Will a C in GCSE Maths hinder my future prospects in Accounting

I received a C in GCSE Maths and have been accepted into the Uni of Liverpool.
I hope to be an accountant and of course a B would be better than a C.

Would this C hold me down for any future job prospects if I pass Uni

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Reply 1

Baleroc

Original post by BATMAN168

Would this C hold me down for any future job prospects if I pass Uni

No.

Once you have a degree, GCSE's and A-levels can safely be removed from a CV. Some employers prefer looking at A-levels, but most just look at your degree.

In other words, once you pass uni, your GCSE's and A-levels become obsolete - they're worthless.

Note for University Applications
However, if you were to progress to further study, such as a Master's or PhD, some universities check your A-levels. GCSE's are not checked in employment or further study - so GCSE's are completely irrelevant once you have a degree. Your A-levels are a factor in your application depending on the university (e.g. Oxford may check your A-levels as well as your degree if you're progressing to post-graduate study). For employment, it is unlikely an employer would consider your A-levels a factor if you have a degree.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

JoshDawg

GCSE's are important in the sense that they are the foundation stones that get you to where you want to go, but if you build something better on top of that, that's what employers care about more.

Reply 3

210555

Original post by BATMAN168

Parent is an accountant. What course have you applied for? What exemptions will it give you from the professional qualification that you will inevitably need to do? Feel free to ask questions. 😜

Reply 4

Doones

Original post by Baleroc

Once you have a degree, GCSE's and A-levels can safely be removed from a CV. Some employers prefer looking at A-levels, but most just look at your degree.

In other words, once you pass uni, your GCSE's and A-levels become obsolete - they're worthless.

A-levels should certainly be on a recent graduate's CV.

Reply 5

josh_v

I'd have to disagree with those saying that it won't have any impact. Certain accounting firms require you to have minimum B grade GCSE maths. For example, check the entry requirements for KPMG audit scheme here:

https://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/media/files/2017_PDFs/Audit/Graduate_-_Business_Audit.pdf

Additionally, heres a list of the entry requirements for Deloitte, where many of their schemes require B grade maths:

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/careers/articles/academic-requirements.html

Thats already 2 of the Big 4. And thats without checking the others, as well as any of the banks etc.

Obviously you can still apply. And you can gain plenty of other achievements that should outweigh the C grade. However, these places receive a lot of applications, and someone not meeting the requirements makes it a far easier decision to cut them straight away when places are so competitive.

Reply 6

paulbarlow

dont panic is simple maths. a logical brainis better. if your stuck do the hnc-hnd degree route. but has youve been accepted enjoy it. i love the accounting sections but the management stuff is a groan.

Reply 7

Baleroc

Original post by jneill

A-levels should certainly be on a recent graduate's CV.

I disagree. Quite a number of lecturers have asked for them to be removed.

Once you have a degree, why would you need to put them on the CV? It would make sense if you have plenty of room and you need to fill space, but otherwise, replacing it with something employable is better.

In the worst case, you can use the extra 1/2 lines to talk further about your third year project, and modules undertaken (and how they relate to the job) better fits than adding a line about your A-levels.

Let me clarify further: if the employer does not explicitly ask for GCSE's/A-Levels, then I would recommend replacing it with something more suitable. Otherwise, you would have to include them, if asked for.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 8

Doones

Original post by Baleroc

I'm an employer. I am always interested to see a candidate's A-levels, especially if their degree isn't directly relevant to the role I'm hiring for (which is usually the case). If they weren't stated I would be suspicious they were poor, and it would be asked about at interview (if they got one).

Reply 9

Baleroc

Original post by jneill

especially if their degree isn't directly relevant to the role I'm hiring for (which is usually the case).

That's your problem. You're comparing two completely different scenario's.

He is going into accountancy studying for an Accountant degree. You would never reject a first class student with an Accountant degree over someone else with a worse class degree but better A-levels.

The point is: if you are applying for a job that your degree is suited towards, you would absolutely focus on the points of your degree that apply directly to your job.

Reply 10

Baleroc

Original post by josh_v

You fail to mention a lot of what you posted here is inaccurate, or misleading.

On the first link you provided - KPMG Business Audit Graduate Programme: it says that having a GCSE B grade in subjects x, y, z is a general rule of thumb. Meaning that it is recommended to have these grades, but you certainly won't be disadvantaged to other students should you appy with a 2.i degree.

Plus for the GCSE grades, it says or equivalent, meaning: if his accountant degree covers content equivalent to some form of mathematics, this could be justified to explain he has equivalent math experience.

For the second link, it says that the requirements are flexible, and you can apply even if you do miss some requirements, since they can easily be adjusted. In other words, if you have a degree that meets their requirements, but don't have the GCSE grades, they can accept you based on a (potential) higher offer for your degree, or, just accept you for the baseline requirements.

Reply 11

Doones

Original post by Baleroc

Deloitte are still interested in grad candidate's A-levels.

It's one line on a CV...

Reply 12

Baleroc

Original post by jneill

Deloitte are still interested in grad candidate's A-levels. It's one line on a CV...

Here is a reminder of what I had written earlier:

Original post by Baleroc

Let me clarify further: if the employer does not explicitly ask for GCSE's/A-Levels, then I would recommend replacing it with something more suitable. Otherwise, you would have to include them, if asked for.

If the employer is 'interested', and asks to include them: then you should. As I mentioned, if you are low on space, then you should remove A-levels for something useful. However, if there is a lot of space, then A-levels may be beneficial to be added.

Reply 13

josh_v

Original post by Baleroc

Its simply wrong to say GCSE's and A-Levels are obsolete once you have a degree. Clearly employers are interested in GCSE and A-Level results. If they felt that a degree would instantly override GCSE or A-Level, they wouldn't bother stating those as requirements.

A 2.1 degree and DDD at A-Level doesnt meet the requirements of a 2.1 and 320 UCAS points. Once you start working through the applications, it becomes obvious that this is the case. It is expected you have a 2.1 and 320 UCAS points, and in many cases that you have B grade maths GCSE.

Can you still apply with a C? Of course. Its not that far off, and many employers will understand that A-Level maths and a degree far outweighs the GCSE C grade. But saying the C grade has no impact is simply false when its clearly set out that the expected standard is a B.

Reply 14

howitoughttobe

Original post by Baleroc

This is wrong on so many levels, a lot of jobs will require a minimum grade in GCSE Maths and English (usually either a B or a C) regardless of what further qualifications the candidate may have. Also to say GCSEs and A Levels become worthless after a degree is naive as many employers will not be satisfied if the only qualification on your CV is a degree, regardless of whatever other nonsense you may have padded it out with.

Original post by Baleroc

He is going into accountancy studying for an Accountant degree. You would never reject a first class student with an Accountant degree over someone else with a worse class degree but better A-levels.

OP has at no point mentioned that s/he is studying for a degree in Accountancy or even their degree will be maths related. And both my parents did degrees in Accounting and the actual maths content in them was minimal. My dad works at the Head Office for the company he works for and is responsible for the hiring of any positions within the accountancy department. He told me would never hire someone with less than a B at GCSE Maths (unless they had a better qualification later on such as A Level Maths) because people with less than this would be unlikely to be able to cope with the basic maths that they would need to carry out in their job on a day-to-day basis.

@BATMAN168 the best thing to do would be to look up jobs currently available that are along the lines of what you want to do in your career and see what qualifications they require, or alternatively contact employers and ask them the question directly.

Reply 15

Doones

Original post by Baleroc

Here is a reminder of what I had written earlier:

If the employer is 'interested', and asks to include them: then you should. As I mentioned, if you are low on space, then you should remove A-levels for something useful. However, if there is a lot of space, then A-levels may be beneficial to be added.

Have you applied for any accountancy roles?

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Reply 16

Baleroc

Original post by josh_v

Here is my theorem:

Theorem:
GCSE's become obsolete having obtained a degree.

Let me prove why:

1. The Forgetting Curve.
In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus invented the idea of the forgetting curve which hypothesizes the decline of memory retention in time. A typical graph of the forgetting curve purports to show that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material, as described in Wikipedia.

That is, unless information is continuously renewed and thought about, it will be forgotten in a matter of days. A Cambridge graudate had to recall his entire A-level classes after 3 months because he could not recall the information. He knew, and understood it, but could not recall it. That is withn 3 months. Now, imagine after 5 years.

Chances are, 5 years from now, everything you learned in GCSE you will have completely forgotten. That means, everything you have learned in those years, will now be completely irrelevant since they are no longer skills you possess.

According to employer experts they advise not to put anything on your CV that is more than 10 years old (which is the same reason why we don't put work experience from 15 years on a CV). Why don't we put old experience on? All the skills that were learned from the job will be forgotten, and cannot be used, nor will they apply to the current job.

In other words, over a long period of time, when we forget information, we reach the point where we never attained it. In short, this means that all the skills, and knowledge we gained, is then obsolete.

With respect to GCSE's, by the time you graduate 5 years after your GCSE's, all the information and knowledge you obtained 5 years ago, will more than likely be forgotten, unless you persistently retained this knowledge throughout your education.

So, why will GCSE's be obsolete? Because chances are, you will have forgotten everything by the time you are employed. This same effect will also be an issue for A-levels, employment, and a degree.

Eventually, everything you know, without retention, will be obsolete.

Reply 17

Baleroc

Original post by howitoughttobe

Also to say GCSEs and A Levels become worthless after a degree is naive as many employers will not be satisfied if the only qualification on your CV is a degree, regardless of whatever other nonsense you may have padded it out with.

Suppose I have a first class degree + 10 years of employment experience of whichever field I am in, have worked for the top 3 companies in that sector.

Suppose I write this on my CV, but also suppose I do not have any GCSE or A-levels, however, a student who has A*A*A* in GCSE and A-levels, but a 2.i degree, also applies.

Which applicant gets the job?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 18

Doones

Original post by Baleroc

After 10 years your work experience and other skills are much more important than you anything, including your degree class. Until then, put your A-levels on your CV.

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