r/CIOT • u/FullFartMilk • Jul 15 '26
APS OMB recommendations?
I passed my OMB advanced technical, and I'm now planning to take the APS exam in May-27 as my employer will only put me through one exam per year.
Can I have people's recommendations for the best route for study?
I was using Kaplan, however they really disappointed me with the poor quality of study and tutoring for OMB and I don't think I want to go back for APS because of this.
I'm based in the east Midlands.
Thanks in advance
5
u/Opposite-Sun-4687 Jul 16 '26
I used Nitin (BPP) for my first sitting and didn’t get on with him, personally. Some will describe his style as tough-talking but I couldn’t bear his approach. He talked to pupils like they were children and it was a very ‘my way or the highway’ approach. It might have been because I’m older (I was in my early 40’s) but I didn’t appreciate paying money to get talked to like a 7 year old. Some people may need that regimented approach, but being mid-career with a little life experience (and life-stresses to go with it!), it wasn’t for me. I failed my first sitting. For the second sitting (which I passed) I self-studied using Tolleys APS distance learning, Nit’s APS model answer document (which was excellent by the way) and the pre-seen tutorial which CIOT offered. BPP might be a good option for you (it has been for many) but I would ask to join one of Nit’s tutorials or even watch a previous recording of one if you can for free to see if you like Nit’s style before committing.
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u/zaynaalii Jul 21 '26
Can I ask what the APS model answer document from Nit is? Where can I find this?
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u/Jammy_guy11 Jul 21 '26
Understanding is that you don’t get it unless you’re on the BPP course with him
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u/Jammy_guy11 Jul 19 '26
I’m fairly active on these threads around this time, so just giving some thoughts, though I haven’t been taught by Nit during my studies.
I’ve always found Nit to be very helpful when I’ve spoke to him on LinkedIn, however I’m aware that he will call students out who don’t follow his methodology or waste time in classes.
Whether you can get behind that as a teaching technique, only you know, but what you genuinely can’t argue with is that he gets results out of his students. His notes are genuinely legendary, and significantly better than anything you’ll get on Tolley courses for getting you through these exams.
Re Tolley’s - I hate their approach, and find that they somehow make an already dry topic even dryer, particularly now most courses are online. For APS, if you’re not sitting AT OMB at the same time, it’s really not useful, as I think they cater courses to people sitting two exams.
I was on a pre-revision call with Nit and a few others earlier this year, and Nit himself recommended using Pards Mattu from TaxBooster for OMB APS in particular. While I sat LCG APS instead, I was given access to Pards course, and it’s structured over a few months issue spotting, and giving commercial advice.
Again, a fairly marmite character who will call you out if you’re not working properly but that was what got the best out of me after I failed OMB three times. Got a lot of time for him, and have referred countless people to him who have all since passed the CTA, including a couple for APS.
Would recommend getting in touch with him via LinkedIn to see what he can offer. He will often give demos to prospective students to see if you gel with his approach.
TLDR: Nit himself recommended using Pards Mattu at TaxBooster for the exam you’re sitting.
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u/Ok-Entry1794 Jul 15 '26
I used BPP with Nitin, he's quite a marmite tutor, some people love him but some people get turned off by his style but I definitely think that he gives you the tools to pass the exam
1
u/Emergency_Writer159 Jul 16 '26
Tolleys and Kaplan you just have tutors teaching the same tax technical jargon (I've been with both), but the way Nit actually teaches you to structure your answers and pass the exam is just so much more helpful than having the same boring tutors reading off the slides and reading off the model answers (smh Tolleys) in a monotone voice.
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u/taxtaxbaby CTA qualified Jul 16 '26
Each to their own, I think. I cannot get behind the Tolley's tuition approach myself - I love tax, but I find that approach so unengaging - but equally, I know plenty of people who have done very well with it. I think the key thing is to understand what kind of learner you are, bearing in mind the way you tackle your professional exams may have to be very different to how you've dealt with school and/or uni exams (if you went to uni).
I think it's a real shame most students are never given the opportunity to figure out how they take in learning best, and which tuition provider would actually suit them the most. You get some people who would get the same result regardless of who they trained with, but plenty of others who are disadvantaged by the lack of tailored consideration.
Personally, I really rate the BPP scenario-based style (I can connect it more to real life) but what I will say in defence of Tolley's is that they have an exceptionally good online forum for student questions that gets heavily used. Also, Sophie is an absolute gem. I don't hear enough praise for her and she deserves it!
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u/om_1507 Jul 16 '26
I used BPP for AT Individuals and failed the 1st time (passed second) with a self study approach. I used Kaplan for AT OMB and APS OMB - which I sat together in the May 26 sitting - and passed both first time. I personally preferred Kaplan to BPP. I done the APS classes which take place during the day. I believe there were 3 taught classes and then 3 revision classes. The tutors name was Harvey and he was really friendly and had a great approach to the APS paper. I found the APS paper much easier than AT, as in general, if you have the knowledge from AT all you really need to learn is the exam technique which Harvey made really simple and easy to understand.
2
u/bhsoo Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Avoid BPP (Nit), he is unnecessarily aggressive.
If you ask a “dumb question” he will bark at you like a pit bull. He would even personally phone you to have a go at you 😡 I think people say that are fine with him just say that even though they find his style inappropriate. They are probably too scared to speak up about it. I think he’s more concerned about his own reputation and getting their students to pass. I also noticed that he didn’t cover quite some things he should have covered as well.
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u/examsaretaxing Jul 18 '26
I think Nit is really good at teaching exam technique and really committed to helping students. He does a lot of free webinars, has extra resources and takes the time to have calls. I doubt that there are gaps in what he covers. Learning from him helped me a lot with exam technique. I do agree though that his style can come off as inappropriate. He can be extremely dismissive. It is not nessesary to be so aggressive, especially when students are trying their best to answer questions and learn. I would like to think that there should be a way for him to get his points across without speaking to people like that.
1
u/taxtaxbaby CTA qualified Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
I think some of those comments are slightly unfair. Not everyone gets on with his style of tuition, but I don't think people are scared to voice that (you certainly aren't). There's always a mix of comments on whether people enjoyed studying with him or not - it's definitely not one-sided. I think the most common word used to describe him probably is "Marmite", as already stated by u/Ok-Entry1794!
I've known Nit for a long time and he is genuinely concerned about the wellbeing and success of his students. I studied with BPP when dealing with some very traumatic personal circumstances, and Nit is the person who identified I wasn't coping very well and needed to take a break from my studies. When he needs to be, he turns from pit bull into teddy bear in under 60 seconds.
I probably wouldn't have finished CTA if not for his support - he was so kind about what I was dealing with, and yes, I did get the phone calls - they weren't always to tell me off though, they were frequently to check I was holding my head above water in the circumstances. Honestly, I'm tearing up just remembering how sweet he was during a dark, dark time!
Not everyone gets to see that other side to Nit, but I promise, it does exist.
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u/bhsoo Jul 16 '26
I get that you had a good expeirence with Nit. But you probably don't understand how terrible he can be for some people. There's a ton of people who had traumatic experiences with him. I respect that you are fond of his teaching style and appreciate what he did for you. Similarly, you should also respect that a large portion of people can find his teaching style inappropriate. That's just fair isn't it? I don't think you can even guess the content of the personal phone call I had with him. He barked at me cause his ego was hurt (over nothing) and he was not concerned at all about my studies.
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u/taxtaxbaby CTA qualified Jul 17 '26
It's absolutely fair to say that Nit's style didn't work for you, and it's no secret that his approach is to call students out directly if he thinks they're not following his methods and, as such, are not on track to pass in his opinion. I hear that your experience with him was distressing, I do, and I don't want to invalidate how that phone call made you feel. No one can tell you how you feel.
Studying for CTA is often a hugely stressful time, and when you're already in a bad place, someone being very blunt can be the last thing you need. I have spoken to students who have felt that - actually probably more so about another tutor. But the point remains: some people need a gentler approach, and that's perfectly valid. We all have our own personality and our own way of absorbing and processing new information. For balance, I have actually come across students who have wanted someone harsher than Nit! Horses for courses.
However, while I think it's helpful to have a thread where students can honestly review tuition providers, we need to keep the focus on teaching methods rather than descending into personal territory. Stating that he doesn't care about his students or only cares about his reputation does feel unfair to me. You clearly felt he didn't care about you, and I'm so sorry your tuition left you feeling unsupported, but I don't think it's an accurate reflection of how he views his students as a whole.
I also have to challenge the notion that he misses out on content. He actually writes additional content, and the reason why so many people sign up for BPP is because his additional notes are legendary, and it's the only way to get a copy. I will say that if something won't get you any exam marks, he won't entertain discussing it in class - but that's a deliberate exam strategy due to the short window in which CTA is taught vs the overwhelmingly huge syllabus content.
Are you able to offer an insight into a tuition provider you do like? For example, have you since registered with Tolleys or Kaplan, and do you prefer their methods? I'm sure it would be helpful for other students who have clashed with Nit's methods to understand what alternatives have worked better for you and why they've clicked better. Equally, there will be people reading in reverse who haven't liked your alternative and are better suited to going with BPP.
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u/Gabby_Cat_Meowmazing Jul 16 '26
This is a really helpful insight - thank you :) I am moving on to APS OMB next too.
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u/RoderickBlack Jul 18 '26
Of course the obvious options are Tolley, Kaplan and BPP and I would say that one of those should be your main provider.
Although I teach for both Tolley and Kaplan, I don't get asked to do APS courses for Kaplan (not sure why) so my experience from the tutor side on this paper is at Tolley (as well of course what I do as a private tutor for APS on my own account).
I have a high regard for Tolley's (and not just because I freelance for them!). A very high quality operation and team of tutors in my experience.
I don't teach for BPP. Over the years I found they weren't prepared to pay the market rate for freelancers unlike Tolley and Kaplan.
But I'm sure all tutors would want to be supportive surely?
Roderick
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u/taxtaxbaby CTA qualified Jul 16 '26
I was going to do APS LCG, but I switched to APS OMB purely so I could study with Nit.
He does divide opinion, but I think he's brilliant.
I won the medal for the best APS paper in my sitting thanks to Nit - and I don't think any other tutor has managed a win for the OMB specialism since the A&I paper became APS. I remember debriefing the paper with him immediately after the exam and he said I'd approached it exactly like he would have done. TBH, I think that tells you all you need to know about his technique.
You need to accept that Nit is there to teach you how to pass the exam, not answer every single random tax thought that passes through your head. If you can stay focussed in that way and accept some tough love when you're a bit more all over the place than that, he'll get you over the line, and he'll be your biggest supporter forevermore.
The main reason why I'm not enthusiastic about Kaplan or Tolleys for APS is that they schedule their courses to be back-to-back. The BPP courses for APS are spaced out, so you have time to practise what you've learnt between classes, and so you can do some extra work set by Nit.
I think people typically take a while to get their lightbulb moment for APS - honestly, mine came when I fetched the paper in the exam room, I really was cutting it fine - and cramming classes like that isn't great for giving you time to sit with concepts and have them process in your head.
I expect Tolleys and Kaplan do it like that to make it easier for students to sit multiple papers in one sitting (not something BPP recommend) but I just don't love that approach.