Four sessions a year provide students with more chances to succeed, says ACCA

Results have been announced for ACCA’s (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) professional qualification with numbers released for the Skills, Essentials and Options papers sat by candidates in March 2016.

87,300 students entered for the March 2016 sitting, entering 108,016 exams. The session saw 3,882 students worldwide complete their final exams, well on the path to becoming ACCA members.

To become a member, a student needs to pass their exams, undertake 36 months of practical experience, and also work through an interactive, online ethics module – what ACCA calls the three Es –exams, experience and ethics.

Dr Mary Bishop, ACCA’s Director of Learning, comments: “Four exam sessions a year allow students the flexibility to sit exams when it most suits them, more quickly, effectively and efficiently. It means they can manage their studies more proactively, leading to a greater chance of success. Our analysis of the results shows that if students use the learning support available to them, and all the resources ACCA has produced, then there is more chance of success.”

The March session, which was offered globally, allowed those students who needed to resit to do so more quickly, rather than waiting until the middle of the year, which ACCA and its stakeholders believe is a tangible benefit to students. ACCA’s move to four sessions a year offers students more opportunities to advance.

Dr Bishop concludes: “The ACCA Qualification rigorously tests the skills, abilities and competencies demanded by a modern day accountant, preparing them for a rewarding career as a qualified and ethical finance professional.

“Pass rates in most exams have at least remained steady and we’re pleased to see improvements in almost all of the Professional level exams. It is clear that students are still adapting to the rigour of the combined breadth and depth of the Skills exam format, which will better prepare students for the Professional Level. To ensure success, students must practise regularly questions across the entire syllabus.

“ACCA is committed to helping students achieve their goal of full ACCA membership, and we offer enhanced study support which we wholeheartedly recommend they use alongside approved study materials. The students who did, performed better.”

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For media enquiries, contact:

Helen Thompson , ACCA Newsroom
T: +44 (0)20 7059 5759

M: +44 (0)7725 498 654
E: helen.thompson@accaglobal.com

Twitter @ACCANews

Notes to Editors

About ACCA

1. ACCA introduced four exam sessions a year in September 2015, with exams now taking place in March, June, September and December.

2. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. It offers business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

3. ACCA supports its 178,000 members and 455,000 students in 181 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 95 offices and centres and more than 7,110 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

4. Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. It believes that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. ACCA’s core values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and it ensures that through its range of qualifications, it prepares accountants for business. ACCA seeks to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating its qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com