ACCA Exams
There are 13 ACCA exams which students must take to achieve the ACCA qualification. Exams can be sat 4 times a year and can be taken in any order within each level. Typically it can take 3-4 years to complete all exams but it can be quicker if you receive exemptions. If you’d like more information on the ACCA syllabus and what topics are included in each exam, please see our ACCA syllabus page. This page covers what to expect in each ACCA exam, exam dates and exam fees.
ACCA Exam structure
The qualification is structured around three levels:
- Applied Knowledge
- Applied Skills
- Strategic Professional
Applied Knowledge
The Applied Knowledge level is made up of 3 exams, these provide you with the essential building blocks needed for a successful career in Finance and Accountancy:
Applied Skills
The Skills module has 6 exams which cover the technical aspects of accountancy:
Strategic Professional
The Strategic Professional exams prepare students for future leadership positions. They develop the strategic vision using your unique blend of technical, ethical, and professional skills. And you can specialise in areas that best suit your career ambitions. Students must complete both Essentials exams and choose two of the Options. These exams are:
The Essentials modules:
The Options modules:
- AFM – Advanced Financial Management
- APM – Advanced Performance Management
- ATX – Advanced Taxation
- AAA – Advanced Audit and Assurance
In order to complete your ACCA qualification, you must also take the Professional Ethics module to enhance your leadership and communications skills. ACCA recommends that this be taken before you attempt the Professional level exams, as the module will help you with the second half of the qualification.
What to expect in each ACCA exam
This section will tell you what to expect from each exam, including some topics and the marks available. Each ACCA exam is divided into Section A and Section B.
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BT
Business and TechnologyExpand -
MA
Management AccountingExpand -
FA
Financial AccountingExpand -
LW
Corporate and Business LawExpand -
PM
Performance Management (3 hours)Expand
Business and Technology
Section A has 46 objective questions, worth 12 marks each.
Section B has 6 scenario based multitask questions, worth 4 marks each.
This exam has a time limit of 2 hours and assess your knowledge of business environments and their structure.
Management Accounting
Section A has 35 objective questions, worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 3 multitask questions, worth 10 marks each.
This exam has a time limit of 2 hours and will assess your knowledge of budgeting, standard costing and performance measurement.
Financial Accounting
Section A has 35 objective questions, worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 2 multitask questions, worth 15 marks each.
Your knowledge of accounts preparation and consolidations will be assessed.
Corporate and Business Law
Section A has 20 questions worth 1 mark and 25 questions worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 5 multitask questions, worth 6 marks.
You will be assessed on the corporate legal framework.
Performance Management (3 hours)
In this exam, Section A is made up of 20 multiple choice questions, worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 3 questions comprised of 5 objective test items worth 2 marks each.
Section C has 2 questions worth 20 marks each.
Your knowledge of putting quantitative and qualitative techniques into practice will be assessed.
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TX
TaxationExpand -
FR
Financial ReportingExpand -
AA
Audit and AssuranceExpand -
FM
Financial ManagementExpand -
SBL
Strategic Business LeaderExpand
Taxation
Section A has 15 objective test question each worth 2 marks.
Section B has 3 objective test cases with 5 objective test questions worth 2 marks each.
Section C is worth 40 marks in total and has 3 scenarios.
Your knowledge and skills relating to the tax system as applicable to individuals, single companies and groups of companies will be assessed.
Financial Reporting
Section A of this exam has 15 objective test questions worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 3 objective test case questions worth 10 marks each case has 5 objective question worth 2 marks each.
Your knowledge of financial statements in particular will be assessed, alongside other aspects of the module.
Audit and Assurance
In this ACCA exam, Section A has 3 mini case studies with a number of different question types worth 30 marks.
Section B has 3 scenario based questions and is worth 70 marks. Questions can be attempted in any order.
The exam is practical in application, as well as aiming to ensure that candidates who pass this exam understand the basics of an audit. Consequently, the exam aims to strike a balance between technical knowledge as well as a practical application of this knowledge.
Financial Management
Section A of this ACCA exam has 15 objective test questions, worth 2 marks each.
Section B has 3 questions, comprising of 5 objective test items worth 2 marks each.
Section C has 2 questions worth 20 marks each.
You'll develop the knowledge and skills expected of a finance manager, in relation to investment, financing and dividend policy decisions. The syllabus is designed to equip you with the skills that would be expected from a finance manager responsible for the finance function of a business.
Strategic Business Leader (4 hours)
The examination is based on an integrated case study containing a number of assignments which will vary at each sitting. Within the total marks available, there are 20 Professional Skills marks.
The Strategic Business Leader exam is designed to mirror the workplace and requires you to demonstrate a blend of technical, ethical and professional skills. It tests your ability to function as an accountant in a simulated workplace and asks you to respond to requests from people in various roles. It won’t only be the technical quality of your answer that matters, but how professional your response is.
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SBR
Strategic Business ReportingExpand -
AFM
Advanced Financial ManagementExpand -
APM
Advanced Performance ManagementExpand -
ATX
Advanced TaxationExpand -
AAA
Advanced Audit and AssuranceExpand
Strategic Business Reporting
Section A has 2 scenario based questions worth a total of 50 marks. 50-mark question on consolidated financial statements and issues within financial reporting.
Section B has 2 questions worth 25 marks each.
The Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) exam requires you to demonstrate your ability to make strategic business reporting decisions. Building on your existing knowledge and skills, in SBR you will need to link accounting issues to relevant concepts in practical situations. You will need to demonstrate judgement and often consider the perspective of different stakeholders such as investors in your answers.
Advanced Financial Management
Section A has 1, 50-mark question which is scenario based.
Section B has 2, 25-mark questions which are also scenario based.
The Advanced Financial Management exam is designed to replicate the role of a senior financial executive or advisor, and prepares candidates to advise management and/or clients on complex strategic financial management issues facing an organisation.
Advanced Performance Management
Section A has 1, 50-mark question and is a detailed case study scenario.
Section B has 3, 25-mark questions.
The Advanced Performance Management exam is designed to reflect the strategic role of management accounting as a discipline for planning and controlling performance so that strategic objectives can be set, monitored and controlled. It recognises the impact of external factors on strategic management issues and covers the risks these factors present and how they can be measured and managed.
Advanced Taxation
Section A has 1, 35-mark question and 1, 25-mark question.
Section B has 2, 20-mark questions.
The Advanced Taxation exam is designed to reflect the need to exercise professional judgement and provide relevant information and advice to individuals and businesses on the impact of major taxes on financial decisions and situations.
Advanced Audit and Assurance
Section A has 1 case-study style question worth 50 marks.
Section B has 2, 25-mark questions.
The Advanced Audit and Assurance exam is designed to reflect the challenges auditors will face in their professional life. You will be required to analyse, evaluate and conclude on the assurance engagement and other audit and assurance issues in the context of best practice and current developments.
ACCA Exam dates
ACCA exams run four times per year, during March, June, September, and December. Below you will find information for the next exam sitting. For more specific ACCA exam information based on your region please visit the ACCA website.
September 2024 - ACCA exams (2-6 September)
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Audit and Assurance (AA) |
Taxation (TX) |
Financial Reporting (FR) |
Performance Management (PM) |
Financial Management (FM) |
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Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) |
Strategic Business Leader (SBL) |
Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) |
Advanced Performance Management (APM) |
Corporate and Business Law (LW) |
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Advanced Taxation (ATX) |
Advanced Financial Management (AFM) |
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Financial Reporting (FR)* |
December 2024 - ACCA exams (2-6 December)
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Audit and Assurance (AA) |
Taxation (TX) |
Performance Management (PM) |
Financial Reporting (FR) |
Financial Management (FM) |
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Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) |
Strategic Business Leader (SBL) |
Advanced Performance Management (APM) |
Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) |
Corporate and Business Law (LW) |
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Advanced Taxation (ATX) |
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Advanced Financial Management (AFM) |
This page will be updated with the latest ACCA exam dates when they are released by ACCA. Information up to date as of the 10/06/2024. For up to date information, visit the ACCA exams page.
UK ACCA Exam fees
Fees are subject to change. Please visit the ACCA website for the latest fees or country specific information.
Minimum entry requirements:
- Two A Levels and three GCSEs or equivalent in five separate subjects, including English and Mathematics
- Good English level is required
Foundations in Accountancy route (FIA)
- Must be 18 or over
- Students who successfully complete the Diploma in Accounting and Business via Foundations in Accountancy can transfer to the ACCA Qualification and commence their studies from LW onwards
- Gain exemptions from ACCA exams BT, MA and FA
Graduate entry route
- Relevant degree holders from ACCA-accredited institutions may be exempt* from up to nine exams within the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills levels and register directly at the Professional level
- Holders of recognised business and/or accounting degrees may also qualify for exemptions*
*We advise you to check your starting point with ACCA before you enrol on the course.
*Please see full Terms and Conditions for more information.
*Please see full Privacy Policy for more information.
Information about technical requirements
Our platform does not require any additional software. However, it is advisable that students have Microsoft Office installed on their computers as tutors may provide additional downloadable notes in Doc, Xlsx, PPT, and PDF formats.
Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari (Macintosh only) are all supported by Canvas.
Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low-bandwidth environments. A minimum internet speed of 512kbps is recommended.
Information about when access to materials opens and closes
Access to all learning materials and live sessions opens in the month of intake and closes three months later. For example, if teaching starts in mid-June, access will stop in mid-September after the exams finish. Students taking Computer Based Assessments (CBE) have access for 6 months.
Learning materials consist of the following:
- Live tuition and revision sessions
- Recorded live tuition and revision sessions
- Study manuals, question banks, class, and revision notes
- Other relevant materials tutors may provide
Available resources for enrolled students before live tuition begins:
- Access to recorded live tuition and revision for the session that is currently running
- Access to study manuals, question banks, class, and revision notes
Students who have purchased a course but have not yet enrolled can request access to a study manuals and or question bank.
Timetable
All courses are taught in the evening (BST), Monday through Thursday. Classes typically start at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m., and revision ends at 9 p.m.
We also provide a mentoring hour in the evenings for all students. During mentoring hours, students can have their homework marked and speak to their tutors directly with any concerns.
Normally, there are eight weeks of live online tuition (Some courses have up to 2 extra sessions) and four weeks of live online revision.
For Computer Based Examinations (CBE):
- Business Technology – 8 weeks
- Corporate and Business Law – 10 weeks
- Management Accounting – 11 weeks
- Financial Accounting – 12 weeks
Face-to-face revision is offered on two weekends in London. If you cannot attend, you can either join the session live online or watch the recording.
Learning Expectations
We advise that you allocate nine hours of self-study per week in addition to your live classes. For the Strategic Professional exam, we advise 12 hours of self-study.
You will be asked to complete homework in every tuition and revision session, which will be marked with feedback provided during your mentoring hour. You will also be asked to complete a time-limited exam that will also be marked with feedback.
We expect you to attend all live sessions, but if that is not possible (e.g., time zone constraints), we ask that you study using the recorded sessions provided. If you do not attend any sessions, live or recorded, then you may be removed from the course and deferred to the next session.
Information about Practical Experience Requirement (PER)
Studying for your ACCA exams requires you to pass them and gain practical experience that is essential to becoming a fully qualified accountant.
You must take the Ethical and Professional Skills module and gain professional experience by spending 36 months in an accounting or finance-related role.
Exam success, practical experience, and knowledge of ethics will enable you to become a successful accountant.
More detailed information can be found at PER-trainee-guide.pdf (accaglobal.com)
Topics that you will cover in your course
| S.No. | ACCA Paper | Topics | Tutor |
| 1 | Corporate & Business Law | Unit 1 --The English Legal System Unit 2 -- Contract – formation Unit 3 -- Contract – terms, breach Unit 4 -- Tort, Employment, Introduction to Agency & Partnership. Unit 5 -- Partnership Unit 6 -- Company Law (legal personality & company formation, Share capital, Loan capital, Meetings & resolution) Unit 7 -- Company Law (Directors, Meetings & resolutions, other officers, Insolvency) Unit 8 -- Fraudulent behaviour |
Debbie Crossman |
| 2 | Business & Technology | Unit 1 -- Training and development Unit 2 -- Personal effectiveness. Performance appraisal Unit 3 -- Leading People. Individuals and teams Unit 4 -- Motivation. The role of accounting. Micro-economics. Unit 5 -- Macro-economics. Business environment. Business organisation. Unit 6 -- Organisational culture. Corporate governance. Ethics. Unit 7 -- Information systems. Control and security. Fraud. Unit 8 -- Revision (working through BT CBE) |
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| 3 | Financial Accounting | Unit 1 --Introduction to Accounting and Double Entry Unit 2 -- Adjustments to Financial Statements Unit 3 --Non-current Assets Unit 4-- Accurals and Prepayments Unit 5 -- Maintaining records for Customers and Suppliers Unit 6 -- The Correction of Errors and Bank Reconciliation Statements Unit 7 -- Process of Accounting for Limited Companies Unit 8 -- Accounting Standards Unit 9 -- Cash Flow Statements Unit 10 -- Interpretation of Accounts Unit 11 -- Introduction to Group Accounting |
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| 4 | Performance Management | Unit 1 -- Overview of information systems. Costing methods. Unit 2 -- Costing methods. Unit 3 -- Short-term decision making (many topics fall under this heading: relevant costing, further processing, make or buy decision, limiting factor analysis, linear programming) Unit 4 -- Short-term decision making (CVP analysis). Pricing. Unit 5 -- Decisions under uncertainty. Budgeting. Unit 6 -- Budgeting (learning curves). Advanced variances Unit 7 -- Financial and non-financial performance evaluation. Unit 8 -- Divisional performance and transfer pricing. |
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| 5 | Taxation | Unit 1 -- Fundamentals of taxation and the basics of corporation tax Unit 2 -- Corporation tax, treatment of a company's loss and Groups Unit 3 -- Personal tax computation, Employment Income and NICs Unit 4 -- Trading profits, the basis of assessment and Partnerships Unit 5 -- Fundamental of chargeable gains Unit 6 -- Chargeable gains: partial disposals, reliefs and exemptions Unit 7 -- Fundamental of inheritance tax and lifetime transfers Unit 8 -- Inheritance tax: death estate and VAT |
Barbara Begio |
| 6 | Financial Reporting | Unit 1 -- Consolidated Statement of Financial Position Unit 2 -- Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss, and Associates Unit 3 -- Practice Questions Unit 4 -- Published Accounts – Introduction, and Non-current Assets Unit 5 --Impairment of assets and Leasing Unit 6 -- Revenue, Contracts and Assets held for sale Unit 7 -- Taxation adjustments and Provisions & Contingencies Unit 8 -- Financial Instruments Unit 9 -- Earnings Per Share; Analysis and Interpretation |
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| 7 | Audit & Assurance | Unit 1 -- Essential Exam Technique for the AA paper Unit 2 -- Key Audit Concepts Including Ethics Unit 3 -- Audit Planning including Risk Unit 4 -- Internal Controls in Audit Unit 5 -- Audit Evidence Principles Unit 6 -- Substantive Procedures Unit 7 -- Finalisation of the Audit and Audit Report Unit 8 -- Internal Audit |
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| 8 | Financial Management | Unit 1 -- Introduction to Financial Management & Investment Appraisal Techniques Unit 2 -- Advanced Investment Appraisal Unit 3 -- Advanced Investment Appraisal Unit 4 -- Sources of Finance and Cost of Capital Unit 5 -- Unit Structure and Financial Performance Unit 6 -- Raising Equity Finance and Financial Performance Measures Unit 7 -- Risk Unit 8 -- Working Capital Management |
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| 9 | Strategic Business Leader | Unit 1 -- Strategic Analysis Unit 2 -- Strategic Choice Unit 3 -- Values, Ethics and Professional Skills Unit 4-- Corporate Governance and Stakeholders Unit 5 -- Risk Unit 6 -- Using Numbers – investment appraisal, Ratio Analysis, Decision making and Forecasting Unit 7 -- Operational Improvement Unit 8 -- Project Management |
David Laws |
| 10 | Strategic Business Reporting | Unit 1 -- Basic Groups Unit 2 -- Changes In Group Ownership Unit 3 -- Foreign Currency Translation and Group Cash Flow Statements Unit 4-- Performance Reporting Unit 5 -- Provisions and Non-Current Assets Unit 6 -- Leases and Employee Benefits and Share-Based Payments Unit 7 -- Financial Instruments Unit 8 -- Tax and Other Corporate Reporting |
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| 11 | Advanced Financial Management | Unit 1 -- Senior Financial Manager & Advanced Investment Appraisal Unit 2 -- Advanced Investment Appraisal & Introduction to Options Unit 3 -- Real Options, Project Specific & Combined Asset Beta WACC’s Unit 4 -- Adjusted Present Value & International Investment Appraisal Unit 5 -- Mergers & Acquisitions and Valuation Techniques Unit 6 -- Framework for M&A / Reconstructions Unit 7 -- Hedging Foreign Exchange Risk Unit 8 -- Hedging Interest Rate Risk |
David Laws |
| 12 | Advanced Performance Management | Unit 1 -- What is Strategic Control? Unit 2 -- Management Control Unit 3 -- Organisation Structure Unit 4-- Financial Performance Unit 5 -- Divisionalisation Unit 6 -- Non Financial Performance Evaluation Unit 7 -- Issues with Performance Systems Unit 8 -- Employability and Technology Skills |
Jean-Paul |
| 13 | Advanced Taxation | Unit 1 -- Introduction to Corporation Tax Unit 2 -- Corporation Tax groups & Losses Unit 3 -- Fundamentals of Inheritance Tax Unit 4-- Valuation rules for Inheritance tax & the Death Estate Unit 5 -- Fundamentals of Taxing Capital Gains Unit 6 -- Capital Gains Reliefs and Exemptions Unit 7 -- Personal Tax Computations and Investment Advice Unit 8 -- Income from Employment and Self-employment Unit 9 -- Trading Losses and Partnership |
Zahid Ahmed |
| 14 | Advanced Audit & Assurance | Unit 1 -- Essential Exam Technique for the AAA paper Unit 2 -- Ethics and Professional Issues Unit 3 -- Practice Management including Quality Management of audit work Unit 4 -- Audit Planning, including Risk Unit 5 -- Audit Procedures and Evidence Unit 6 -- Finalisation of an audit plus Group Audit Considerations Unit 7 -- Audit Reports Unit 8 -- Other Assignments and Current Audit Issues |
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| 15 | Management Accounting | Unit 1 -- Introduction to Cost Accounting; Cost Classification and Behaviour Unit 2 – Materials, labour and Overheads Unit 3 -- Overheads and Absorption Costing and Cost bookkeeping Unit 4-- Absorption vs Marginal Costing. Job Costing Unit 5 -- Job, Batch and Service Costing (continued). Process Costing Unit 6 -- Budgeting and Introduction to Statistical Techniques Unit 7 -- Advanced Statistical Techniques Unit 8 -- Investment Appraisal Unit 9 -- Standard Costing and Variance Analysis Unit 10 --Performance Measurement (Financial Performance) Unit 11 -- Revision |
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