The ACCA certification is offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. It primarily emphasizes on the quality of accounts based education that enables an individual to acquire national standards in accounting.
Introducing you with the high standards and international levels of auditing, the ACCA certification is open for all to apply. Not requiring any formal experience and qualification in the finance sector, the ACCA course makes sure that the candidates get all the opportunities needed for a successful career in the various audit sectors all over the world.
Also Read: 6 Top Benefits of ACCA certification
ACCA Course Syllabus
Outlining the content and the procedure of examining it, the 2018 course syllabus of ACCA provides candidates with various opportunities to master the different sections of finance and auditing.
For example, the ACCA certificate course syllabus includes various sections like Auditing Standards, Internal Auditing, ISA 200 and Overall Objectives, Internal Control and Risk Assessment, ISA 240, ISA 500 Audit Evidence etc.
The major section Auditing Standards contains several other sub-sections like the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and Framework of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs).
For the ACCA certificate of Accountant in Business, the structure of the syllabus for 2018 contains different sections like the ‘business organization, its stakeholders and the external environment’, ‘leading and managing individuals and teams’, ‘accounting and reporting systems controls compliance’ and many others. For a detailed access of ACCA course syllabus, visit this link.
The ACCA exams are divided into two levels with two modules at each level; Fundamentals and Professional.
The Knowledge module includes areas of financial and management accounting. Basically, there are six subjects in the Skills module which cover the main technical areas that accountants are expected to know.
FUNDAMENTALS (NINE PAPERS IN TOTAL)
| Knowledge | |
| F1 | Accountant in Business |
| F2 | Management Accounting |
| F3 | Financial Accounting |
| Skills | |
| F4 | Corporate and Business Law |
| F5 | Performance Management |
| F6 | Taxation |
| F7 | Financial Reporting |
| F8 | Audit and Assurance |
| F9 | Financial Management |
The above level is based on technical knowledge and will cover advanced professional skills, techniques and values. These are required at a senior level by accountants working in an advisory or consultancy role.
PROFESSIONAL (FIVE PAPERS IN TOTAL)
| Essentials | |
| P1 | Governance, Risk and Ethics |
| P2 | Corporate Reporting |
| P3 | Business Analysis |
| Options (two to be completed) | |
| P4 | Advanced Financial Management |
| P5 | Advanced Performance Management |
| P6 | Advanced Taxation |
| P7 | Advanced Audit and Assurance |
There are two different types of computer-based exam (CBE):
- on-demand CBEs
- session CBEs.
Acquiring an ACCA Qualification
There are different types of ACCA qualification certificates available and you can achieve them on your way to ACCA membership such as
- a Diploma in Accounting and Businean Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business
- a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Accounting awarded by Oxford Brookes University
- an MSc in Professional Accountancy awarded by University of London
You can show not only show your knowledge and skills to employers but also keeps yourself on track and motivated.
How to Become an ACCA Student
Once a candidate decides about pursuing the ACCA qualification, he or she can apply online on the official ACCA website.
There is no specific time of year or month for applying online. Therefore, a candidate can apply for online registration anytime of the year, and take a test date accordingly. To apply offline, you can request for a paper application form.
To qualify as an ACCA member, you will need to complete:
- exams – a minimum of five of 14 exams (nine are eligible for exemption*)
- experience – record 36 months’ experience in a relevant role
- ethics – the Professional Ethics module.
ACCA Membership and Exam Fee Detail
The subscription and enrolment fees can vary based on from which countries the candidates are applying for. For the Indian students applying for ACCA qualification, the initial registration fee is £79 (approx. 6715 INR); and the annual subscription fee is £95 (approx 8075 INR).
There are different exam fees depending on the level of exam entry.
For Knowledge exam, fees is around For an early entry exam in March 2018, the cost is £72 (approx. 6120 INR), for a late entry exam in March 2018 the cost is £231 (approx. 19635 INR), for a standard entry in June 2018 the fee is £76 (approx 6460 INR).
Registration and subscription fees
| Initial registration | £79 |
| Re-registration | £79 |
| Annual subscription | £95 |
Exam fees (Fee amount to be paid at each exam level)
| March 2018 early entry | March 2018 standard entry | March 2018 late entry | June 2018 early entry | June 2018 standard entry | June 2018 late entry | |
| Knowledge exams | £72 | £76 | £231 | £72 | £76 | £231 |
| Skills exams | £97 | £102 | £261 | £97 | £102 | £261 |
| Professional exams | £121 | £128 | £289 | £121 | £128 | £289 |
Exemption fees (Fee charged based on ACCA exemption you awarded from)
| Knowledge exams | £72 |
| Skills exams | £97 |
| Professional exams | – |
Any candidate obtaining the ACCA certificate must have mastered the art of becoming an excellent finance professional. Providing all the essential information about ISAs or International standards on Auditing, the ACCA syllabus is updated every year to match the ever-changing needs of the financial market.For the detailed knowledge about the fees required for different sections and course kindly refer to this link.
