Understanding Recent ACCA Pass Rates 2024: Deatailed Breakdown

The ACCA qualification is one of the most recognized accounting credentials worldwide. Each examination session furnishes plenty of information regarding student performance, success rates, and business needs. What has been a recent cause for much debate is the ACCA pass rates. Again, reflecting not only the academic rigor but also the preparedness of future accountants, these pass rates are quite telling. In this article, we are going to walk through the present ACCA pass percentages and what factors are dominating them and then offer means to achieve more success in the exams.

Historical Trends in ACCA Pass Percentages

Historical pass rates help students understand the trajectory of ACCA exams, identifying whether they have become more challenging or easier over time.

Historical Pass Rates

• Foundation papers: ACCA foundation papers have always reported higher pass rates (70%-90% in general) because the foundational subjects are introductory and meant to create a foundation of knowledge.
• Applied Skills: FR and FM types of papers usually have pass rates ranging between 45% and 65%.
• Professional papers: The pass rate for Strategic Professional papers, for example, SBL, is generally lower—40%–50%—mainly because these are advanced-level papers.

Impact of Global Factors on Trends

• COVID-19 pandemic: During the pandemic, ACCA implemented remote exams, which slightly affected pass rates as students adapted to the new exam environment.
• Changes in syllabus: Periodic updates to ACCA syllabuses also lead to fluctuations in pass percentages as students and tutors acclimatize to new content.

Breakdown of ACCA Pass Percentages by Paper

Each ACCA paper has its challenges and pass percentages, which fluctuate depending on the difficulty level and candidate preparation.

Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills

• F1 (Business and Technology): Consistently maintains high pass rates of around 80%, largely due to its fundamental nature.
• F4 (Corporate and Business Law): Pass rates for this paper typically range from 75%-85% globally.
• F7 (Financial Reporting): One of the tougher papers, with pass rates typically between 45%-55%.

Exam session	BT	MA	FA	LW	PM	TX	FR	AA	FM
Sep 2024	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	42	53	50	47	52
Jun 2024	89	68	68	79	42	55	51	44	48
Mar 2024	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	45	53	52	44	48
Dec 2023	85	68	69	78	42	54	48	41	48
Sep 2023	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	40	54	47	42	49
Jun 2023	83	63	72	80	40	56	49	45	52
Mar 2023	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	44	53	52	44	49
Dec 2022	79	61	68	82	43	52	49	40	51
Sep 2022	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	40	52	50	44	51
Jun 2022	85	64	69	82*	41	52	51	39	52
Mar 2022	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	40	51	50	44	50
Dec 2021	84	65	71	83	43	49	50	38	50
Sep 2021	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	37	52	48	39	52
Jun 2021	88	68	74	86	41	50	51	39	53
Mar 2021	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	44	46	47	43	46
Dec 2020	84	69	73	86	40	51	48	39	45
Sep 2020	86	72	77	88	39	49	50	41	52
Mar 2020	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	35	46	44	36	44
Dec 2019	82*	64*	71*	83*	38*	49*	46*	38*	43*
Sep 2019	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	41*	51*	46*	36*	50*
Jun 2019	85*	66*	72*	84*	38*	52*	50*	39*	46*
Mar 2019	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	42*	46*	47*	37*	50*
Dec 2018	83*	64*	72*	82*	39*	51*	51*	38*	43*
Sep 2018	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	43*	49*	51*	37*	47*
Jun 2018	83*	67*	71*	80*	38*	50*	50*	40*	48*
Mar 2018	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	39*	46*	48*	39*	46*
Dec 2017	77*	65*	71*	77*	42*	51*	49*	40*	48*
Sep 2017	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	43*	48*	47*	37*	48*
Jun 2017	83*	64*	68*	77*	43*	50*	48*	43*	46*
Mar 2017	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	38*	41*	47*	38*	40*
Dec 2016	82*	63*	71*	82*	40*	52*	50*	40*	45*
Sep 2016	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	39*	47*	48*	44*	47*
Jun 2016	83*	63*	72*	80*	41	46	47	45	46
Mar 2016	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	39	44	51	41	41
Dec 2015	84*	64*	68*	74*	41	53	45	46	45
Sep 2015	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	39	47	44	42	35
Jun 2015	85*	58*	63*	75*	37	50	40	39	41
Dec 2014	83*	58*	59*	70*	44	43	43	45	40
Jun 2014	80*	60*	63*	45	39	53	47	40	40
Dec 2013	74*	61*	57*	43	41	45	39	35	45
Jun 2013	72*	64*	54*	37	44	52	45	40	45
Dec 2012	65*	59*	55*	41	37	47	53	34	43
Jun 2012	64*	52*	56*	54	42	45	48	56	37
Dec 2011	63*	53*	54*	49	38	48	56	36	38
Jun 2011	70*	57*	55*	55	37	51	38	40	38

Note:
(*) Results achieved by students for paper-based and computer-based examinations.

Professional Papers

• Strategic Business Reporting (SBR): A professional-level paper, SBR often records pass rates in the range of 45%–50%, making it one of the more challenging exams.
• Strategic Business Leader (SBL): SBL, an integrated case study paper, usually has a pass rate of around 50%.

Exam session	SBL	SBR	AFM	APM	ATX	AAA
Sep 2024	53	52	44	39	49	38
Jun 2024	52	49	46	37	47	37
Mar 2024	52	49	46	33	49	38
Dec 2023	52	50	45	34	49	34
Sep 2023	50	50	45	34	48	34
Jun 2023	51	51	47	34	43	34
Mar 2023	50	50	45	35	45	34
Dec 2022	49	47	41	33	39	32
Sep 2022	49	51	42	34	43	34
Jun 2022	50	49	41	33	42	31
Mar 2022	50	46	43	34	38	33
Dec 2021	51	48	41	32	37	34
Sep 2021	51	48	38	30	36	34
Jun 2021	46	44	39	32	41	32
Mar 2021	50	52	39	36	44	32
Dec 2020	49	47	42	32	40	35
Sep 2020	51*	49*	37*	33*	38*	33*
Mar 2020	47*	51*	33*	32*	44*	33*
Dec 2019	46	48	33	33	35	30
Sep 2019	49	52	36	31	36	36
Jun 2019	51	48	38	33	43	31
Mar 2019	46	49	35	32	33	30
Dec 2018	48	47	41	33	40	31
Sep 2018	45	47	35	33	30	30
Jun 2018	–	–	40	35	40	34
Mar 2018	–	–	41	29	37	30
Dec 2017	–	–	33	29	36	35
Sep 2017	–	–	35	32	33	31
Jun 2017	–	–	34	32	43	32
Mar 2017	–	–	35	28	38	32
Dec 2016	–	–	33	30	34	31
Sep 2016	–	–	37	35	35	32
Jun 2016	–	–	40	38	35	32
Mar 2016	–	–	38	33	44	30
Dec 2015	–	–	35	29	42	39
Sep 2015	–	–	36	30	45	29
Jun 2015	–	–	36	28	34	40
Dec 2014	–	–	33	30	38	42
Jun 2014	–	–	35	29	39	36
Dec 2013	–	–	42	30	41	33
Jun 2013	–	–	34	31	45	31
Dec 2012	–	–	33	33	44	32
Jun 2012	–	–	37	35	42	32
Dec 2011	–	–	34	29	39	31
Jun 2011	–	–	30	35	45	31

Practical Insights

• Performance Management (PM): Typically has a pass rate of around 40%–50%, largely due to its emphasis on practical scenarios and calculations.
• Advanced Financial Management (AFM): This professional paper has a pass rate that fluctuates between 35%-45%, reflecting its technical difficulty.

Factors Influencing ACCA Pass Percentages

The ACCA tests have proven rather challenging, with several factors that make the pass rates vary between sessions of the examinations. A better knowledge of these factors will help students in preparation for the exams and, therefore, succeed.

Internal and External Factors

• Difficulty of the paper: Some ACCA papers are naturally more challenging than others, but become harder with each level of professional papers.
• Preparation and preparation strategy: The kind of preparation matters. Regular time planners and revision class attendees, using approved learning materials, often fare better.
• Attitude of examiners: The attitude of examiners in marking papers may also determine the pass rate of the students appearing in the ACCA. The ACCA examiners are rather strict in implementing international accounting standards and ethical guidelines.
• General economic condition: Of course, economic downs in the world economies can also impact the ACCA pass rates since this will increase the stress of working professionals in handling both job and studies simultaneously.

Tips to Improve Your ACCA Pass Rate

For students aiming to improve their pass rate, certain strategies can make a significant difference in preparation and exam day performance.

Key Tips to Enhance Success

• Decide your study plan: It must be consistent. Do not take all cramming at the last minute. Plan dedicated time for every day.
• Utilize approved study materials: Excellent material is ACCA’s official learning partners, Kaplan and BPP.
• Past Paper TIPS: Attempting past exam papers allows students to get accustomed to the examination format, typical topics tested, and the amount of detail expected in answers.
• Join an ACCA study group: Interacting with peers can heighten your learning and provide a new view on difficult topics.
• Seek Professional Help: Enroll with an ACCA-approved tuition provider.This way, the student gets a comprehensive structure for studying, regular mock exams, and personalized feedback at every step.

Comparison with Other Accounting Qualifications

How does the ACCA qualification compare to other accounting bodies, such as CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)?

• ACCA vs CPA: CPA generally reports higher pass rates (around 50%-60%) as compared to ACCA’s professional-level exams, which hover around 40%-50%.
• ACCA vs CIMA: CIMA exams, especially at the professional level, have lower pass rates (typically around 35%-45%), similar to ACCA’s Strategic Professional level papers.

Scope of Qualifications

• Global recognition: ACCA offers more global recognition as compared to CPA which appears to be US-based, and CIMA, which has a lean towards management accounting.
• Format of the course: the ACCA examinations are comprehensive, providing wide financial, managerial as well as ethical competencies, compared to the more U.S.-focused knowledge of CPA and the leading emphasis on management accounting by CIMA.

Conclusion

In summary, ACCA qualification remains a worthwhile and challenging route for aspiring accountants. Recent pass rates of ACCA contribute to fuller insight into the exams’ level of difficulty, helping students who are preparing to tailor their preparation strategy. However, the journey to becoming ACCA qualified can be rigorous, but the right preparation, resources, and mindset can improve pass rates greatly. Having learned the historical trends and paper difficulties of each individual, along with all the study tips, automatically results in increased success, then subsequently to many potential global career chances within the accounting realm.

ACCA Passing Percentage FAQs

What are ACCA pass percentages by paper?

Pass percentages vary by paper. For example, Business and Technology (BT) typically has a pass rate of around 80%, while Financial Reporting (FR) often sees pass rates between 45%-55%.

How can I improve my ACCA pass rate?

To improve your ACCA pass rate, you should follow a structured study plan, practice past exam papers, use ACCA-approved learning materials, and seek help from professional tutors.

How do ACCA pass rates compare to CPA pass rates?

ACCA pass rates, especially at the professional level, are generally lower than CPA pass rates, which tend to hover around 50%-60%.

What factors affect ACCA pass percentages?

Factors include the difficulty of the paper, student preparedness, exam approach, and external factors like global economic conditions.

Are ACCA exams harder than CIMA exams?

Both qualifications are challenging in their own right. CIMA focuses more on management accounting, while ACCA offers a broader scope, including financial and audit competencies. Pass rates are similar at the professional level for both qualifications.