Discover the Best ACCA Books: Which is Better - KAPLAN or BPP?

by Eduyush Team

ACCA Books which is better KAPLAN or BPP.

Many students often ask us which ACCA books are better, BPP or KAPLAN, to pursue their studies. Eduyush.com are authorized resellers of the original BPP Books and KAPLAN books.

So we lay down statistics of our purchases, and feedback is given to us orally or over surveys.

We list down the subjects and which publishers students choose to go for when looking at the past 12000+ purchases (updated till September 2023)

Both BPP Books ACCA and KAPLAN Books are good in the summary and conceptual clarity and are approved by the ACCA Examination team. 

ACCA Books: Your Passport to Acing the Exams and Outsmarting the Competition

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A summary of the feedback given to us by students

  • Students who need more accessible language prefer KAPLAN over BPP.
  • Students who need more technical language and conceptual clarity chose BPP.
  • BPP has very detailed text with lots of case studies and references
  • KAPLAN books were more pre-dominantly sold at Knowledge level approx. 67%. At the strategic level, students prefer BPP by almost 81% as it has more case studies, and the language is more technical, which helps students in exam preparation.
  • Students who wish to do self-study now take up BPP Books as theres an added advantage of the BPP Training. BPP online training is available at a fractional cost (approx. 5,000 INR Avg.) as compared to other tuition partners and has a repeat (78%) purchase from first-time users
  • Students with little or nil work experience find KAPLAN's language easier to understand over BPP.
  • With BPP launching its new interactive revision kit from August 2023, many students now do take the BPP revision kit in ebook format to practice and get real time answers. 

    We list down estimated purchases made by students in the past two years through our site for each level. 

    Knowledge Level or Applied Knowledge Papers :

    The Knowledge exams provide students with a broad introduction to finance and accounting and develop the student's essential understanding of practices and techniques in accounting.

    The three examinations under knowledge level are :

     

    Subject KAPLAN % sales

    BPP % sales

    F1: Business and Technology (BT)

    49%

    (Link) 

     51% (it makes no difference on the first book for ACCA) (Link)

    F2 : Management Accounting (MA)
    72% (Link)

    28%

    (Link)

    F3 : Financial Accounting (FA)

    52% 

    (Link)

    48%

    (Link)

     

     Key-takeways

    Students who need easy language go for KAPLAN, and students who are accomplished in English and want more technical knowledge go for BPP

    Skills Level or Applied Skills Papers:

    The Applied Skills modules or papers build on existing knowledge, acquired during the knowledge level. It creates an understanding of applications and develops strong, broad, and practical finance skills required to function as a professional accountant in any sector or industry. 

    The six applied skills papers are :

    Subject KAPLAN % sales

    BPP % sales

    F4 : Corporate and Business Law (LW)

    54%

    (Link)

    46%

    (Link)

    F5: Performance Management (PM)

    52%

    (Link)

    48%

    (Link)

    F6 : Taxation (TX)

    22% 

    (Link)

    78%

    (Link)

    F7 : Financial Reporting (FR)

    45%

    (Link)

    55%

    (Link)

    F8 : Audit and Assurance (AA)

    59%

    (Link)

    41%

    (Link)

    F9 : Financial Management (FM)

    31%

    (Link)

    69%

    (Link)

     

     Key takeaways from students

    Broadly students prefer BPP Books for technical subjects or numerical subjects like FR, FM and TX while for theory AA is preferred

    Broad Theme:

    BPP helps you understand the concepts clearly, especially if you're studying independently. Kaplan is simple, and you use it if you attend coaching classes or have a tutor.

    With its interactive nature, BPP's new revision kit ensures active learning, enabling students to engage with the material and improving retention and understanding of complex concepts. This has resulted in students opting in for the revision kit from BPP as an additional resource for exam preparation.

    Subject wise theme

    • Students find BPP TX Workbook quite detailed oriented and also find the revision kit very useful.
    • Many students who chose FR or F7, go either with KAPLAN for clarity in explanation or BPP for practical solutions.

    Also with BPP Training options available at INR 4800 (50 GBP), students prefer BPP as it gives them a fall back option

    Strategic Professional Level

    The Strategic Professional Level comprises 6 papers, of which two are compulsory. Among the four optional courses, every student needs to choose two specialisations. Students may specialise in areas that best suit your career ambitions. 

    Subject KAPLAN % sales

    BPP % sales

    P1 : Strategic Business Leader (SBL)

    39%

    (Link)

    61%

    (Link)

    P2 : Strategic Business Reporting (SBR)

    9%

    (Link)

    91%

    (Link)

    P3 : Advanced Financial Management (AFM)

    12% 

    (Link)

    88%

    (Link)

    P4 : Advanced Performance Management (APM)

    37%

    (Link)

    63%

    (Link)

    P5 : Advanced Taxation (ATX)

    37%

    (Link)

    63%

    (Link)

    P6 : Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA)

    42%

    (Link)

    58%

    (Link)

     

     Key takeaways from students

    Key themes

    BPP is very wordy and more elaborate, which is excellent for technical papers like SBR, ATX, and AFM.

    Kaplan is more precise and very to the point. This is helpful where a better exam technique is required, as you can go through the text faster and spend more time on the revision kit( Key to ACCA).

    Students prefer BPP for the following reasons over KAPLAN

    1. As Strategic papers are  case study based, they find BPP technical language better suited to score more marks
    2. As students need guidance on a professional level, BPP training at INR 4,900 (50 GBP) offers a lot more value with pre-recorded lectures from BPP UK faculty, CBE mocks, CBE software. So students now preferring going with BPP as the training gives them a fall back option to take up online training
    3. Students who dont have work experience find KAPLAN better due to the simple language. Even though KAPLAN is wordy and had more content, students find it easier to manage the case study exams.

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    FAQs

    There are several ways to prepare for the ACCA exams, including studying the exam syllabus and practicing past exam questions. You can also attend review courses or hire a tutor to help you prepare. It's also a good idea to create a study schedule and stick to it, and to take breaks and pace yourself during your studies.

    If you fail an ACCA exam, you will need to re-register and pay the exam fees again. You may also want to consider reviewing the exam syllabus and studying more before attempting the exam again. It's also a good idea to talk to your tutor or mentor for guidance and to get feedback on where you may have gone wrong.

    There is no limit to the number of times you can attempt the ACCA exams, but you will need to pay the exam fees each time you register. It's a good idea to carefully review the exam syllabus and consider seeking additional help if you are struggling to pass the exams after multiple attempts.

    ACCA Exams are held four times a year for skill level and strategic level exams. These are held every quarter

    March, June, September and December

    The CA (Chartered Accountant) qualification is offered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The ACCA qualification is offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

    The CA qualification has been in existence for over 150 years, and is a globally recognised qualification. The ACCA qualification has been in existence for over 100 years, and is also a globally recognised qualification.

    The CA qualification is available in India only, while the ACCA qualification is available in over 180 countries.

    The ACCA subjects are assessed on a 100-point scale. The pass mark is 50 points. A score of 60 or more is required to achieve the grades of distinction, credit, and merit.

    Yes. Passing all exams with a high percentage is an excellent accomplishment and demonstrates that you have a high level of understanding of the material. Employers will see this as evidence of your competence and be likely to consider you for a position if you are looking for work in the accounting field.

    The hardest ACCA paper is the F5 performance management paper. This is because it requires a detailed knowledge of financial accounting and management accounting in order to pass.

    Other papers that are difficult include the F7 financial reporting paper and the P2 advanced auditing and assurance paper. However, all of the ACCA papers are challenging, so it is important to thoroughly prepare for each one before sitting the exam.