In the field of accounting and finance, achieving the ACCA qualification is a major step towards a successful career worldwide. If you don’t know, ACCA stands for Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Due to it being considered a prestigious and flexible qualification, Indian students enroll in large numbers to clear this exam. One thing unique about this course is that the number of exams you have to clear depends on your educational qualification. This leads to a varying study plan for all students pursuing an ACCA online course in India or an offline one.
What is an ACCA Course?
Many people confuse the CFA and the ACCA to be similar exams. Though both are for people from the commerce background, both of them vary in their syllabus and structure, and to clear the CFA exam, people enroll in the best CFA online course India. The ACCA qualification is a global certification that prepares students for professional roles in finance, auditing, taxation, business consulting, and management. The ACCA exams are held in four sessions each year, and students can choose to sit for one or more exams in each session. The following is the structure of the exam, which consists of the three levels it is held in:
1. Applied Knowledge
The first level is applied knowledge. The three exam papers that the level consists of are:
- Business and Technology (BT)
- Management Accounting (MA)
- Financial Accounting (FA)
2. Applied Skills
The second stage, applied skills, tests your skills and prepares you for intermediate-level roles. It consists of six exam papers that are:
- Corporate & Business Law (LW)
- Performance Management (PM)
- Taxation (TX)
- Financial Reporting (FR)
- Audit & Assurance (AA)
- Financial Management (FM)
3. Strategic Professional
The third and final level of ACCA is the strategic professional level, which tests students for their decision-making and leadership abilities. It consists of four exam papers: two are essential subjects, and the other two are the students’ choice.
The exams that are necessary for the students in this level include:
- Strategic Business Leader (SBL)
- Strategic Business Reporting (SBR)
The exams from which the students have to make a choice of two include:
- Advanced Performance Management (APM)
- Advanced Financial Management (AFM)
- Advanced Taxation (ATX)
- Advanced Audit & Assurance (AAA)
4. Other Requirements
Besides clearing the four levels of exams, there are two other requirements, which ask for your knowledge in the ethics and professional skills module (EPSM), along with 36 months of practical experience or PER in your career before, during, or after the exams.
How Many Years Does It Take to Complete ACCA in India?
The ACCA course cannot be completed in a fixed time, as the time required for each individual varies. Hence, there are only estimates on how much time is taken by a person of a certain qualification. Before giving time estimates, remember that ACCA is flexible, so the completion time varies depending on:
- The number of exemptions you get
- The number of papers you attempt per exam session
- Your study habits and continuity
The following is the typical duration taken by a student to clear the ACCA course.
What Not to Do During ACCA
Among the three different levels, there are several mistakes that you can make at any point, which must be avoided while giving this exam or during its preparation, even if you have enrolled in the best ACCA online courses.
1. One Exam Per Year
Unless you are a working professional or juggling your preparation with other priorities, there is no reason for you to give just one exam per year. Several people also prepare too much and hence are afraid of attempting more than one exam every year, which should not be. To complete your course quickly, attending one exam per session can help you prepare well enough.
2. Improper Preparation
To crack an ACCA exam, studying and mugging up theoretical concepts is never enough. A better way to prepare for the exam is by understanding the applications of all concepts.
- Failing repeatedly increases stress and extends the course’s overall duration.
- Professional papers (SBL, SBR) won’t be easy to crack without proper training.
3. Ignoring the Ethics Module
When you delay the ethics and professional skills module (EPSM) exam too much, it can cause last-minute workload, especially when you’re ready to complete ACCA.
- You cannot get the ACCA qualification without EPSM.
- Proper knowledge of ethics concepts helps during job interviews, especially for audit, finance, or compliance roles.
Best ACCA Study Tips
While completing all the ACCA exams should be your priority, it does not mean rushing your preparation. A proper study strategy, discipline, and consistency should accompany a fast preparation. The following are some study tips you must follow for your ACCA exams.
1. Note Your Exemptions
If you are a graduate or hold other qualifications, it is good to obtain as many exemptions as possible for your exams. Claiming eligible exemptions on papers you have studied earlier reduces both the duration and stress on you to qualify for the ACCA. With the help of exemptions, you can easily reduce the duration of your qualification.
2. Maintain Continuity
When students do not maintain continuity and consistency in their preparation and take too long and unnecessary breaks between exam sessions, their overall performance is bound to suffer. Skills like audit procedures, tax rules, and reporting standards weaken if not practised regularly. The best way to maintain continuity in your studies is:
- Follow a 12-week cycle: 8 weeks of study + 2 weeks of revision + 2 weeks of mock tests.
- Use small daily time blocks for breaks.
3. Complete the Ethics Module Early
The Ethics & Professional Skills Module (EPSM) is compulsory to attempt and ace, yet many students ignore it until the last minute. Hence, completing it early can reduce a good burden on your exams. One major benefit is that it enhances professional judgment, a key requirement for SBL and SBR.
Conclusion
Completing ACCA in India, including taking online classes for preparation, usually takes 2 to 3 years. However, this duration varies based on the number of exemptions, your study discipline, and the continuity of your preparation and attempts. No matter how tough the exam may seem, proper planning ensures that cracking the ACCA exam becomes an easy and rewarding journey.
If you wish to crack ACCA with the best preparation tips possible, then enrolling in an online ACCA course in India at Fintelligents is the best preparation option for you. We at Fintelligents, along with our expert faculty, offer online courses with in-depth preparation for every level of ACCA, including recorded sessions, mock tests, personalised study planners, tutor notes, and more, at a very affordable fee.
Enroll at Fintelligents and benefit from the help of the best ACCA online course in India to crack the exam for a successful and reputable career.
FAQs
Q. How many years to complete ACCA in India?
The time required to complete ACCA in India varies for each student. However, this duration typically lies in the range of 2-4 years.
Q. How many papers do we have to give in ACCA?
In ACCA, the maximum number of papers a student has to give is 13. Alongside, you have to also complete the ethics and professional skills module and achieve 3 years of practical experience. Based on your educational qualifications and the number of exemptions you have, the number of exams you give can be reduced.
Q. What are the 13 papers of ACCA?
ACCA is divided into three levels consisting of 13 papers: Applied Knowledge (BT, MA, FA), Applied Skills (LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM), and Strategic Professional (SBL, SBR, plus two optional papers from AFM, APM, ATX, or AAA).
Q. How to become ACCA after 12th in India?
Students from commerce or non-commerce backgrounds in India can enroll for ACCA. However, they have to pass all 13 papers to achieve qualification in this course.
Q. Can you do ACCA while working?
Yes, you are eligible to do ACCA and qualify in it with a proper study schedule and training, even while you are working.
