How you become a qualified Accountant

Many people join the NAO unsure of how the ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) course is structured. It therefore may be useful for potential applicants to know more about how the programme is structured before they apply.

• The first six exams you sit are the certificate level exams. These are completed between September and December of your first year. They are computer based, which contain both multiple choice and long questions. You receive the results for these the following day.
• The following six are professional level papers, which you sit between September and December of your second year.
• In your final year, you sit the advanced level exams, usually in November. Both these, and the professional level exams are longer form written exams, and exam results are released five weeks later.

The first exams that you sit are the Accounting Fundamentals and Assurance Risk Fundamentals exams. College starts in the second week after you join, and you usually spend two weeks there before sitting the exams. These exams can be very challenging, meaning you have to put plenty of work in from the start.

College starts approximately a month later, where you study two further subjects, for example Business Insights and Performance and Sustainability and Ethics. These are delivered via blended learning – both in college and online home study modules. The remaining two papers, for example Business Law and Tax Fundamentals take place a month later.

Three out of these six certificate level exams must be passed first time.

Following the Fundamental Case Study, which looks back on your Certificate level learning, the remainder of your second-year tuition starts the following spring, where you will go to college for Assurance Risk Reporting and Tax Compliance and Planning. Your studies will be mapped to follow a period of Audit work which will help support and bring your academic experience to life practically. You will then be scheduled to revision in August followed by exams in September.

Following these professional level exams there is a break before your tuition begins for your remaining three professional level papers. The exams for this will take place in December. Tuition is typically in a 3-week block followed by internal learning to support your pathway. After you complete these exams, you will be part qualified.

College starts in July/ August, ready for the final teaching phase of your ACA. There are two modules at the Advanced level - the Technical Case Study and Strategic Case Study. You sit these exams in November, following interactive tuition and revision courses. Once you have completed these exams, you will be exam qualified.

Alongside your studies you will be recording your practical work experience and discussing your studies and overall progress with a dedicated performance coach and counselling manager.

The NAO gives you paid study leave in the run up to your exam sittings to support your preparation, this is in addition to your paid time off work whilst you are at college or undertaking online learning. However, it is still expected that a lot of study is done outside of college and work hours. A bonus of the NAO is that you can fully focus on your studies during this time.

There may be opportunities for you to claim exemptions from subjects depending on your previous academic experience, NAO currently allow exemptions in the following areas:

• Business Law
• Business Insight and Performance
• Fundamental Case Study (if you have completed AAT or Level 4 End Point Assessment)
• Corporate Finance and Strategy

If you have completed a degree with an ICAEW Partner University you may be eligible for additional exemptions, this would be discussed with our Professional Training team during onboarding to ensure you meet the criteria. It is important to understand that the exams are challenging, and although you will have sat many exams up to this stage, these may well be some of your most challenging yet. However, generally NAO trainees score above average marks for their exams - recently trainees achieved an overall pass rate of 96% for their Assurance papers. You will receive plenty of support and guidance to achieve exam success so don’t be too worried!

Apply to these accounting, tax and audit graduate programmes to get your accounting career on a roll.