ACCA — Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
The most popular global accountancy qualification — flexible and recognised worldwide.
Who it's for
School leavers, graduates and career-changers who want a globally portable accountancy career, in practice or industry.
Structure
13 exams across Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills and Strategic Professional, plus an Ethics module and 36 months of practical experience (PER).
Time & cost
Typically 3–4 years; pay-as-you-go exam fees, and free study materials cover most of the learning cost.
Careers
Audit, financial reporting, tax and financial management — in practice firms or industry.
The skills you'll build
Many of these serve more than one path.
Best free resources for this path
Curated and vetted, with how to start.
Free video lectures, notes and mock exams for every ACCA and CIMA paper.
How to start: Free to use; create a free account for the forums. No paid content.
ACCA's own free study texts, quizzes, past papers and practice exams.
How to start: Create a free myACCA account at accaglobal.com, then open the Study Hub.
45+ free modules covering the IFRS standards, with a certificate.
How to start: No registration to study; add your name before the assessment for the certificate.
Free, CPE-eligible webcasts on tax, audit, accounting and regulation from the Big 4.
How to start: Search '<firm> webcasts / Dbriefs' and register free per session.
Free, self-paced Excel and Power BI training — essential analyst skills for any finance path.
How to start: Free with a Microsoft account; the optional PL-300 exam is paid.
Continuing professional development (CPD)
Members complete 40 units of CPD a year (21 verifiable + 19 non-verifiable).
Get these hours for free →Information is a guide and may change; always confirm details and requirements on the body's official site. Resources are independent third parties not affiliated with Fileminder.