This article breaks down the ACCA exam structure in detail to help students to create a balance between the exam and the 36-month PER. Keep reading to explore these details.
Imagine you are at the pinnacle of your professional career with ‘ACCA’ letters after your name. This thought feels like a breath of fresh air for every aspiring individual who wants to pursue a career in the accounting field. However, becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant is not a piece of cake.
In 2026, to earn the ACCA certification, candidates must complete the ‘double challenge’: giving 13 rigorous papers while completing 36 months of Practical Experience Requirement (PER). However, it is not easy for students to prepare themselves for the exams and get PER. To help them, we have come up with a solution. This article outlines comprehensive guidelines to break down the ACCA exam structure with working experience so you can cross the finish line faster.
Key Highlights:
- The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) aims to prepare students to work in the professional field related to accounting and business.
- Students choose the ACCA degree because of the global recognition, better career opportunities, and understanding of accounting concepts.
- There are three phases of the ACCA exam structure: Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills, and Strategic Professionals. Each phase has a different duration, courses, exam type, and learning outcomes.
- By finding the right accounting role, appointing a supervisor, and setting goals, students can maintain a balance between exams and PER.
What is ACCA? Why Students Choose ACCA?
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a global organisation that gives strong accreditation to individuals who want to be involved in the accountancy profession. It was established in 1908, and its global headquarters is located in London.
Students who want to sit in the ACCA exam are required to cover a wide range of syllabi, including financial accounting, tax, business management, audit, management accounting, and financial management.
Despite the rigorous exam requirements and extensive syllabus, students prefer to sit in ACCA exams. Check out the key reasons why accounting students choose this intricate exam.
- Global recognition
- Cost-effective certification
- Better career opportunities
- This course helps in building professional skills
- Comprehensive course material
- They get a complete understanding of accounting concepts
Requirements for ACCA Exams
Check out what the important requirements are to sit in the exam.
- The minimum requirement for ACCA is A levels or 3 GCSEs, with compulsory Maths and English subjects
- Polytechnic Diploma holders with business and accounting diplomas are also eligible for exemption
- A student who doesn’t have a finance or accounting background can also be involved in the ACCA by completing the Foundation in Accountancy (FIA) course and then switching to ACCA.
- Students who have a relevant degree in business and accounting might get an exemption and skip some exams depending on their degree type and the university.
The ACCA Exam Structure: 3 Key Levels
The ACCA exam is conducted in three components, including:
Phase 1 – Applied Knowledge
- Duration: 6 – 12 months
- Number of Assessments: 3 exams
In the initial phase of the ACCA exam structure, learners develop an understanding of basic principles of management, finance, and business. Further, during the preparation of these exams, students learn the basic accounting techniques and skills required to work in the business world.
Entry Requirements
To start from the applied knowledge level for ACCA, an individual must complete 2 GCE A levels or 3 GCSEs. If the student is AAT qualified, then they can skip this level and start their ACCA from the Applied Skills level. Moreover, if the individual graduated from the ACCA organisation, then they will be eligible for the exemption from both Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills.
Details About The Exams
Check out the details of the three foundational exams that students must pass at this early stage of ACCA exams.
- Business and Technology (BT) – This course is designed to give a basic understanding of the business principles and the interaction of different systems that interact within a business.
- Management Accounting (MA) – During this course, the students learn different accountancy techniques that are important for controlling, monitoring, and planning the performance of any business.
- Financial Accounting (FA) – Financial accounting is all about exploring the concepts of financial accounting and developing proficiency in accounting strategies, like the preparation of financial statements, business management, or double-entry accounting.
Exam Type
To complete the first stage of the ACCA, you must pass all three mandatory exams in any order. However, the experts say that it is good to sit in the Financial Accounting subject before the Management Accounting. All these exams are computer-based and cover all areas of the accounting syllabus.
Learning Outcomes
This initial phase of the ACCA exam aims to develop the practical skills and strategies related to accounting and business. These skills are important to become an accountant and work in a professional business environment.
The learning outcomes of this stage include the following:
- Students learn how different business systems interact with each other
- Individuals get a comprehensive understanding of the basic concepts of accounting
- They will explore how business and technology are related to each other
Thus, on the completion of this ACCA exam level, learners will be able to prepare financial statements.
Pro Tip – Many students wait to pass the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills before searching for practical experience. That is a mistake. Students must try to get practical experience from the very beginning of the ACCA. They should hunt for an internship during the first stage and start any job related to accounts. Register yourself and make an account on MyExperience to get a better opportunity.
Phase 2 – Applied Skills
- Duration: 12 – 18 months
- Number of Assessments: 6 exams
Requirements for this Level
To start studying the Applied Skill phase, you must complete one of the following requirements:
- Pass the Applied Knowledge level with distinction
- Final level of AAT
- Accounting Foundation Diploma
Course Content for These Exams
This ACCA level comprises six exams: five compulsory and one optional. Have a look at the details of these courses.
- Compulsory Courses
- Performance Management (PM) – In this course, students learn the right way to apply management accounting techniques that help them in planning, performance evaluation, controlling, and decision-making.
- Taxation (TX-UK) – This course helps students to gain knowledge and develop skills to handle the tax systems, whether it is for individuals or groups of companies.
- Financial Reporting (FR) – Financial reporting allows learners to get a strong grip on the theoretical framework required to prepare financial statements and the right way to interpret these statements.
- Audit & Assurance (AA) – This exam tests the individual’s capabilities to implement the assurance engagement and professional regulatory framework.
- Financial Management (FM) – This course covers various important topics, such as Investment appraisal, Business finance, and Business valuations, which are important for the financial management of the business
- Optional Subjects
- Corporate and Business Law – This optional course aims to teach the legal frameworks of specific legal areas related to businesses that require specialised legal advice.
The subject of the ACCA exam structure is the hardest one for students. They often have a good understanding of the legal concepts, but lack strong writing skills to transform these concepts into an academic narrative. They can avail essay writing services from a reputable platform, such as The Academic Papers UK. This firm has a vast network of highly-qualified writers who know how to structure legal theories and have writing experience.
Exam Format
To complete this stage of the ACCA, passing all six exams is mandatory. The exams of this stage are the following:
- The exams for all the compulsory subjects are three-hour-long computer-based assessments.
- The optional subject is a two-hour-long on-demand exam that can be scheduled at any time.
Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes of the second phase of the ACCA exam are strongly based on the existing knowledge and understanding. This level helps students to develop strong practical finance qualities that are essential for every professional accountant in the business industry. During this stage, learners will learn about the following aspects of accounting:
- Law
- Financial Management
- Tax
- Auditing
- Reporting
Phase 3 – Strategic Professionals
- Duration: 12 – 18 months
- Number of Exams: 4 exams
Requirements to Enter This Stage
To enter the final stage of the ACCA exam structure, you must complete the previous two exams: Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills.
Course Content for These Exams
Students have to complete a total of four exams at this stage: two compulsory and two optional.
- Compulsory Courses
- Ethics and Professional Skills – This module teaches the finalists of the Chartered Accountant the appropriate workplace ethical and professional skills that are essential for working in the industry.
- Strategic Business Leader (SBL) – SBL is based on the exploration of case study challenges that an individual can incorporate to create solutions to real-life problems.
- Optional Subjects
At this stage, students have an option to choose any two subjects from the list of four that are mentioned below:
- Advanced Financial Management (AFM)
- Advanced Performance Management (APM)
- Advanced Taxation (ATX-UK)
- Advanced Audit & Assurance (AAA)
Exam Format
The exams for this final stage are computer-based and conducted by the ACCA organisation itself.
Learning Outcomes of This Exam
This phase focuses on teaching advanced skills and professional ethics to individuals who want to become an accountant or consultant at a senior level. Further, they will develop leadership skills and get specialisation in an area that matches their career goals.
How to Prepare for the 36-Month PER for ACCA?
Students must follow the tips to prepare for the 36-month practical experience requirement (PER).
- To complete a 36-month-long PER, you must first find a job where you will do finance-related tasks. This job can be a full-time, part-time, internship, or a volunteer position.
- After finding a relevant job, you need to appoint an experienced and IFAC-qualified supervisor. This person will review your work throughout the job and ensure that you meet the required standards of the ACCA organisation.
- Apart from assigning the supervisor, you must set nine objectives for your professional experience: five must be essential objectives, while four must be technical objectives.
- Essential objectives include Ethics and professionalism; Stakeholder relationship management; Strategy, innovation, and sustainable value creation; Governance, risk, and control; and Leadership and management.
- Technical skills include Tax, Audit, Financial Management, or Data and Digital Technology.
- Track your progress via MyACCA on the MyExperience app. This progress tracking will help you to meet your PER goals and earn higher grades in ACCA.
Conclusion
The ACCA certification opens various doors for students to pursue their careers in the accounting world. This exam aims to build a solid foundation that is important for a fulfilling career. However, students must know how to maintain a balance between ACCA exams and PER. But most of them find it hard because of the complexities of the ACCA degree.
To help them, we have broken down the ACCA exam structure into three key levels, including applied knowledge, applied skills, and strategic profession. Each stage has a different duration, courses, exam format, and learning outcomes. With this sw also shared some tips to prepare them for PER. We hope that our detailed information on key levels and practical tips for PER will help students in pursuing a successful career in the accounting world.
FAQs
How Does the ACCA Exam Pattern Differ Between On‑demand CBEs and Session‑Based Exams?
Have a look at the key differences between on-demand CBEs and session-based exams.
| Features | On-demand CBEs | Session-based Exams |
| Applicable Papers | Applied knowledge and corporate law | Applied skills and strategic professional |
| Question Types | Objective test questions | A mix of objective and subjective types |
| Duration | 2 hours | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Scheduling | Anytime throughout the year | Fixed time (in March, Sept, and Dec) |
| Results | Instantly displayed on screen | Takes approximately 6 weeks |
What is the Pass Mark, Duration, and Number of Questions for Most ACCA Exams?
According to ACCA Global all exams of ACCA have a general passing criterion of 50% marks. However, the duration and number of questions vary from exam to exam.
| Exam Level | Average Duration | Number of Questions |
| Applied Knowledge | 2 hours | 50 questions |
| Applied Skills | 3 hours | Mix of 3 sections: Section A (OTQs), Section B (Case OTQs), and Section C (Constructed Response) |
| Strategic Professional | 3 hours 15 minutes | 3 main case studies |
Which ACCA Exams are Mainly MCQ‑Based and Which are Mostly Written, Scenario‑Based Papers?
| MCQ-based Questions | Scanerio-based Papers |
| Includes Business and Technology (BT)Management Accounting (MA)Financial Accounting (FA)Corporate and Business Law (LW) | Strategic Business Reporting (SBR)Strategic Business Leader (SBL)AFMAPMATXAAA |
