Timed, mixed, cold
◈ 8 cardsA 90-minute pacing plan for the midterm and a cold set — two computations, three discriminative stems, two recalls — with nothing revealed before you commit.
Ninety minutes, three registers
The midterm is 25 % of the course, 90 minutes, chapters 1 to 5. It mixes three registers, and the mix — not the difficulty — is what runs students out of time. A pacing plan that has worked:
| Register | Share of marks | Minutes | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative recall | ~25 % | 20 | which framework, which director, which pillar; short definitions |
| Entries and computations | ~35 % | 30 | LCNRV, errors, disposal, impairment, shares, dividends, provisions |
| Written explanation | ~40 % | 35 | 4–8 mark “explain / assess / recommend” prompts |
Five minutes are left to re-read the written answers for the mark you asserted but did not justify. Do the entries first: they are the most mechanical, they warm up the chart of accounts in your head, and a balanced entry is either right or wrong — there is no partial credit to chase later. Then the recall items, fast. Then the written prompts, with the time they need.
Two habits that save marks
Read for the policy before the numbers. “Write-downs are charged to cost of goods sold”, “issue costs are netted”, “depreciation is already updated” — each sentence removes a trap. A prompt that says nothing about updating depreciation is telling you to do it.
Write the discriminator, then the consequence. In a framework question, name the word (undiscounted, likely, AOCI, constructive) and the framework it points to before explaining anything. Markers award the identification first.
The cold set
Nothing below is worked. Two computations first — an LCNRV item-versus-group comparison and a partial-year disposal — then three stems from Modules 1, 5 and 6, then two recalls. Commit each before the answer is revealed. If a computation takes you more than four minutes, that is the signal to drill the owning lesson again before the paper.
One reminder on the LCNRV item: apply lower of cost and NRV item by item unless the items are similar and sold together. Grouping lets a gain on one item offset a loss on another, which is why the group basis always gives a smaller (or equal) write-down — and why the standard does not allow it for dissimilar items.