Introduction to Strategic Business Leader

The Strategic Business Leader exam is designed to mirror the workplace and requires you to demonstrate a blend of technical, ethical and professional skills. It tests your ability to function as an accountant in a simulated workplace and asks you to respond to requests from people in various roles. It won’t only be the technical quality of your answer that matters, but how professional your response is.

SBL changes from September 23 

From the September 2023 exam session some important changes were introduced to the Strategic Business Leader (SBL) exam. This includes students having access to pre-seen material 2 weeks ahead of the exam. Find out more

Video: What's SBL about, steps to success and tackling the exam

Please note that there have been some important updates to SBL since the above video was created.

Are you ready for SBL? 

An important factor in SBL exam success is the building on the knowledge studied earlier in the ACCA qualification, including governance, ethics, risk management, internal control, strategy and leadership.  So, whether you are new to ACCA, haven’t studied for a while, or just want to check how well you know the core materials, we have created 5 self-check quizzes to assess your underlying knowlegde and get personalised advice on your next steps and how to study for SBL efficiently. Access the SBL self-check quizzes now.

We know that students who have completed the Ethics and Professional Skills module are significantly more likely to pass SBL so make sure you plan EPSM into your studies. Find out more about how EPSM can help you pass SBL.

SBL top tips:

  • plan to study the syllabus content as quickly as possible
  • start practicing case study questions as soon as possible 
  • work on your professional skills from the outset 
  • attempt each specimen and past exam content in full and to time
  • make time to fully review pre-seen information in advance of your question practice 
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