The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a globally recognized professional accounting certification. ACCA is one of the trending and demanding qualifications preferred by Nepali students who want to build careers in finance, accounting, and taxation.
As an ACCA student, you are required to complete 13 ACCA exams, which usually takes 3 to 4 years of time. But these times can be deducted if you are eligible to apply for exemptions. Passing on the first attempt and full-time study also helps in reducing the time limit required to complete the ACCA examinations in Nepal.
In this blog, we explain the timeline for completing ACCA in Nepal while providing faster tips to complete the qualification earlier. We provide details about the completion time for students with various academic qualifications being eligible for exemption. Also, we guide students who want to study ACCA along with jobs for early and quick completion of qualifications in Nepal.
Understanding the ACCA Qualification
ACCA is a globally recognized accounting and finance qualification in more than 180 countries. One having the qualification has a broad scope in Nepal and globally. There is high demand for ACCA qualified individuals in banking, auditing, multinational companies, and financial consulting.
However, successful completion of the ACCA qualification requires hard work and a significant time period. You require successful completion of 13 rigorous exams of 3 different levels, including applied knowledge, applied skills, and strategic professional levels.
In addition to exams, you are also required to log 36 months of supervised work experience. If you have relevant qualifications, you are eligible for ACCA exemptions that significantly reduce your course completion time period. The max exemptions you can acquire on your ACCA examination are provided in the table below:
| Level | Papers | Max Exemptions Available |
| Applied Knowledge | Business and Technology (BT), Management Accounting (MA) & Financial Accounting (FA) | Up to 3 |
| Applied Skills | Corporate and Business Law (LW), Performance Management (PM), Taxations (TX), Financial Reporting (FR), Audit and Assurance (AA) & Financial Management (FM) | Up to 6 |
| Strategic Professional | Strategic Business Leader (SBL), Strategic Business Reporting (SBR) & 2 Options from Advanced Financial Management (AFM), Advanced Performance Management (APM), Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA), Advanced Taxation (ATX) | No exemptions |
Typical Completion Timelines
| Level | Typical completion timeline |
| Applied Knowledge Level | 6 to 9 months |
| Applied Skills Level | 12 to 18 months |
| Strategic Professional Level | 12 to 18 months |
| Practical Experience Requirement | 36 months |
The normal completion timelines of ACCA courses in Nepal are around 3 to 4 years or more depending upon your success rate or exam results. Regarding the practical experience, you can count the experience with supervised work logs along with study. With the eligibility of exemptions, you can take 9 exams to reduce course duration. We describe the duration for students of various levels from +2 , BBA graduates, and CA/ICAN students below.
+2 Students
+2 students, or intermediate students, usually take 3 to 4 years or more to complete their ACCA qualifications. As a +2 student, you are not eligible for any exemption to reduce exam time, as +2 students need skill and base development from the beginning. The best part for +2 students is they get early-start benefits with early-age learning opportunities and get a competitive job advantage in finance, taxation, and accounting sectors.
BBA Or BBS Graduates
BBA or BBS graduates from recognized universities in Nepal are eligible for exemptions depending on their university and specializations. If no exemptions are taken, it takes 3 to 4 years to complete ACCA in a regular attempt. Meanwhile, enjoying exemption reduces the time to 2.5 to 3 years on a regular exam attempt. Students with BBA and BBS qualifications are granted ACCA exemptions as they have basic to stronger knowledge about the business- and finance-related topics. However, students are required to verify their eligibility and get exemption approval from ACCA.
CA/ICAN Students
Chartered accountants or Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (ICAN)-qualified students in Nepal get the highest benefit of exemption in ACCA. They can get an exemption of up to 9 papers to reduce their course duration. As a CA/ICAN student, you are required to attempt strategic professional-level exams, which take 1 to 2 years on a regular attempt. Regarding the Practical Experience Requirement, you can accelerate or redeem it by using previous practical training (articleship) under a member or through work experience you have in the financial, accounting, or taxation sector.
Work and Life Balance: Studying with a Job
You can work while studying ACCA in Nepal while also maintaining work-life balance. While you must allocate proper time for ACCA study, working along with ACCA can be helpful. Working in the finance and accounting sector further helps you to fasten the Practical Experience Requirement (PER).
If you are a full-time student, you can reduce exam completion time with regular study and successful completion of exams. Meanwhile, studying for a job requires proper time management, revision, and study time to complete the ACCA in a regular attempt. While studying ACCA while working in a relevant sector fastens the PER requirement, it may delay course completion time due to pressure and slowing down exam speed.
Failures and Resits: How They Affect Your Timeline
In case students fail to complete the ACCA exam in regular time, their course completion time extends. Every failure or resit adds an extra 3 months per attempt, waiting for the next session. This means repeated failure requires multiple time expansions. But with proper exam preparation, ACCA exam strategies, mock tests, and getting assistance from expert ACCA instructors, you can complete the qualification in a single attempt. It reduces your course duration and helps you to complete the qualification in your predetermined time.
Speed Tips: How to Finish Faster
Following a smart and well-planned approach helps you to complete your ACCA course quicker. Some of the effective and important tips to finish the ACCA faster and quicker include the following:
- Planning and preparing for exam earlier
- Regular revision and mock tests
- Past paper practice and expert assistance for better strategy
- Attempting limited papers at once to reduce exam pressure and increase the success rate.
- Applying ACCA exemptions if your are qualified
- Choosing ACCa optional papers wisely according to our experience and sectors
- Accelerating the Practical Experience Requirement (PER) through recording a log or with supervised work experience.
Conclusion
ACCA is a globally recognized accounting and financial qualification that takes an average of 3 to 4 years to complete. The eligibility of exemption for the BBS/BBA graduate students in Nepal and CA/ICAN students in Nepal reduces the ACCA completion time. In terms of +2 students, they get no exemption but are benefited with early experience or a competitive advantage in their future careers.
While exemption helps in early completion of ACCA, failures and resits impact your timeline with a delay of 3 months in each attempt. To avoid failure and resits, one can follow smart tips to speed up the exam time. The tips include smart ACCA exam strategies, revision and mock tests, regular practices, and limiting paper to reduce exam paper.
Furthermore, accelerating the PER requirement through recording early log or supervised work experience and getting assistance from an expert ACCA instructor can be helpful. Contact Seed Financial for more information about ACCA or for expert advice to reduce the ACCA timeline in Nepal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long does ACCA take to complete in Nepal?
ACCA usually takes 3 to 4 years or more to complete in Nepal if you succeed in the exam without resits or failures. Also, your eligibility for exemption further reduces the completion time to 2 to 3 years. Meanwhile, with every reattempt requirement, the timeline extends by 3 months or more.
2. How long does ACCA take after +2 in Nepal?
As +2 or intermediate students are not awarded an exemption, it takes 3 to 4 years to complete the ACCA exam in a regular attempt. Reattempts or resits further add extra time to complete the course.
3. How many exams are there in ACCA?
There are a total of 13 exams in ACCA which are structured into 3 main levels, including
- Applied Knowledge
- Applied Skills
- Strategic Professional
Candidates are also required to fulfill the Practical Experience Requirement (PER) with 36 months of experience in a relevant sector. These exams can be deducted if students are qualified for exemptions.
