The short answer
If you need a qualification, take a course. Ledger Drill does not award one, and no amount of practice here turns into one.
If you need to get quicker and surer at the work itself, practise. A course explains each entry and sets some exercises. It has little time to make you post the same kind of entry fifty times.
The two fit together. A course gives the structure and the certificate at the end. Practice gives the speed.
What a bookkeeping course is better for
- A qualification. A course from a recognised provider leads to exams, and passing them gives you something an employer can check.
- A tutor. A person answers your question, reads your working and tells you where your thinking went wrong.
- A syllabus. Someone has decided what you must know for each level, and in what order. Nothing is left out by accident.
- Exam preparation. Mock papers in the style of the real exam, marked by someone who knows what the examiner wants.
- A timetable and other learners. Dates to meet, and people to ask.
Ledger Drill has none of these. It has no tutor, it follows no awarding body's syllabus, and its mock exams are practice papers of its own.
What practice is better for
- Doing, not watching. Every task ends in questions you answer in the books: post to T-accounts, write a journal, type a balance, find the wrong line.
- Marking at once. You find out you were wrong while you still remember why you chose that side, and you see the rule behind the right answer.
- Short sessions. A room takes a few minutes on a phone, so practice fits around a job or around a course.
- Trying the subject first. You can find out whether bookkeeping suits you before you pay a course fee.
- Starting today. There is no start date and no enrolment, and you can answer the first question with no account.
Some rooms are free and the rest need Premium. The pricing page has the current price.
Who should pick which
- You need a qualification for a job, or to join a professional body: a course.
- You are on a course and want more questions than it sets: both. Use the rooms on the subject you are studying that week.
- You are deciding whether to study bookkeeping at all: practise first, with the free rooms.
- You run a small business and want to understand your own books: practice, and an accountant for anything that needs advice.
- You want a person to answer questions about your own situation: a tutor or an accountant. Ledger Drill cannot do that.
What Ledger Drill is not
Ledger Drill is independent. It is not affiliated with any awarding body, and finishing a path here gives a certificate of completion, not a qualification.
It is practice, not tax or accounting advice. Any rate a question needs is given in the question as an example.
It is in beta. If an answer looks wrong, use the Report a mistake link under the question.
Side by side
| What you get | A bookkeeping course | Ledger Drill |
|---|---|---|
| A qualification | Yes, when you pass the exams | No |
| A tutor | Yes | No |
| A set syllabus | Yes, set by the awarding body | No. Paths follow the subject, not one syllabus |
| Marking | By a tutor or an examiner, often after a wait | Every answer, at once |
| Amount of practice | The exercises the course sets | A room of questions for each problem, in every path |
| When you can start | On the provider's dates, or when you enrol | Now, with no account |
| Where you learn | A classroom, or online in set sessions | A phone or a computer, a few minutes at a time |
| What it costs | A course fee, and often exam fees on top | Some rooms free, the rest with Premium |
| Best for | Getting qualified | Getting quick and sure |
Practise it
Questions
Can Ledger Drill replace a bookkeeping course?
Not if you need a qualification. Ledger Drill does not award one. It can replace the practice questions you would otherwise have to find for yourself.
Can I use Ledger Drill alongside a course?
Yes. That is one of the things it is for. Pick the path or module that matches what you are studying, and do a room or two a day.
Does Ledger Drill follow an exam syllabus?
No. It is independent and is not affiliated with any awarding body. Its paths follow the subject, so a room may use words your course uses differently.
Do I get a certificate from Ledger Drill?
You get a certificate of completion for each path you finish. It records your practice here. It is not a qualification.
Which should I do first?
If you are not sure bookkeeping is for you, practise first: the free rooms cost nothing. If you already know you need the qualification, enrol on the course and practise beside it.