeper understanding of how to approach the different questions of the syllabus.
2. The Study Text has relatively easier & fundamental questions in comparison to the Exam Kit. The Exam Kit has several tricky questions & of diverse variety. Hence ensure that you solve questions from the Exam Kit in parallel to the Study Text.
3. Focus equally on numbers as well a theory concepts The paper will cover not just number driven questions but also an equal number of theory questions testing your conceptual knowledge.
4. Some of the areas of your syllabus of ‘High Importance’ include Decision Making Techniques, Budgeting, Variances, Transfer Pricing, Learning Curve, Specialist cost and management accounting techniques. Ensure that you have spent adequate time practicing these concepts.
5. You will see several questions in the PM paper which may not be necessarily from the ones practised in the Study Text or Exam Kit. Hence you must be prepared for ‘Unknown Territories’. Your ability to understand the scenario, apply the concepts & articulate your answer is a real skill you need to sharpen for this paper.
6. When solving the constructed response questions from the practise kit, it is useful to go through the key answer tips, tutor’s top tips, tutorial notes and examiner’s comments to understand what the common mistakes made by students are and how you can deliver a better answer.
7. Practice a few constructed response questions using basic features of MS Word and MS Excel too. Also, you can use the constructed response ‘blank workspace’ provided by the ACCA after logging in to the Practice Platform to get a hold of the CBE environment.

HOW TO PLAN ACCA PM MOCK EXAMS

Attempting enough mock exams is a must! Going without solving mocks is like a soldier without a weapon.

The examination is now conducted using the CBE platform; writing at least 2-3 mocks is essential to understand how the final examination would be and get used to the CBE environment.

You can log in to the ACCA ‘Practice Platform’ using the following link(practice questions) to solve mocks

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE WRITING THE EXAM

After months of all the effort and hard work you would’ve put into the preparation for this exam, it is equally important to ace your exam. Here are some things to remember suggested by our experts at Synthesis Learning–

1. Time Management: It is essential to complete the paper on time. Effective time management is the key to success! Here is how you can allocate your time-

2. Do not stress or panic during the exam, stay calm write all you know. If you stress out, it is possible that you mess with other straightforward, manageable, and scoring questions.
3. Do not leave any question unattempted
   • For your OTQ’s there is always a 25% probability to get the answer right, place your bet and mark the option you believe is the closest to the answer.
   • For constructed response questions there is no negative marking. So, based on your understanding of the concepts make sure you form an answer to every question asked.
4. Be prepared to find different and new styles of questions, with patience and linking to the concepts of your syllabus you should be able to tackle them well.
5. Better to start with Section A first, then Section B, and lastly Section C, i.e. FOLLOW THE ORDER! Do not spend too much time finding answers to questions you are not able to crack. Section C: make sure for the numerical questions you show the workings along with the solution wherever needed For theoretical questions write enough to earn marks. One healthy and valid point is worth 1 mark.

EXAMINER’S EXPECTATIONS

The ACCA publishes an Examiner’s Report for every attempt, which gives insight into the marking process, the common mistakes that students make during the exams, and other valuable techniques for doing well in your examination.

You must review the Examiner’s Reports to understand what the examiner expects from you. It will help you know how students have failed to tackle different questions and how they could have performed better. It’s like learning from someone else’s mistakes. You can follow this link(Exam reports) to refer to a few of the examiner’s reports published by the ACCA.

Join The Acca Pm High Achievers: Surround Yourself With Ambitious Students & Global Rankers.

At Synthesis Learning, we’re proud to be an ACCA Platinum Approved Partner. This top-tier rating means we offer the best education and training, led by expert tutors.

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We all get that everyone learns differently. That’s why we offer flexible learning modes for the ACCA PM exam. You can enroll for what works best for you: classroom, online, self pace.

Be Part Of The Best: 

By enrolling with us for the ACCA PM exam, you will have the opportunity to interact with like-minded students and global rankers.

Get inspired: 

For a course like ACCA, we know students need inspiration. Check out our students’ success stories on YouTube. See how our ACCA course helped them launch their careers.

Our Proven Method:

Our four-step approach—Counseling, Coaching, Mentoring, and Placement—has a track record of success. We’re here to support you every step of the way.

Ready to Start?

Visit our ACCA coaching page for more info. Watch our success stories on YouTube and see how Synthesis Learning can help you ace your ACCA PM exams. Let’s get started!

Conclusion- The esteemed ACCA Performance Management qualification will equip you with essential skills. Each step in your preparation journey will enhance your decision-making skills and prepare you for the dynamic world of finance. Master The ACCA PM exam with the guidance our highly qualified tutors, achieve top marks in the exam.

All the best 😊

Summary of all links

Technical articles published by ACCA

ACCA PM express notes

Blank workspace provided by the ACCA

ACCA Practice Platform

Examiner’s reports published by the ACCA