BCS Written Finance study plan
BCS Written Finance · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Financial Management and Corporate Finance
Map the full Domain 1 syllabus into a one-page concept tree covering capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure, dividend policy, and working capital
Derive and apply NPV, IRR, payback, and profitability index to three numerical scenarios without notes
Compute WACC from given component costs and explain when marginal versus weighted average cost should be used
Your checkpoint
A 10-question self-made numerical set on capital budgeting and WACC with worked solutions scoring at least 80% on self-marking
Financial Management and Corporate Finance
Analyse leverage using DOL, DFL, and combined leverage formulas on at least two worked cases
Evaluate dividend policy theories and articulate arguments for and against each in writing
Solve working capital cycle and cash conversion problems including receivables and inventory management ratios
Explain agency problems and governance mechanisms that constrain managerial discretion
Your checkpoint
A 900-word structured answer to a past-style essay on capital structure and dividend policy, self-graded against a checklist of required points
Financial Management and Corporate Finance & Project Appraisal and Investment Analysis
Discriminate between accounting profit and relevant cash flows when building project cash flow statements
Construct a full project appraisal with incremental cash flows, depreciation tax shields, and terminal value
Perform sensitivity and scenario analysis on a project and interpret the results for a decision-maker
Apply risk-adjusted discount rates and certainty equivalents to the same project and compare outcomes
Your checkpoint
One complete investment appraisal spreadsheet-style write-up with sensitivity table and a one-paragraph recommendation
Public Financial Management and Budgeting & Economics and Fiscal Policy
Outline the budget cycle from formulation through execution, monitoring, and audit in a developing-economy context
Distinguish line-item, programme, performance, and zero-based budgeting with strengths and weaknesses of each
Explain fiscal policy instruments and their transmission to aggregate demand, inflation, and the balance of payments
Compute and interpret the fiscal deficit, primary balance, and public debt sustainability indicators from given data
Your checkpoint
A mock 20-mark budget-reform answer plus a solved fiscal-indicator worksheet, both completed under timed conditions
Accounting and Financial Reporting
Prepare financial statements from a trial balance including adjustments for accruals, prepayments, and depreciation
Apply IFRS-style recognition and measurement rules to revenue, leases, and impairment in short written notes
Compute and interpret at least ten key ratios and link them into a coherent financial analysis narrative
Reconcile cash flow statements using both direct and indirect methods
Your checkpoint
A full set of financial statements plus a ratio analysis report of 600 words from a supplied trial balance
Financial Markets, Institutions and Regulation & Economics and Fiscal Policy
Map the structure of money, capital, and foreign exchange markets and the roles of key intermediaries
Explain the objectives, instruments, and limitations of monetary policy and central bank independence
Summarise Basel-style capital adequacy, liquidity, and conduct regulation and their rationale
Assess how interest rate and exchange rate movements affect firm financing and investment decisions
Your checkpoint
A comparative one-page table of regulatory requirements across at least three institution types, plus a 500-word policy commentary
Audit, Internal Control and Risk Management
Distinguish internal control components and design a control matrix for a revenue or procurement cycle
Plan an audit by assessing inherent, control, and detection risk and setting materiality
Evaluate audit evidence types and select appropriate procedures for given assertions
Identify fraud red flags and describe preventive and detective controls in public sector settings
Your checkpoint
A complete audit planning memo including risk assessment, materiality calculation, and a tailored audit programme
ICT Applications in Finance and Governance & Financial Management and Corporate Finance & Public Financial Management and Budgeting
Explain how integrated financial management information systems, e-payment, and digital budgeting improve public financial management
Identify ICT control and cybersecurity risks in financial systems and match them to mitigating controls
Consolidate weak areas across all domains into a prioritised revision list and close at least three gaps
Complete two full timed mock papers and analyse error patterns by domain
Your checkpoint
Two timed mock papers with a scored error log showing at least 60% overall and a written remediation plan for remaining weak topics
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 75% on a self-marked 15-question Domain 1 numerical and theory test covering WACC, leverage, and dividend policy
Week 4: Complete a timed 3-hour half-paper on Domains 1, 2, and 7 and score at least 55%, with all numerical workings shown
Week 6: Produce full answers to one question from each of Domains 3, 4, and 6 within time limits and receive or self-apply a checklist grade of at least 60%
Week 8: Achieve at least 60% on two full timed mock papers with no domain scoring below 45%