ACCA in Pakistan is one of the most sought-after career paths. It is a global certification with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The ACCA qualification is recognized all over the world and allows individuals to work at audit firms, banks, finance departments of different industries, and commercial organizations.
If you want to apply for ACCA in Pakistan and need some guidance regarding it, this blog will be a complete guide.
What is ACCA?
The first important question that any ACCA aspirant wants to know is what this certification is exactly and how it can be set apart from others. To answer this, ACCA stands for Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and is an international body that consists of accounting professionals. The degree allows you to specialize in different areas including but not limited to accounting and portfolio management.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for pursuing an ACCA qualification, you need to have passed your A-Levels and O-Levels, especially in Math and English. An alternative to this is having an American High School Certificate with at least 50% marks. You can even be eligible if you have a bachelor’s degree.
Structure of the Program
The ACCA program is divided into three different parts with a total of 15 exams. The first part is that of applied knowledge. This has three exams with a duration of 2 hours each. They are namely business and technology, management accounting, and financial accounting. The second part is applied skills. This includes 6 papers namely corporate and business law, performance management, taxation, financial reporting, audit and assurance, and financial management. The last part consists of the strategic professional papers and has a total of 6 papers with a time duration of 3 hours each.
For all of these, there are two types of exams which are either computer-based or paper-based. The first part is mainly computer-based. For Applied Skills and Strategic professional papers, students have the option of giving them on a computer or by hand. The best institutes for ACCA in Pakistan ensure they provide students with sufficient coaching for all exams.
Studying ACCA
The ACCA program is overlooked and administered by the headquarter in the UK. Institutions in different countries are affiliated with ACCA UK and hold exams as per the schedule sent out by the headquarter. If students want to pursue ACCA and give its exams, they need to visit these institutions and fill out their registration forms. Either that or they can submit an online application along with supporting documents.
Flexibility
One of the major benefits of the ACCA program is that it is extremely flexible, Students usually have full control regarding the speed at which they want to finish the qualification. You can show up for four papers in one exam. The computer-based exams take place every month of the year. This makes it easier for you to plan out your degree according to your own pace.
Time Limit
The general time it takes people studying full time to complete their qualification is three years. The lower age limit for ACCA is 13 years.
An ACCA qualification allows you to develop a skill set and a strong network of community owing to the certification being global. While it requires you to work hard, the benefits you get once you are done with the degree are numerous.