The breakdown on ACCA

legendary.xix

Hi,

Could anyone who's been through the ACCA route give me a quick breakdown on how long it takes and what's involved. I've looked at the required website but was hoping for a bit more detail from people who've been through it or doing it at the moment.

Thanks.

barneystinson

legendary.xix wrote: »

Hi,

Could anyone who's been through the ACCA route give me a quick breakdown on how long it takes and what's involved. I've looked at the required website but was hoping for a bit more detail from people who've been through it or doing it at the moment.

Thanks.

How long is a piece of string?!

Do you intend on working your arse off and passing them all first time?
What exemptions do you have, if any?
How many exams would you intend to sit at each sitting?

legendary.xix

barneystinson wrote: »

How long is a piece of string?!

Do you intend on working your arse off and passing them all first time?
What exemptions do you have, if any?
How many exams would you intend to sit at each sitting?

Hi, thanks for your reply/questions!

I intend to put in hard work outside of my current 9-5. I've an IT degree so I imagine my exemptions will be limited?
I'd look to sit as many exams as are comfortably doable based on what would be normal for someone putting in the work part-time.

mickyboy

You'll still have to do a 3-4 year full time training contract with an accountancy firm. The ACCA exams are similar in difficulty to the ACA exams but don't have to be completed in blocks, afaik.

legendary.xix

mickyboy wrote: »

You'll still have to do a 3-4 year full time training contract with an accountancy firm. The ACCA exams are similar in difficulty to the ACA exams but don't have to be completed in blocks, afaik.

Thanks for that.

Is the ATI much of a different route to take? I understand ATI will take 2 years. Work can be obtained in the accountany area after those 2 years but continued training would be needed in a one year CPA course on two modules before a possible two further years doing a BSA. Is that right?

If someone starts into ACCA, how long is it before they will get a training contract?

smcgiff

legendary.xix wrote: »

If someone starts into ACCA, how long is it before they will get a training contract?

Straigth away or never... posssibly somewhere in between.

There's no set time. It depends on a number of factors.

SBWife

mickyboy wrote: »

You'll still have to do a 3-4 year full time training contract with an accountancy firm. The ACCA exams are similar in difficulty to the ACA exams but don't have to be completed in blocks, afaik.

No you do not need an accountancy firm contract with ACCA you can get your experience in industry either. There's a list of required and optional tasks you must have been involved in and you need 36 months of experience.

There are 14 exams in total, so technically without exemptions you can do them over 4 exam sessions, in 2 years, which is what I did. More realistically it takes 3 1/2 to 4 years, taking 2 every 6 months and perhaps having to resist a few of them.

Veloce

What is the recommended number of exams to sit in each session for the professional level exams? I presume sitting these all in one go is a no-go? Are the exams sessions held bi-annually?

SBWife

Exams are held June and December, at any level you can sit a maximum of 4 papers at a time. The p papers are tough, and most people sit them two at a time. I managed 4 at once but had a few weeks off ahead of them.

BTW as far as I know there's a 10 year window to complete the ACCA exams.

Veloce

SBWife wrote: »

Exams are held June and December, at any level you can sit a maximum of 4 papers at a time. The p papers are tough, and most people sit them two at a time. I managed 4 at once but had a few weeks off ahead of them.

BTW as far as I know there's a 10 year window to complete the ACCA exams.

That's very helpful thanks.

littlefriend

SBWife wrote: »

No you do not need an accountancy firm contract with ACCA you can get your experience in industry either. There's a list of required and optional tasks you must have been involved in and you need 36 months of experience.

There are 14 exams in total, so technically without exemptions you can do them over 4 exam sessions, in 2 years, which is what I did. More realistically it takes 3 1/2 to 4 years, taking 2 every 6 months and perhaps having to resist a few of them.

Hi SBWife,
can I ask you did you have a background in accounting (such as degree or work experience) and were you working when you did them?

I am thinking of starting them in January and was hoping to do 6 or 7 over the year. I wouldn't be working while doing them but I have no background in accounting at all (have about 5 years exp in a compliance role for financial inst.)

thanks! (sorry for thread hijack).