ACCA Results Date and its Impact on your Study Plan: How to Adjust your Schedule

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification is the world’s leading accountancy qualification for aspiring financial professionals. It is integral to every student’s journey to becoming a qualified accountant.

Let’s dive into the ACCA exam and share tips on adjusting your schedule to maximise your chances of success in the ACCA qualification.

What is the ACCA Exam?

The ACCA qualification consists of 11 compulsory and 2 elective (from 4) modules, offering a globally recognised certification for accounting professionals. Passing the ACCA exams is the key to becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant.

The ACCA exams cover a wide range of subjects within accounting, including finance and business law. Its extensive curriculum provides students with the skills and knowledge to pursue accountancy roles in companies worldwide.

The ACCA exam is divided into three levels: Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills and Strategic Professionals. It is tested via multiple exam formats, including computer and paper-based exams.

Understanding the ACCA Exam Schedule

ACCA exams run four times a year in March, June, September and December. Therefore, it typically takes three to four years to complete all 13 ACCA exams. Whilst students need to have exemptions from or pass applied knowledge and skills papers before attempting the strategic professional modules, the exams can be taken in any order.   Students should consider the links between some papers and take the modules in an order to build their knowledge and make an ACCA exam schedule designed for success.

Students must tailor their learning by creating an effective ACCA exam schedule and following an ACCA study plan to maximise their chances of success during each exam. Like marathon runners, students must devise a training plan to reach peak performance on exam days.

For all four exam periods, exams are scheduled during a week block, from Monday to Friday. For example, In December, Monday may be an Audit and Assurance (AA) and an Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) exam, while Thursday may be a Financial Reporting (FR) and a Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) exam.

Students can take advantage of the ACCA exam planner to plan and book their next ACCA exam.

ACCA Results Release Dates and How to Access

ACCA results are uploaded to the ACCA exam results hub, which provides students with My Exam Performance (MEP) feedback reports.

Students can access their ACCA exam results by viewing their exam status report on the myACCA platform. To access ACCA results, students can follow the following three steps:

1. Log into your myACCA account
2. Click on the ‘Exam Status and Results’ section
3. Select ‘View your status report’

The ACCA results date is approximately six to eight weeks after the exams. So, for an exam in early September, the ACCA exam results should be available in late October. The ACCA results will show the module name, total marks achieved and an overall grade (pass or fail).

ACCA Exam Entry Deadlines

It is important for students to be aware of the ACCA exam entry deadlines, which is another reason why an ACCA exam schedule is essential. Students must note the ACCA exam entry opening date, standard ACCA exam entry deadline and if there is a late exam entry deadline.

For example, a September exam session is as follows:

• Exam entry opening date: May
• Standard exam entry deadline: July
• Late exam entry deadline: August

There are also deadlines to amend an existing exam entry and requests for additional support. Check out the important ACCA exam dates here.

Strategies to Adjust your ACCA Study Plan

ACCA exam preparation is crucial to success and requires an ACCA exam schedule tailored to a student’s requirements. Students can create an effective ACCA study plan by considering the following factors:

1.     Understand your learning style

Before creating an ACCA study plan, it is important to understand your learning style. Every student is different, with some preferring to work to tight deadlines, while others set flexible deadlines and float between topics. Your ACCA study plan should reflect your learning style to optimise success.

2.     Set realistic goals

Your ACCA study plan must contain realistic short and long-term goals to maintain motivation and productivity. Goals come in many shapes and sizes and should be tailored to your intrinsic and extrinsic success.

3.     Build study time into your daily routine

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential to avoid burnout during ACCA exam preparation. Creating a tailored ACCA study plan, which integrates studies into your daily routine, provides structure and consistency.

4.     Structure your time

Creating an ACCA exam schedule and study plan helps develop valuable lifelong skills, including time management. The ability to structure your time will maximise your productivity and balance your work, life and study commitments.

5.     Take effective notes

Some learners are serial note-takers, while others focus on brevity and conciseness. Whatever your method, it is important to take effective notes, which will shape your ACCA study plan, with some modules and exams requiring more time than others.

6.     Stay positive and confident

It can be overwhelming to create an ACCA study plan to prepare for the exam sessions. However, it is important to stay positive and confident that the knowledge you have absorbed during the extensive ACCA curriculum and revision periods is enough to pass.

Impact of ACCA Results on your Study Plan

ACCA exam results impact a student’s study plan by determining the next steps. If a student passes the ACCA exam, they can move straight on to the next one. However, if they fail, a re-sit will be required.

Students can decide to retake the exam in the next exam session or re-visit it at a later date. This decision affects the ACCA study plan and determines the student’s ACCA exam schedule.

Here are some ACCA study tips after results:

1. Identify strengths and weaknesses
2. Reset realistic goals and timelines
3. Adjust time allocation for studies
4. Review study methods and resources

Complete your ACCA Qualification with LSBF

If you are looking to launch a successful accountancy career, an ACCA qualification is an essential part of the journey to becoming a qualified accountant.

The London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) offers flexible on-campus and online ACCA study options to help you pass the 13 ACCA exams and gain in-demand accountancy skills.

Offering an ACCA Online, ACCA On Campus and an ACCA + Global MBA/Master in Finance and Investments, choose the ACCA programme tailored to your career goals.

Learn more about LSBF’s ACCA courses here.

FAQs

How long does it take ACCA to update exam results?

The ACCA results date is approximately six to eight weeks after the exams. Students can access their ACCA exam results by viewing their exam status report on the myACCA platform.

Can I continue studying for future ACCA exams while waiting for my results?

During the six to eight weeks between sitting an ACCA exam and the ACCA results date, there is nothing stopping students from continuing to study for future ACCA exams. However, it is advisable to take a short study break after each exam to avoid the risk of burnout.

How many papers are included in the ACCA exam structure?

The ACCA exam structure consists of 13 exams, divided into three levels: Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills and Strategic Professional. Each exam combines multiple-choice questions and longer, scenario-based questions to test various skills.

When can I start my ACCA exam booking?

There are four ACCA exam sessions a year for learners, so it is important to note the ACCA exam entry opening date, standard ACCA exam entry deadline and if there is a late exam entry deadline. A typical September exam session will have its exam entry opening date in May and standard exam entry deadline in July, as well as a late exam entry deadline in August.