ACCA has up to 13 exams across three levels - Applied Knowledge (3 papers), Applied Skills (6 papers) and Strategic Professional (4 papers) - plus the Ethics and Professional Skills module and a 36-month practical experience requirement.
This page lists every ACCA exam by level and explains what each covers, so you can see the whole qualification at a glance. Exemptions from prior study can reduce how many you actually sit. ACCA’s official materials are the authoritative source for current syllabuses and rules.
All 13 ACCA exams at a glance
| Level | Code | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Knowledge | BT | Business and Technology |
| Applied Knowledge | MA | Management Accounting |
| Applied Knowledge | FA | Financial Accounting |
| Applied Skills | LW | Corporate and Business Law |
| Applied Skills | PM | Performance Management |
| Applied Skills | TX | Taxation |
| Applied Skills | FR | Financial Reporting |
| Applied Skills | AA | Audit and Assurance |
| Applied Skills | FM | Financial Management |
| Strategic Professional | SBL | Strategic Business Leader (Essential) |
| Strategic Professional | SBR | Strategic Business Reporting (Essential) |
| Strategic Professional | - | Option 1 - choose from AFM, APM, ATX, AAA |
| Strategic Professional | - | Option 2 - choose from AFM, APM, ATX, AAA |
Applied Knowledge - the foundations
Three on-demand, computer-based exams you can sit year-round. They are the most accessible level, with the highest pass rates.
- Business and Technology (BT) - how a business is organised, governed and affected by technology, plus the accountant’s role within it.
- Management Accounting (MA) - costing, budgeting, standard costing and variances: information for managers inside the business.
- Financial Accounting (FA) - double-entry bookkeeping and preparing financial statements for external users. The single most reused skill in the qualification.
Applied Skills - the technical craft
Six session-based exams (sat in March, June, September and December) where you become a technically capable accountant. The difficulty steps up clearly, with pass rates commonly in the low-to-mid fifties (Law is usually higher).
- Corporate and Business Law (LW) - the legal framework around business: contract, employment, company and insolvency law.
- Performance Management (PM) - advanced costing and decision-making, building on MA toward strategic judgement.
- Taxation (TX) - the main taxes of a chosen jurisdiction, including how they are computed and administered.
- Financial Reporting (FR) - applying IFRS to prepare and interpret single-company and group accounts.
- Audit and Assurance (AA) - the external audit process: planning, risk, evidence and reporting.
- Financial Management (FM) - working capital, investment appraisal, sources of finance and valuation.
Strategic Professional - senior judgement
Four exams at this level: two compulsory Essentials and two Options chosen from four. The papers are constructed-response and case-study based, rewarding judgement and structured writing over recall.
- Strategic Business Leader (SBL) - a case-study paper integrating governance, strategy, risk, leadership and ethics, with explicit marks for professional skills.
- Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) - advanced reporting: applying and critically discussing IFRS for complex transactions and group accounts.
- Two Options (choose two of four): Advanced Financial Management (AFM), Advanced Performance Management (APM), Advanced Taxation (ATX), Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA). Each is an advanced extension of a Skills paper - choose by career direction.
Beyond the exams: ethics and experience
To qualify you also complete the Ethics and Professional Skills module (an online programme of a few weeks’ part-time effort) and the Practical Experience Requirement (PER) - 36 months of relevant, supervised work, logged through your job as you go.
Plan your way through
To sequence these exams around your own dates, see the ACCA study plan, and for how to study each one, the full ACCA study guide.