Practice Chartered Certified Accountancy Globally in more than 180+ Countries
ACCA Course Details
The full form of ACCA is Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. ACCA is considered to be one of the most prestigious qualifications in the world in the field of finance and accounting. This includes a global body of professionals who are renowned experts in the field of accounting and finance.
It is based in the UK and is the largest confederation of account professionals that has over 228000 qualified members alongside half a million students enrolled across 180+ countries. In the field of accounting and finance, ACCA is regarded as one of the most respected credentials and going through the ACCA course details can help you understand the full scope and global value of the certification.
ACCA Eligibility Criteria
Anyone can do the ACCA course whether it's a student or a professional. Go through the section below to check the ACCA eligibility criteria based on the level you are on.
ACCA Course After 10th
Students who have just completed their Class 10 can pursue the ACCA course through the Foundation in Accountancy (FIA) route which is the entry-level program. This route is best for those who don't have an accounting background but have a strong interest in finance and in numbers. The FIA route leads you into the full ACCA qualification that covers the Knowledge, Skills and Professional levels, i.e, 13 exams in total.
ACCA Course After 12th
If you have completed your Higher Secondary Education (10+2), you can also begin your journey in global finance through the ACCA course. You must have scored 65% or above in English and Maths/Accounts along with a minimum of 50% in other subjects from a recognised school board like CBSE, ISC or State Boards that are accepted under the ACCA course eligibility criteria. If you're planning a finance career early, the ACCA course after 12th can give you a perfect head start with flexible ACCA course subjects and exam schedules. Use the official ACCA Exemptions Calculator (https://www.accaglobal.com/in/en/help/exemptions-calculator.html) to check if you qualify for paper exemptions based on your existing qualifications or you can just give us a call at +91-9700000038.
ACCA Course After the Graduation
If you are a graduate student with a B.Com, BBA or BMS degree, you can just directly register for the ACCA certification course. And if you are from non-commerce backgrounds like BA or B.Sc, you can still pursue ACCA and give all the 13 papers. If you start preparing for the ACCA course after graduation, at first it can feel a bit overwhelming but with the right study material and guided mentorship, it can become manageable. You can also benefit from subject exemptions that can help you skip some papers based on the academic record that you hold.
ACCA for CA India Students
If you are currently pursuing CA or CMA India or if you have already qualified for CA, the ACCA course can give you some really significant exemptions. You can be exempted from giving 1 to 9 papers depending on your current level which can really help you to reduce your workload. If you are going to prepare for the ACCA Course after CA or CMA, you can improve your professional credibility and you can also get a chance to work in international job markets.
If you are exploring international credentials in this domain, reviewing the ACCA course details will give you a full understanding of its structure, global reach as well as career potential.
ACCA Course Duration
As per the ACCA Course details, the exam covers 13 papers at both professional and fundamental levels with an emphasis on ethics, financial management (FM) and core accounting. The following table lists ACCA Course duration along with details and levels.
| Level | No. of exams | Total Study Duration | Recommended Study Hours per paper | Average Time to complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Knowledge | 3 exams | 150–180 hours | 60–70 hours | 6–9 months |
| Applied Skills | 6 exams | 440–490 hours | 80–90 hours | 12–18 months |
| Strategic Professional | 4 exams (2 optional) | 350–370 hours | 100–120 hours | 12–18 months |
| Total | 13 exams | 940–1040 hours | 240–280 hours | 30–45 months (2.5–3.75 years) |
ACCA Course Exemptions
While there are 13 papers in total that an individual has to complete in order to get qualified for ACCA, there are various exemptions that are offered to individuals depending on their academic qualification levels. The following tables describe the ACCA course exemptions at various levels:
| Academic Qualification | Exempted Papers |
|---|---|
| Class 12th | None of the papers are exempted and an individual is required to sit for all the 13 papers to become ACCA qualified. |
| Graduation | If an individual has completed B. Com, they are exempted from up to 5 papers; if they have done BBA, they can be exempted from up to 3 papers. |
| Foundation CA | If completed without graduation, no exemption is available. With graduation, exemptions can range from 3 to 5 papers. |
| Inter CA | Exemption of up to 5 papers. If completed alongside B.Com, exemption can be up to 6 papers. |
| Final CA | Exempted from up to 9 papers. |
| CA qualified | Exempted from 9 papers. |
ACCA Qualification
You can check the ACCA eligibility criteria, if you meet the requirements then you can apply for ACCA qualification.
You will not have to take every exam on your path to membership if you already have a recognised and applicable degree in either accounting or finance. So, you can claim the exemptions.
A person needs to complete three levels of this reputable qualification in order to receive certification. Below is an overview of the three levels:
Applied Knowledge:
The first level involves and consists of three papers that help an individual in developing and building upon foundational knowledge of essential concepts of finance and accounting. The three papers under this level are-
- Accountant in Business (AB)
- Management Accounting (MA)
- Financial Accounting (FA)
Applied Skills:
The second level of the ACCA involves six papers that help an individual focus on their technical knowledge of the concepts of finance and accounting. The six papers under this level are-
- Corporate and Business Law (LW)
- Performance Management (PM)
- Taxation (TX)
- Financial Reporting (FR)
- Audit and Assurance (AA)
- Financial Management (FM)
Professional:
The last level of ACCA involves four papers that help develop the professional skills of individuals. At this level, there are two papers that are mandatory, however, there is an option to choose the other two from a group of four
Mandatory Papers- Corporate and Business Law (LW)
- Performance Management (PM)
- Advanced Financial Management (AFM)
- Advanced Performance Management (APM)
- Advanced Taxation (ATX)
- Advanced Audit & Assurance (AAA)
Benefits of ACCA Course
Being a member of ACCA brings along with it a lot of benefits and advantages for those who consider it. Following are some of the benefits of becoming an ACCA member-
- ACCA is an internationally recognised degree which can open doors for individuals who wish to work abroad in countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada among others.
- ACCA course enhances employability and provides work opportunities globally. To know about the latest jobs update, anyone can check out the official website of ACCA through this link: https://jobs.accaglobal.com
- It covers accounting, taxation, auditing and business law that is aligned with the real world finance roles.
- You can be in high demand since a lot of employers like Big 4s and MNCs prefer ACCA qualified candidates for strategic roles.
- You can start earning a decent salary and their salary package starts from 8 LPA while the average package being 12 LPA.
Pathway to become an ACCA member
Following are some of the steps and processes that must be followed and kept in mind as it is the exact pathway to become an ACCA member-
- Check your eligibility: The first step towards starting your ACCA journey is to check your eligibility. The requirements for eligibility can be different in each country, but at the very least, you must have finished high school.
- Complete your registration with ACCA: After ensuring that you meet the eligibility requirements, you must register for ACCA as a student. This will require a one-time registration fee.
- Pass the three levels of ACCA course: After the registration comes the main part of passing all the three levels of ACCA course. The whole course has been divided into three levels – Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills and Professional – which consists of 13 papers altogether.
- Complete the Practical Experience Requirement: Once all the 13 papers have been cleared, an individual must meet their practical experience requirement in order to get ACCA certified. This involves supervised work of three years in finance or accounting roles.
- Apply for ACCA membership: After all the theoretical and practical requirements have been met, an individual can go ahead and apply for the ACCA membership and pay the membership fee by providing relevant documentation of eligibility. Once accepted by the ACCA committee, one becomes a member of this prestigious community.
Becoming ACCA qualified can give you the opportunity to use the designation of 'Chartered Certified Accountant'.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- An individual must have qualified their 10+2 examinations with at least 65% aggregate in Mathematics/Accounts & English.
- At least 50% aggregate in other subjects.
- If English is not one's first language, they must provide evidence for their proficiency by providing scores of English Language tests like IELTS or TOEFL.
Time limit: You have ten years from the day you start the Strategic Professional level to finish all of the tests, even if there is no limit on the number of attempts for each exam.
Exam periods: There are four ACCA exam sessions every year.
Yes! ACCA exams include MCQ Multiple Choice Questions but there are not entirely those types of questions. The Applied Knowledge Level (F1-F3) is fully MCQ based. The Applied Skills level (F4-F9) has a mix of MCQ and more longer scenario based questions. The Strategic professional level papers are mostly essay based including some scenario based questions.
