The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants or ACCA is a reputable and internationally recognised accountancy organisation that offers accountancy qualifications and has more than 2 million members worldwide. An ACCA qualification is quite prestigious in the global finance community and can open the doors for excellent career prospects in any part of the world.
An ACCA certification is appropriate for those who seek a successful financial or business career and want a certification that is applicable globally. However, passing the ACCA exams are easier said than done. The qualification consists of 14 different exams covering a wide range of financial disciplines. Hence, it can pay off to familiarise yourself with the ACCA exam formats and levels.
This blog is designed to outline the different exam formats for the qualification as well as illustrate the different types of questions appearing in those formats. This can help you prepare your study plan accordingly.
Paper based format in ACCA
The paper based format in ACCA requires the candidates to answer theoretical questions in long answer format on physical exam sheets. The candidates are expected to provide lengthy justifications for their arguments and the evaluation is determined on the value and accuracy of those arguments.
A paper based format can be very hectic and tends to put a lot of pressure on the candidates. In addition, physically writing the answers can subtract from the time taken to evaluate the question and formulate a correct answer.
CBE format in ACCA
The computer based examination or CBE allows students to give the exams on a computer at the designated exam centre. There are a lot of advantages of CBEs including the flexibility to take exams at any point of the year and instant results that help in your preparation. The format also provides theconvenience of typing out the answers or marking them which is much faster and saves time for formulating good answers.
At present, only the foundation level exams (F1, F2, F3, and F4) and a handful of professional level exams are being conducted in the CBE format. However, this number can be expected to include all the other subjects owing to the ease of conducting the exams.
What are the different types of questions in CBE?
Here are the different types of questions that can appear in the CBE format of the exam.
- Multiple choice questions: These are the most commonly used question type in the CBE format. In a multiple choice question, you are required to pick the right option from a selection of choices for a question by clicking on the appropriate button.
- Multiple response matching questions: These are a specific type of MCQs where there might be more one right answer. The candidates are expected to select all the correct choices from the given options and click on them.
- Number entry questions: These are no-option type of questions where the right answer is to be given by the candidate in the form of a specific number. The candidates have to insert the number themselves rather than selecting an item from a selection of given options.
Pursuing a preparatory course based on the qualification can allow you to get to know the ACCA syllabus in depth as well as gain practice in different exam formats and question types. Enrol in a preparatory course today to succeed in your ACCA exams.
