Students' FAQs on exams

What happens on the exam day?

An Examination Attendance Docket will be available from myACCA. This includes a timetable of all the exams that you are entered for; details of the desk that has been assigned to you for each paper; and the address of your exam centre. If you are not completely sure of the location of the centre, how to get there or how long it may take you, make sure you rehearse your route before the day of the exam. Please remember that exams may start at peak times so you should allow for rush-hour traffic and possible hold-ups.
On arrival at the centre you must show your Examination Attendance Docket in order to gain entry to the exam hall. You must sit at the desk detailed on your docket. This will ensure that you are registered as being in attendance for that exam.

The docket will be collected by the supervisor during the exam to record your attendance. If you have any other exams during the session, the docket will be returned to you. If it is your last exam of the session, the docket will be retained for our records.

The Examination Attendance Docket also details important exam regulations and guidelines. You should read these carefully to familiarise yourself with the exam procedure and what equipment you are allowed to take with you into the exams. These regulations are reproduced regularly in the notice board section of Student Accountant.
Please take some form of official photographic ID, such as a passport, driving licence or national identity card. This will be checked during the exam together with your Examination Attendance Docket to verify your identity.

You should try to arrive at the exam centre about 30 minutes before the start of the exam. This will give you time to relax and prepare yourself. If you are sitting a three-hour exam, you will be given an additional 15-minute reading and planning time allowance. However, you should still be at your desk at the time stated on your docket.

For more information about what to do during reading and planning time, please click on the link in the Related links box in the top left-hand corner of this page.

If something happens at the exam centre which affects my performance, can I make a complaint?

ACCA makes every effort to ensure that you sit the exams in the best conditions possible. However, should you need to make a complaint, please contact the exam supervisor during the exam in order that everything possible can be done to rectify the situation. If you feel that the situation has affected your performance, please write to ACCA as soon as possible and within four weeks of the exam in order for the situation to be investigated and taken into account in the results process.

If I attend the examinations but have been affected by illness or other factors, can this be taken into account in the marking process?

ACCA recognises that some students may sit exams in difficult personal circumstances. If this is the case for you and the circumstances have affected your performance, please write to ACCA as soon as possible and within four weeks of the exam in order for the situation to be investigated and taken into account in the results process. You must provide documentary evidence of the situation.

What will happen if I make an error on the exam documentation I have to complete?

It is important that you take care when completing your details on the exam documentation and the front of the exam answer booklet. These details are used in the marking process to ensure that you are issued with a result.

Please check carefully the information that you have filled in using the bubbles and written on the answer booklet. Make sure that you complete all of the fields requested. Please remember to do this during the exam as no time can be allowed once you have been advised the exam has ended. Invigilators are not permitted to make any markings on your documentation on your behalf. 

What am I allowed/not allowed to take into the exam centre?

The items which you are allowed to take into the exam hall are listed on your Examination Attendance Docket and you should refer to your docket before each session to ensure that you are aware of the up-to-date regulations. The items that you may take to your desk are: 

• rulers, pens, pencils and an eraser
• geometrical instruments and charting templates
• a small bottle of water or soft drink, all labels removed. No other drinks or food are permitted
• a noiseless, cordless pocket calculator which may be programmable but may not have a print out or graphic/word display facility in any language.

If I have completed my examination form in pencil will this be submitted for consideration or will my exam paper be rejected?

You must complete all exam documentation in accordance with the instructions given. The instructions require you to complete your details using black pen. As some of the documentation you submit is processed electronically by technology that cannot read pencil markings or other colours of pen, it is in your interests to use black pen in order to ensure that we can issue you with a result.