DILEMMA: HE PUTS HIS ICAN EXAMS ON HOLD FOR HIS MSC PROGRAMME ABROAD

Hi Jarus,

I graduated with a second class upper division in Statistics in 2006 and worked in the banking sector as an Executive Trainee  in the Internal control department after NYSC. I started ICAN in 2009 and also Masters in Financial Economics in 2010. I however had to put ICAN on hold due to my work load and pressure considering I work full time and also had to study and attend lectures for both ICAN and my Masters. In 2011, I resigned and join the University as graduate assistant in the department of Mathematical sciences. I passed ICAN foundation before putting it on hold.

I am out of the country for my MSC in Statistics ( Time series)  and I hope to submit my Thesis for examination by May 2015 considering my MSC is by research. Lecturing has always been my number one, but in the long run, I hope to go into professional Accounting  with a chartered cousin of mine.

I intend resuming ICAN exams by November 2015 before proceeding for PhD in 2018 by God’s grace, taking into cognizance that I have to complete the exams before my 10 years as a student member elapse. I have 11 papers to go (as per the new syllabus) but intend  taking it in piecemeal (  3,3,3 and 2 subjects respectively for each diet)  due to research and teaching commitment and taking into cognizance that I have to complete the exams in 10 years . I am happily married. Kindly let me have your opinion/advice on this.

Best regards,

Note: I wish to remain anonymous.

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Dear Anonymous

You started ICAN exams in 2009, so I presume you registered as a student same year or a year earlier, 2008. 10 years will be 2018, so you have 4 years left to complete the exams or risk being de-registered.

You have passed Foundation, Stage 1, you have 3 stages to go. I will advise you write the 4 papers at each stage. You never can tell which ones you will pass, if not all. If you’re acing each stage at one attempt, you can complete that in one and half years. Okay, let’s say it takes two diets before all subjects in a stage, that is 3 years. 3 years from 2015 will be close to 2018, the last year in the pass-or-quit window.  That’s risky.

I will advise you start from now, 2014. Go and dust your materials and start preparing for November 2014 diet. If there is no ICAN exam center in the country you reside, it is not too much to come back to Nigeria for the exams for the week of the exam. For me, academic environment is the best environment to be multi-tasking. I believe you can combine your ICAN private studies with your Msc and teaching.

But if that option is going to be very tight for you and you’re confident of you ability that you can scale the 3 remaining stages within the 7 diets November 2015 to November 2018, then no problem, you can wait till then.

Your plan is in order. Lecturing is a fantastic field, go for it. When you eventually return to accounting practice, it makes it easy.

All the best.

Jarus