You might not be quite ready to think about the July Case Study exam yet, but AI release day is less than a month away.

You have so many other things to juggle that it is easy to put a pin in your studies – after all you may only be studying for one exam. It is vital that you give your studies focus if you want to pass the exam. In our experience, even those that achieved strong passes in previous exams can struggle when it comes to the ICAEW Case Study.  

As we are celebrating our 10^th anniversary, we wanted to share with you the story, insights and success of one of our first students, Richard Britten. 

Richard joined our July 2011 tuition programme. He completed his training contract with Saffery Champness and has remained with the firm, progressing from Audit Senior, through management positions and becoming Director in 2019. His responsibilities now include directing engagements with clients who have a turnover of up to £1bn, often leading on internal staffing matters for a department numbering nearly 100 and sitting on a national practice group committee with fellow directors and partners.

Richard says: “Despite my good day-to-day work performance I struggled with the Case Study exam. Neil taught me to understand the marking key and how to demonstrate my knowledge on the day – my pass was 16 marks higher than any previous attempt.”

Richard’s top tip: “For me it was purposeful practice – not just sitting loads of mocks to feel like I was “studying”, but using the detailed marking to analyse where I had gone wrong and deciding what to change in my approach before the next mock.”

For more inspiration and tips on passing the Case Study exam read our magazine, The Final Hurdle.