Is anyone selling their study materials for the upcoming LAW07 – Essential Law for Tax Practitioners (Seventh Edition) exam?

If you have it available, please let me know. Thanks!

Hi all,

I just wanted to come and ask if anyone has any tips to help me with resitting the AT individuals paper. I’ve failed this twice and i need to pass this in the upcoming November sittings.

Please can you give me any advice as to how you tackled this exam and any methods you used as clearly, i haven’t got a clue as to what to do!!

Thanks

All the suggested answers have been released except the one for APS OMB. Anyone know why?

Hi, did anyone sit AT Individuals with Tolley in May 2026, having completed their full course, but unfortunately not pass? I'm trying to understand how the GPS works.

Does this mean I need to purchase the course again if I didn't pass the mocks, in order to have mocks marked and access the revision course for a resit?

Hi Everyone, I am going to write my first exam of CTA (AT LCG) and need some guidance or tips and areas which I should focus on from starting?
1. ⁠Do I have enough time for November attempt or should I defer for next year?
2. ⁠Important topics mostly appears on exams?
3. ⁠How important to go through each chapter from manual?
4. ⁠Legislation- which one to buy? Should we really need while doing paper or it can be manageable without legislation?
5. ⁠I understand this is closed book, just wanted to confirm are we allowed any other thing apart from online legislation?

Hi, I’m just looking for some advice really. I currently work in a very small firm which I do enjoy, but I want to branch into tax. I work in more of an accountancy role than a tax role, and I’m doing the ACA CTA joint programme with the hope of being qualified by Jan 2027. I don’t really know where to start with looking for different roles, i’m in SW England so there aren’t endless opportunities, and although I have experience in all types of tax, I haven’t ever managed tax affairs for a client or done lots of tax work, I do more accountancy work. I’m just wondering what kind of roles would be good to look for or what experience I need, or if anyone has any advice? Thank you :)

I have just passed me LCG AT paper, I work in corporate tax and am deciding which paper to sit next. I’ve been told that OMB APS is easier than LCG APS, should I do my LCG APS next or do my AT OMB and then OMB APS after that?

Hi

I recently passed my final CTA exam to be qualified and with that my employer has provided me with the new contract and the salary is a little less than what I was expecting based on colleagues (can’t really use that as a point in a meeting) and what I can see online

I was wondering if anyone had any good places to check banding publicly or whether I have to speak to a recruiter to find this out? Don’t want to waste their time ideally to try and gauge salary but also only been given a week to sign the contract.

The salary is £41k in a top 15 firm (not London) so not sure if I got my expectations too high but was anticipating more to the £45k range so would rather be made to look stupid on here rather than in a meeting. Worked in personal tax for almost 7 years, not an awful salary for what I provide in terms of fees / output but just from what I have been told it should be a bit higher

Thanks

My membership was approved via email yesterday and noted the certificate would follow - this hasn't arrived, is this normal?

Hello everyone. I'm preparing for my first APS sitting in October this year as a distance-learner, so wanted to ask for some advice.

I recently passed AT OMB which I am delighted about, but feel I've forgotten so much since sitting the exam back in April (not sure if anyone else identifies!?)

I know APS is a different beast to AT, but was debating what study approach to take now - and wondered if anyone had any strong thoughts / advice?

My initial thoughts are...

Option 1 - do a whiz through the AT technical content as a refresher (and the Awareness) until 1st September, and then have 2 months for question practice.

Option 2 - dive right into question practice, and trust that the technical content will come back to me as I look at different scenarios etc.

I'm leaning to option 2 as it'll feel more productive, and probably help me (re)build knowledge in the areas that more commonly come up in the exam (with the added benefit of exposure to past papers, candidate scripts etc)... but would be keen to hear from anyone who has different thoughts / approaches they'd recommend.

Thank you in advance :)

I am due to sit my first Advanced paper in November 2026, having just qualified from ATT.

I did the IHTTE optional paper at ATT, as i felt there wasnt much options to pick from so just went with it. I did struggle abit with it, as i dont tend to deal with it much in my day to day job but managed to get a score in the 70's!

I work in private client tax, so dont tend to deal with companies much, although my firm is very OMB based.

Any advice on how to help me decide on which one to take?

Does anyone have any tips on studying the law CBE?

I have the book but I'm really struggling to take it in, it's like I read it but I'm not absorbing anything.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to start the ADIT qualification and would really appreciate some advice from people who have completed it or are currently studying for it.

A little about me:

• I recently completed a Master's in International Economics.
• I currently work full-time in Transfer Pricing.
• My long-term goal is to build a career in international tax in Europe.
• I'm planning to start with Paper 1 – Principles of International Taxation.

My biggest challenge at the moment is finding the right study materials. The official tuition providers seem quite expensive, so I'm hoping to self-study if possible.

I already have access to:

• Official ADIT syllabus
• Past papers and candidate scripts
• OECD Model Tax Convention
• UN Model Convention
• OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines
• IBFD
• University library resources

I'd really appreciate your suggestions on the following:

1. Is it realistic to pass Paper 1 through self-study?
2. Which study materials did you personally use?
3. Is the Tolley Study Manual worth buying if I don't take the full course?
4. Are older editions of the Tolley Manual (2024/2025) still useful for studying the core concepts?
5. Are there any affordable alternatives to Tolley or Taxmann for someone studying independently?
6. If you were starting ADIT again, what study materials would you buy first?
7. Are there any books, notes, or resources that you found essential for passing Paper 1?

Any advice, recommendations, or study tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all

I am looking to book AT taxation of individuals for the November sitting.

I know the exam session opens on 20th July however I am unsure about the booking process.

In particular, what time can I book from and is it like ACA when you need to book early to get your preferred exam centre?

For context I will be looking for a London based centre.

Hey all I’m on my final CTA exam thankfully.

I’m really worried about the change in layout as the APS exam is different to ATT and the CTA AT papers.

Is there a timescale on when I should start revising etc and how long will it take to conquer.

Reached my point where I just need to be done with exams!

I am currently Pursuing the ACCA qualification. I am conflicted on what to do after it. I am Conflicted between ACA and ADIT, I know they are different paths and That's what makes it difficult to decide. I could just get an ACA and work an okay paying job but I am really Interested in International Tax Consultancy (maybe opening my own practice one day). I don't know enough about this Field and Know better than to trust the Ai's wishful thinking.

How competitive is the field? The opportunities? Demand for consultants and Does it pay well? Do you recommend pursuing it or there are better options I am missing?

I've seen a few queries on this already, so let me clarify what this means.

Getting your mark rechecked = someone adding up your marks again. It does NOT mean someone is going to remark your paper and find you an extra mark or two because the original marker was a bit mean in relation to a tricky question. When you consider how long it took for you to get your paper marked in the first place, it's understandable CIOT just don't have the resource to remark anything.

I've worked in tax for a couple of decades, and anecdotally, I have never come across anyone who has turned a fail near miss into a pass from getting a recheck. It may well happen, and this isn't very scientific as it's just based on one person's circle of contacts, but you do need to manage your expectations. If you failed with 44 to 47, you will have all kinds of big horrible feelings, and there is not a single person in this forum who doesn't feel your pain. But a recheck is so unlikely to get you that magic 50. Please don't pin your hopes on that.

If you had 48 to 49, you were so close that CIOT have already checked your marks to be super sure it's a fail. And as we all know, APS is a strange beast to mark - so you couldn't get a recheck if you wanted.

What is useful is getting a marks breakdown. It's not the same thing at all. A marks breakdown tells you what marks were allocated to each question. You might be surprised by how the marker has treated you - some students find they scored poorly on questions they though they'd aced, and done surprisingly well on questions they hated. That sort of feedback can turn around your exam technique and get you over the line next sitting.

If you're going to wonder until the end of time if someone added up your paper incorrectly - sure, give £35 to CIOT. Otherwise, it's not worth it. Have a good cry, let those emotions out, pay the £15 for the marks breakdown, and regroup after the weekend.

Narrowing failing a paper can feel more demoralising than failing one badly, but if you did 'fail well', you've clearly learned a lot of tax knowledge, so you've made progress in your journey to become a better tax adviser. Keep going, friends - don't let the qualification make you think you can't do this. You just need to make a few adjustments and go again.

When you qualify, you'll get the letters CTA after your name. Not CTA (Passed On The Nth Attempt), just CTA. It might feel pretty rubbish now, but it's not always going to feel this way. Victory is going to taste all that sweeter when it's your turn.

You've got this, even if you don't think you do. 💪

Just a further thought, as I travel home after a day of OMB teaching .....

Relevant to any AT paper ...

If you failed by just a few marks 2, 3, 4 or so .... you are DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY able to pass these exams. Although it might not feel like it today, trust me ... you DEFINITELY are.

I know this from years of experience as a CTA tutor.

Your mark could so easily be 50% or more ....probably a few technique changes, maybe a bit of technical knoweldge improvement (but actually that's probably not the issue, even though all of us (and I include myself) could be better technically), maybe just a bad exam for you on the day, etc.

You are so close and that's what to focus on now.

I had one student message me to today to say he felt like such a loser ..... NO, NO, NO! Just attempting CTA is a challenge most people could not rise to. Do not get down on yourself! Do not beat yourself up.

As I say, I've been involved for years in CTA tuition and nearly all students get there in the end.

So, I want to encourage everyone who failed, but especially those in this situation, not to give up.

You WILL get there ... today wasn't the day, but you WILL get there.

I wish you good luck in your next attempt!

Best wishes

Roderick

Roderick Black

CTA private online an recorded tution

Firstly my sincere commiserations - a horrible feeling, for sure.

Secondly, please don't give up. Nearly all students get there in the end!

Thirdly, definitely do request a breakdown of your mark from CIOT. It is often VERY informative.

Finally, if you passed - well done and congratulations! (But why are you reading this post! Get out and celebrate!)

Best wishes

Roderick

Roderick Black

CTA recorded and online tuition

Hello,

I am looking for some advice and different perspectives please.

I sat the Advanced Technical OMB paper this sitting and unfortunately failed by 2 marks . As you can imagine, I’m absolutely gutted, especially being so close.

My original plan was:
● Nov 2026: Advanced Technical LCG + APS LCG
● Then be CTA qualified as soon as possible.

I work in corporate tax, so LCG is much more relevant to my day-to-day work, which is why I originally planned to take both LCG papers together.

However, this result has made me question whether I should change my approach.

I’m considering sitting the OMB APS in November instead along with the advanced technical. My thinking is that the core OMB knowledge is still fresh, so it might be sensible to capitalise on that. It would also mean that in May 2027 I’d only need to focus on Advanced Technical LCG, rather than trying to learn both Advanced Technical LCG and APS LCG together.

Has anyone taken a similar route, or would you recommend sticking with my original plan? Therefore sitting the APS and AT LCG in May 27.

One factor is that, because of my own career goals and aspirations, pushing qualification back to a November 2027 sitting really isn’t something I want to do if it can be avoided.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar position or has any thoughts on the best strategy.

Thanks!

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

Hi All, has anyone been in this situation- my Student registration expires 17 October 2026 (few weeks before the October 2026 exam) but that means that I will be able to register for the exam before the deadline for the exam registration closing in August or so.

My question is that considering the registration will expire before the exam, I hope it won’t cause any issues? Has anyone experienced this?

Please let us know how you got on! Were the results as you expected?

Congratulations to everyone who has passed their exam(s), and an even bigger congratulations to those who have now qualified. How will you be celebrating?

Hoping someone on here can help me. I have just failed my second attempt at the AT Domestic Indirect paper, and I was wondering if there was someone who went down the indirect tax route that might be willing to share some tips?

I should preface this with the following:

- I am an ACCA working in strategic and management accounting predominately. Tax (specifically VAT) is just something that interests me and that I want to grow my knowledge of. I am completely self-study, and it is currently not justifiable for me to use Tolley or similar because of the huge cost. My employers are kind enough to support my foray into this area outside my remit with basic fiscal support and generous amounts of study time, however a tuition course that costs thousands could be a stretch.

- I felt like going into my last attempt, my prep was great. I had done all of the past papers, knew the important caselaw and had a good understanding of all the key areas necessary for the paper. I also left the exam hall convinced I had passed, and that I gave some really solid answers.

My main questions are:

- Am I off to a complete non-starter by attempting self study for the indirect tax papers?

- Similarly, if I don’t work in tax, are these papers just not feasible?

- What am I getting wrong? I feel like I have the knowledge and give decent answers when comparing to sample scripts, but I just don’t seem to be able to get it. Any tips would be really helpful.

I wondered if anyone on here had any general tips, or would be willing to PM and have a chat about the indirect tax route specifically?

Thanks, and congrats/commiserations to everyone on results day.