When I decided to come back to advising I thought I’d treat myself (!) and study for R03…until I saw the book!
I bought the digital version and if you held the screen sideways it was something like 660 pages. I thought “I’ll never remember all that”. Let’s be honest, unless you’ve got one of those amazing photographic memories or you immerse yourself in deep technical content every day there is no way you can remember or recall all the information in the R03 (and J02) study texts.
This is where the Essential Study Notes come in. What I’ve done is to look at all the past AF1 papers going back to 2011 and analysed the syllabus areas that are most frequently examined and score the highest number of marks. The Essential Study Notes concentrate on these areas. They are not meant to be an alternative to the core texts of R03 and J02 but a complement to them, extracting what I believe to be the key information you need to know in order to pass the exam.
I would still strongly recommend you read and study the core texts. After all, this is where the background technical information is drawn from and I think it’s very important you understand what has been left out as much as what I have left in. There will inevitably be the odd question (the curveballs) on stuff that isn’t covered in the Essential Study Notes. The Notes do assume you have a prior level of knowledge and understanding of taxation and trusts.
Learning is lifelong; it’s a growing and living thing. If I’ve missed something out of the Essential Study Notes that you feel should be covered, or if you feel my interpretation of something misses the point, please share your thoughts and experiences on the forum. I’m here to share my experience and knowledge in any way that makes it easier for you to pass the AF1 exam. Please, please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make this journey a successful one.
The Essential Study Notes are there because you’ll never remember all that…
