Hi Vanchy
I personally used Sage 50 Accounts Professional v22 for my exams as i did the training for it prior to taking the B3 course.
If you are using a training provider then they should supply you with a copy of software for use. This is usually Sage 50 Accounts and wil be licensed for a length of time that is longer than that reuired for you to complete the course - it would be extended should you require more time. They should also provide traing on any software that they provide - alomg with certification.
When you complete the B3 exam, and any other computerised sections, you are asked to input the software and version that you used so that the ICB can check your work against that software version.
As you go through the course work then it quickly becomes evident as to which reports are required for each type of question and i would recommend saving these to your favourite reports for ease.
If you are not using a training provider then you can use any accounting software as long as the reports provided give the correct detail for the questions asked.
Sage will give you a 30 day free trial of their software. I know that they current do a package for bookkeepers but have not looked into that as yet as I have my own desktop version of the software. Only reason that i got this, as opposed to the cloud version, was that I got a very good offer from Sage at the time. Payroll software is in addition to this as a "bolt on".
Quickbooks will also give you a 30 day free trial on their software. They also offer their accountants package in which you get free software for your business - this can be your own name - along with discounts for your clients. This is their Proadviser account and also offers free training for you on their software (and your clients dependant upon your level in their system). This effectively offers you 30 days free trials for your "clients" but these can be made inactive so that you do not get charged for them.
I currently have a Proadviser account and find the software very easy to use. Payroll is included at £1 per employee per month, this, of course, can be charged to your client,
Cloud based software is the way to future proof but can appear to be more expensive. But, if you take into account the fact that you will always have the latest verion then it is not so bad as, with teh destop versions if you want the latest version then you will need to upgrade which can work out more expensive.
In esscence, if wou want a fairly cheap and easy to use software then I would recommend Quickbooks; but, if you want a more "do it all" sotware and are prepared to pay mor for it, then I would recomment Sage.
Xero also offer similar trial periods and packages but I have nnot used their software as yet so cannot offer a comparison on it.
Hope that the above is helpful and not too confusing.
Kind regards
Gordon
|