r/AATStudents

Not sure where to start to get into the above! I've done my L2&3 via a college, but L4 will take too long if done via a college. Can someone briefly explain what I need to do get it done as a self study?

From what I can gather, I just need to have my AAT registration, then go through them to find an assessment venue, register for the exam - done?

Also, would like to do it when the new syllabus starts in September. Tried to look for study material but don't think those are released yet for the new syllabus, anyone has any insight?

Anyone in the same boat - will be doing the new qualification from September as self study and would like to keep in touch?

Im currently self studying for my level 2 and im curious to hear how others have found the process of finding a job after AAT. Does AAT actually help with finding entry level jobs in finance? Im worried as currently im working retail and want to transfer to finance is AAT a good option for that? Or am i wasting my time? I would like to know before i book any exams

My current plan is to complete my level 2, find an entey level job while studying my level 3 and 4 and then possible do the ACCA if i can find an employer thats willing to sponsor me or maybe even self funding the ACCA aswell

I would love to hear about others experiences especially if anyone has moved from retail to a finance position after AAT :)

Hello! Im planning on self studying for the level 2 AAT and im confused on what i need to prepare for it, for self study would only buying the osborne books suffice? I have bought the tutorial and workbook for introduction to bookkeping to start, Do i need to learn any software at this stage? I would also appreciate any advise on self studying in general aswell.

I want to self study for the level 2 and then try and do the level 3 at a local college after level 2 so would also like to know how long it took for people to finish level 2

Hi everyone,

I’ve just finished studying ITBK and have booked my exam for 25th July!

I was wondering how people who have sat their exams have done compared to their mocks. I feel as though I have a great understanding of the concepts, and in my first mocks, I scored 92/100 and 97/100.

Did anyone else get similar results in their first mocks and did it reflect in your official assessments by also getting distinctions then?

I just want someone to let me know if my understanding is right and if not or there's anything to add, to help out if possible

So when you do the ETB for a year you do the opening inventory figure first, which as an expense is DR on the P+L.

Double entry:

DR P+L
CR inventory

then when you do closing inventory for the year it's an asset on Financial Position but we do:

DR inventory
CR P+L

I'm a bit confused about that logically because we DR Financial Position after to record it there as an asset but it's not tied up in double entry really , so,
Think i'm mainly just unsure about the reasons for that last double entry.

I understand how to value closing inventory ( lower of cost or sale) and opening (purchase + COGS - closing) but I don't get the logic of a lot of it.

I'm also unsure about the opening calculation (purchase is raw resale items, plus the cost of the goods you sold? minus last years stock? I would have thought it would be last years closing inventory + purchases and then minus what you've sold..

If anyone can give help that would be great :)

How did yall solidify in your brain that the Bank Account is an expense account? I get it's classified under "assets" but I keep getting it mixed up with Capital.

Is this just something I have to do the ole "not why, memorise" and it'll just click later on? 🤣

For those that had AATQB after completing level 3, did you get a salary increase and by how much if you stayed with your employer?

Hi everyone, just some background quickly. I’m 17, looking to get in to accounting but Im a complete beginner. I wanted to know which would be best as I qualify for both. These courses I’ll be taking at a college near me since it’s free for me that way. I was told to start with AAT level 3 as a beginner however it seems I don’t qualify since I’m under 19. Please let me know any advice that could help create a pathway to accountancy or just helps with my dilemma right now.

I am going to be self-studying the Level 2 certificate in Accounting! I'm curious as to whether anyone else has done it this way, and what your experience was like! Also, if someone could please point me in the right direction where I can buy the materials to study! Thanks! 😎

i’m studying AAT right now but i want to eventually go on to complete ACCA and CFA. I would like a laptop to last. I was looking at the Macbook air since i basically have all of the apple ecosystem. I’ve only had HP laptops

Hi. I want to start self studying towards the AAT Level 2, and am making this post seeking testimonies on how people have approached this, as I see there is the option of going through providers who will have packages that include mock tests and books, or just registering in AAT and then buying the books and mock tests on the side. Are there preferred ways of going about this? What materials should I be looking for? Any recommendation on youtube channels, books, websites, etc?

I work in SAP FICO and already have a fundamental knowledge of basic accounting principles, but want to consolidate that foundation with level 2 before moving to the other levels. Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi guys,

I recently completed AAT Levels 2 & 3, both with Distinctions, and am looking at going into CIMA from there instead of doing AAT Level 4 (this was suggested as a possible route from my manager) because I am already an Assistant Accountant doing management accounts for several entities within a larger company.

Has anyone else jumped straight from AAT Level 3 into CIMA, and if so, where did you start?? Any guidance appreciated!

Hi! First post on this Reddit account 🥳

To get myself started, I thought I'd ask the people of this subreddit - what do you wish you did when you started? Are there any resources you wish you knew about?

Imma blab a bit about myself incase you wanna cater your reply, but you don't have to! Feel free to just blab about your journey 🙂‍↕️

Where I've been:
From 18-23 I had a sole proprietorship in the US and now I'm in a partnership here in the UK. Having always done my accounts independently, I have some practical knowledge of that side of things.
When I moved here, I kinda got thrown into the deep end. I'm required to file both UK and US returns. For my partnership, that means filling out complicated IRS forms without help from any software. It can be a lot of stress sometimes... but I've kinda found it addicting! As well, time passes so much quicker compared to when I'm doing my usual manual labor jobs.

Where I'm at:
I recently bought Accountext's Introduction to Bookkeeping textbook. While I wait for it to come in the mail, I've started watching YouTube videos on the concepts people seem to struggle with the most at first. (Like Double-Entry Bookkeeping and T-Accounts)

Where I want to be:
Ideally in a year - My main goal is to become a UK MAAT but a side goal is to become a US EA.
THEN I want to find a part time job and start working towards ACCA. (I've estimated that's 4-5 years on part-time hours.)

That might be a bit of an odd timeline. However, I work in the trades, and make enough to get by without much trouble. This is more of a switch for enjoyment reasons rather than necessity.

Ive just completely level 2 Bookkeeping back in May and I'm looking to start level 3 in July. I'm thinking about buying the BPP books again but should I wait for the September 2026 books or just buy the September 2025 books?

Also I'm hoping to start studying FAPS in July and hopefully do the exam by November/December. I'm quite a slow and thorough learner so is that timeline realistic?

So I just took this exam yesterday and I felt pretty good about it but now I’m stressing about one of the questions. It was a question about apportionment and for Administration salaries it said allocated.In these 12 marks it usually tells u where to write and where not too so I think I got confused and I thought I had to split the cost between the two centres. But there was no logical basis to apportion it by I didn’t want to stress too much about it so I just did it based on the floor space because that’s the only one that made like the most sense the other options were like carrying value and stuff. But I’m scared that (bc of the totals being obviously wrong) for my follow up questions I had to use the same values for my oar calculations. I’m just worried I got that whole task wrong bc of the wrong totals. Is there a system on aat where u get marks for the right calculation? I heard something about how the computer follows through even if u make a mistake early on but I just want to hear it from anyone going through or went through a similar situation. THANK YOU

I’ve got my TPFB exam later today and want to see if anyone has some last minute tips that I can maybe write down in the exam to remind me of certain things etc

- it’s my last one and just want to get it over the line really struggled with this one the most so far

Any help much appreciated 😁

Hey all, sorry to drop in like this, but I need confirmation to settle my nerves or let me know just how screwed I am. Just sat in the level 3 MATs exam, and my two excel questions were riddled with 'You do not need to use a formula'. Anyway, in this heat and the scorching room I was sat in, I took that to mean you don't have to use a function. So a lot of the times I used cell referencing, A3*B2 whatever. In hindsight, those were formulas and I'm a moron.

tldr If a question says you 'don't need to use a formula', does it matter if you do use a formula or not?

Hi all,
I am studying AAT level two bookkeeping and I’m based in Manchester. I am self-studying and wondering if anyone knows of any affordable places to sit exams, whether it’s remote or in a classroom?
Thank you 😄