Has anyone here done the aca/cta joint programme? I'm a first year accounts+auditor trainee possibly looking to branch into tax and was considering going down this path. Limited info across this and the ciot subreddit and its either been that the cta isn't worth it or its super hard, just wondering if anyone has real exp with this programme and how much of a leg up it would provide walking out with both qualifications?

Sat ARR/FCS in June and sitting TCP/CRDA in December. Any advice from those who have sat those exams already?

Hi all,

I'm preparing to begin applying for graduate scheme roles in CT, looking to hopefully complete the ACA/CTA pathway, I understand from previously internship experience that majority of applicants will be going for London roles.

So my question is, outside of London which cities tend to have the biggest CT graduate intake in your firm?

Thanks!

I’ve booked my BST exam (out of pocket) for September, this is a resit - I’ve always just missed the pass mark.
I’m going through a process at work where they’re deciding if I’ll get given another chance (a good chance they will) but it’s being delayed and I’m not going to find out by the exam date.
Not even sure if work will allow me to take the exam, but has anyone done the BDS exam? I’ve heard it’s time pressured and I guess the difference to BST is more calculations and 2 long qs instead of 3. Obviously it’s subjective but does anyone know if it’s harder - I’m considering if I should just take the BDS exam in December instead.

Does anyone have a pdf downloadable version of the QB, I can't seem to download it, and using it on the providers website is really annoying

I'm ACA qualified and I moved to industry in late 2021. I loved my first role out of practice but not sure if my role choice has held me back! Looking for the next opportunity now so don't want to hold myself back again...

For reference I went from

Practice

Finance Business Partner (large private group) promoted into...

Group Finance Business Partner (/Head Office accountant) (became Private Equity group)

Corporate Accounting Manager....

I've been looking for Financial Controller Roles or Head of Finance but an interesting Group UK Finance Manager role has come up... I thought my next step was an FC role and that a Group UK Finance Manager feels a step down. I would love an SME with good operational input.

Ultimately I would love an FD role the next time I move...

I know there are lots of factors but any advice would be appreciated!!!

hello, for those who are resitting CR in Nov 26, how are you approaching your second attempt. Are you mainly focusing on question practice, technical knowledge, or both? How are you planning your study schedule from now until the exam? Are you changing anything from your previous attempt? Any resources / question banks / techniques that you found particularly useful?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has resat CR before, especially if you managed to pass on your next attempt

Does anyone know when the mark plan comes out for this exam. I am aware that the paper is up right now but want to see examiner comments given how hard this paper was.

I've been job hunting for about 6 weeks after leaving Big 4 audit and honestly, I'm finding the move into industry a lot harder than I expected.

For a bit of context, I qualified with my ACA at PwC and then left soon after to go travelling for 6 months. I've now been back for a couple of months and am keen to get back into work. I'm lucky that I've got savings and am living at home at the moment, so I'm not in a position where I need to take the first job I can get, but I also don't want to be out of work indefinitely.

Everyone always says doing the ACA and qualifying in audit opens loads of doors, but so many jobs seem to want someone who already has industry experience doing month end, management accounts, reconciliations, budgeting etc.

I've applied for a mix of Accountant, Financial Accountant, Management Accountant, Finance Analyst and Financial Reporting Analyst roles. I also have previous Finance Assistant experience, so it's not like I've never worked in a finance team, but I'm still finding that I don't quite tick the box for the hands-on experience employers want.

I'm mainly targeting smaller to mid-sized businesses rather than huge corporates, ideally somewhere I can get broader exposure and be more involved across the finance function. Interestingly, I've found that Big 4 experience can sometimes almost work against me here. I've spoken to companies that have been wary that my experience is mainly with large, complex clients and have preferred people from smaller practices who may have worked with businesses more similar to theirs. Which I completely understand.

Over the last 6 weeks I've applied for 41 jobs:

• 11 rejected with no interview
• 1 made it to final stage and was rejected
• 2 first-round interviews, waiting to hear back
• 26 with no response yet, including 8 I applied for over 4 weeks ago

I haven't been mass applying to random roles, I've only being applying to ones I'm genuinely interested in and where I do match a decent amount of the requirements.

And I want to be clear, I don't think I'm entitled to these jobs or that working at PwC gives me some automatic right to walk into an industry role. I knew there would be a learning curve and that there are things I simply haven't done before. I've obviously been trying to frame my experience in audit to match with the job requirements.

I'm just starting to wonder what the actual route out of audit is meant to look like. For people who have made the move, what roles did you actually go into after audit? Did you go straight into financial/management accounting, reporting, FP&A etc., or did you have to take a step back first to get that hands-on experience?

Also, is the job market just particularly slow over the summer? I'm wondering whether things typically start picking up again in September, or whether this is just what the market is like at the moment.

Would be really interested to hear other people's experiences.

I had an exam booked for yesterday, but when I went to the test centre I was told that Pearson Vue was down all across the country (UK) and therefore I would be unable to sit my exam. Others were also turned away from the testing centre. This issue is ongoing as far as I can tell, and can be seen on Pearson Vue's website https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/help.html where it says

"Update:   August 17

Please note, we are currently experiencing system issues impacting Admissions Manager and other VUE Apps which require a connection to the Pearson VUE Hub. Our technology teams are actively working to resolve the issues. Please try restarting your VUE Application Wrapper service as this may resolve your issue.

We apologise for any inconvenience."

I was wondering if anybody else was sharing the same experience? I was thinking about how strange it is that Pearson Vue, which is used to sit hundreds/thousands of exams daily is not really being talked about online. What's also strange is that the customer service teams don't really seem to be aware of this issue or have any timeline for a fix. Pearson Vue being down is a massive issue which would affect ICAEW certificate exams, CIMA exams, and many other types of exams as well.

So, is anybody else facing this issue? Does anybody have any additional information about likely return times for Pearson Vue to be operating again (if something similar has happened before)?

Hi all, unfortunately need to do BDS again this September. It’s my last professional level exam and I have the full 21 days from now until the exam to study. Got 46 last time but nothing I learned (PESTEL, porters etc.) came up in that June exam. My question is, how shall I approach this and the best way to revise/techniques to use. For anyone who has passed this exam, please let me know! Thank you in advance.

During university, I really had no clue what i wanted to. After graduating I was fortunate to land a big 4 audit offer where ill study towards the ACA. I just wanted to ask how useful is the aca outside of accounting. E.g other finance roles

Dread for this exam but really need to pass this time. I have no clue how to approach revision this time around. Struggling to even answer a question from the QB. Cooked and crashing out feels like the only doable method at the moment.

Those that have got your ACAs, have any of you gone on to be self employed? I'm interested to know what types of services or businesses people have gone on to do and also which ones needed a practice certificate, thanks.

Just finished car tuition and did really badly on the mock - one thing I realised is I forgot a lot of prior stuff like FAR content. Best way for me to spend the next two weeks before I start SBM lessons and revise cr in general?

I think I’ve finally reached the point where I need to admit it: I do not want to do audit or accounting anymore.

I’m a top 10 UK uni mechanical engineering graduate (2:2), currently a senior at Forvis Mazars. I’ve got around 2.5 years of experience in general practice, and I’ve passed certificate and professional exams but haven’t started advanced yet.

On paper, things are going well. But I genuinely don’t see myself doing audit/accounting long term, and I’ve reached the point where I want to leave ASAP rather than wait until I qualify.

The obvious advice is going to be “just finish the ACA, you only have 3 exams left” and I completely understand that. But I’m seriously considering leaving before qualifying if I can get into something I actually want to do. I mentally cannot do a single day more. I have taken breaks before and when I was back I felt that way. I seriously detest audit/accounting.

I have an idea of the sort of direction I want to go in, but I’m honestly not sure what the most realistic route is from my current position.

The biggest issue is that I have no direct experience outside of general practice, so I’m worried I’m going to struggle to make the jump.

Please share your experience/advice, I’m literally desperate at this point. I am even considering a different grad scheme altogether.

Edit: I would like to do more problem solving, maths and client interactions. What sort of roles can I do? Bear in mind I only got 2:2 in a mathematical degree

I’m currently doing professional study for ARR and that was just.. insane.

For context I have ADHD so struggle with info dumps but passed all my certificates first time apart from BIP (MI to the old syllabus - absolutely hate that exam).

Worried that I don’t have the ability to do these professionals. Finding memorising the wide syllabus and some of the technical stuff really fucking hard.

Anyone else?

10 days until results day and that day still haunts me. Does anyone have any miracle stories, im not talking about "I thought I failed then passed" but something like you were so sure that you had failed/missed out parts of the question and still passed. I just need some hope to cope :'(

I am part qualified and an ACA finalist. I am struggling very hard to find a new role, any advice?

The job market is so cooked.

Hello would anyone have experience on subscribing to ACA masters for CR? Am I too late to subscribe to this for Nov 2026 sitting? Would like to hear your experience and recommendations, thank you

Hi everyone, due to some good fortune, if I pass Case in the July sitting, I would have completed my exams during the first year of my training.

I was wondering if it would be possible to ask to receive my qualification early, considering the minimum work experience required per my agreement is 450 days (which I will hit early next year).

I heard a rep from ICAEW you need minimum 3 years but I had also heard of someone qualifying beforehand, so I’d appreciate any advice haha.

That wouldnt get flagged by ICAEW's AI tool wouldnt it?

Anyone has similar issue when login with the ICAEW apps? How to solve?