ACCA F5 exams are the end point in long process, often over a number of years, of hard work, commitment and self denial. The examinations are your opportunity to demonstrate how well you have understood your accounting training and acquired the fundamental knowledge and skills of, for example, behavioural budgeting or back flush accounting. However, in order to rise to the occasion, be your most effective and achieve maximum performance on your ACCA F5 exams, you need to prepare not only intellectually but physically as well.

When met with the daunting challenge of difficult exams it is not unusual to marshal your efforts on the key areas of learning, revision, exam technique and making the best use of all the available help and resources. Yet the body will not be in a position to do what is needed unless it too has been prepared for the rigors of the exam process. When preparing for ACCA F5 exams there are a handful of straightforward areas on which one should concentrate if you are to be in the best shape possible..

The all encompassing benefits of regular, well balanced diet are well understood. At a stage when it is imperative to stay healthy and maintain a positive perspective, the "feel good" consequences of a well balanced and nutritious diet should not be underplayed. Whilst sugary drinks and foods high in refined sugars will give your body an immediate and intense injection of energy (a "sugar rush") they will inevitably lead to a "sugar crash". Reduced attention span and fatigue are also both common. Other stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine can have similar detrimental effects and are ideally best avoided or taken only in moderation. The same can be said for alcohol, which is a mood depressant and acts to dehydrate the body and destroy brain cells, impairing cognitive function.

In addition to eating appropriately and drinking the right things it is crucial that you make time to revitalise your body and mind through rest and recovery. This can be done helpfully by taking short breaks for exercise. Most important of all is to ensure that one is getting enough sleep. As a significant body of scientific evidence has shown, the effects of consistent sleep loss can result in physical tiredness, reduced focus and irritability and a pronounced detrimental impact on cognitive ability, all of which are unhelpful.

Getting ready to undertake accounting exams can be hard. In addition to taking on board the right food and drink it is also vital to give your body and mind time to rest so that they can recover and recharge.

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