Free tool · your paper list
See every ACCA exam, what it covers, and which ones you still have to sit.
The short version
Quick answer: ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has 13 exams in three levels. Applied Knowledge has 3, Applied Skills has 6, and Strategic Professional has 4, including two Options you choose. Four are on-demand computer exams. The other nine sit in March, June, September or December. The pass mark is 50% for each.
Guide
The ACCA papers, one by one
ACCA splits its 13 exams into three levels, like school, college and a final year. Applied Knowledge covers business and accounting basics. Applied Skills goes deeper into law, tax, reporting, audit and finance. Strategic Professional tests judgement on real business cases. You choose 2 of the 4 Options.
| Paper | Level | Exam type | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT · Business and Technology | Applied Knowledge | On-demand CBE (computer-based exam) | 2 hrs |
| MA · Management Accounting | Applied Knowledge | On-demand CBE | 2 hrs |
| FA · Financial Accounting | Applied Knowledge | On-demand CBE | 2 hrs |
| LW · Corporate and Business Law | Applied Skills | On-demand CBE | 2 hrs |
| PM · Performance Management | Applied Skills | Session | 3 hrs |
| TX · Taxation | Applied Skills | Session | 3 hrs |
| FR · Financial Reporting | Applied Skills | Session | 3 hrs |
| AA · Audit and Assurance | Applied Skills | Session | 3 hrs |
| FM · Financial Management | Applied Skills | Session | 3 hrs |
| SBL · Strategic Business Leader | Strategic Professional | Session | 3 hrs 15 min |
| SBR · Strategic Business Reporting | Strategic Professional | Session | 3 hrs 15 min |
| 2 Options · pick from AFM, APM, ATX, AAA | Strategic Professional | Session | 3 hrs 15 min each |
In short: 13 exams in all, and you pick the last two yourself.
Codes like F1 to F9 and P4 to P7 are older names for the same papers. For a longer read, see our guide to the ACCA exam structure.
Each paper has its own ACCA syllabus and study guide. The current guides run from September 2026 to June 2027; TX and ATX run from June 2026. Below is each paper’s aim and main areas in plain words. Tap a paper for its exam format and ACCA’s own pages.
How a business works: its people, its systems and the world around it.
Exam: 2 hrs, on-demand. Section A: 30 two-mark and 16 one-mark objective test questions. Section B: 6 four-mark multi-task questions.
The numbers managers use to plan, control and check performance.
Exam: 2 hrs, on-demand. Section A: 35 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 3 ten-mark multi-task questions on budgeting, standard costing and performance measurement.
Double-entry bookkeeping up to basic financial statements.
Exam: 2 hrs, on-demand. Section A: 35 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 2 fifteen-mark multi-task questions on consolidation and accounts preparation.
The law that shapes companies and international business (Global version).
Exam: 2 hrs, on-demand. Section A: 25 two-mark and 20 one-mark objective test questions. Section B: 5 six-mark multi-task questions (Global version).
Using management accounting to run and improve a business.
Exam: 3 hrs, in a session. Section A: 15 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 3 case questions of 5 two-mark questions each. Section C: 2 twenty-mark constructed-response questions. Builds on MA.
How to work out tax for people and companies (UK version shown).
Exam: 3 hrs, in a session. Section A: 15 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 3 case questions of 5 two-mark questions each. Section C: one 10-mark and two 15-mark constructed-response questions.
Preparing and reading company accounts under IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards).
Exam: 3 hrs, in a session. Section A: 15 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 3 questions of 5 two-mark questions each. Section C: 2 twenty-mark constructed-response questions. Builds on FA.
How an auditor checks a company’s accounts, from planning to the report.
Exam: 3 hrs, in a session. Section A: 3 ten-mark case questions of 5 two-mark questions each. Section B: one 30-mark and two 20-mark questions.
The money decisions a finance manager makes: investing, funding and risk.
Exam: 3 hrs, in a session. Section A: 15 two-mark objective test questions. Section B: 3 questions of 5 two-mark questions each. Section C: 2 twenty-mark constructed-response questions.
Thinking like a senior leader or adviser, tested through one integrated case study.
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. One case study, closed book. Pre-seen information comes out two weeks before. 80 technical marks and 20 professional skills marks.
Judgement on complex reporting issues, including group accounts.
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. Section A: a 30-mark group accounting question and a 20-mark reporting and ethics question. Section B: two 25-mark questions. Includes 4 professional skills marks. Builds on FR.
Advising on big financial decisions, at home and abroad.
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. Section A: one 50-mark case study. Section B: two 25-mark questions. 80 technical and 20 professional skills marks in all. Builds on FM.
Measuring and improving how a whole organisation performs.
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. Section A: one 50-mark case study. Section B: two 25-mark questions. 80 technical and 20 professional skills marks in all. Builds on PM.
Tax advice and planning, across several taxes at once (UK version shown).
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. Section A: one 50-mark case study across several taxes. Section B: two 25-mark questions on business and personal tax. Builds on TX.
Leading audit and assurance work, under rules and ethics.
Exam: 3 hrs 15 min, in a session. Section A: one 50-mark case study at the planning stage of an audit. Section B: two 25-mark questions. 80 technical and 20 professional skills marks in all. Builds on AA.
In short: each level builds on the one before, so FR builds on FA and the Options build on Applied Skills.
TX and ATX come in country versions; we show the UK one. LW has a Global version, and SBR and AAA an International one. Check ACCA’s variant papers page for yours.
BT, MA, FA and LW are on-demand. You book them at a licensed computer exam centre, on a day that suits you. The other nine exams sit only in ACCA’s four sessions: March, June, September and December. Each session’s exam days and entry deadlines differ.
Live session dates and deadlines: ACCA exam dates. On-demand exams in Mumbai: QuintEdge CBE centre.
ACCA sets the order by level. You take Applied Knowledge first, then Applied Skills, then Strategic Professional. Inside a level, you may take papers in any order. To enter the next level, you must also enter every exam still left in your current level.
You can sit at most four exams in each three-month cycle. The yearly cap is eight different exams. The tool above follows these rules and the order shown here.
ACCA is redesigning the qualification. The last sitting of the current Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams is June 2027. New on-demand exams start in July 2027, and new session exams in September 2027. ACCA says you keep credit for exams passed or exempted.
That is why the plan above stops at June 2027. Read ACCA’s FAQs on the future ACCA Qualification for the details.
FAQs
ACCA has 13 exams in three levels. Applied Knowledge has 3: BT, MA and FA. Applied Skills has 6: LW, PM, TX, FR, AA and FM. Strategic Professional has 4: SBL, SBR and two Options you pick from four. You also complete an online Ethics and Professional Skills Module.
BT, MA, FA and LW. They are on-demand computer-based exams (CBEs), booked on a day that suits you at a licensed exam centre. The other 9 exams sit in ACCA’s four sessions each year: March, June, September and December.
Yes, level by level. ACCA says exams must be taken in modular order: Applied Knowledge, then Applied Skills, then the online Ethics and Professional Skills Module (EPSM), then Strategic Professional. ACCA recommends, rather than requires, finishing EPSM first. Inside each level, any order is fine. To enter the next level, you must also enter every exam still left in your current level.
The pass mark is 50% for every ACCA exam. That is the same for the 2-hour Applied Knowledge exams and the longer Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams.
Pick the two closest to the work you want. AFM builds on Financial Management, APM on Performance Management, ATX on Taxation and AAA on Audit and Assurance. ACCA recommends passing SBR before you attempt AAA.
Yes. The last sitting of the current Applied Skills and Strategic Professional exams is June 2027. New on-demand exams start in July 2027 and new session exams in September 2027. ACCA says you keep credit for exams already passed or exempted.
Up to 9, all from Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills. A completed B.Com skips 5 under ACCA’s India rules, and a CA who qualified in May 2003 or later skips all 9. Nobody is exempt from Strategic Professional. Use the tool above, then confirm in ACCA’s own calculator.
Not an ACCA tool. Paper lists use ACCA’s India exemption rules; ACCA confirms exemptions after checking your documents. Syllabus summaries are shortened from ACCA’s 2026/27 study guides, so read ACCA’s own guide before you study. ACCA® is a registered trademark of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
