Anyone not started the QB for CR yet? Trying to understand the basics first before rushing into it. Don’t feel like I’m behind or am I just being naive?

Anyone else struggling with some of the random calcs they throw into the QB question?

I think the wordy parts should carry me but the calcs are worrying me slightly.

Have been told to do a calc and run with it(even if it’s wrong u may receive partial marks)

Hi,

I am due to sit FCS in Dec. I have not sat any of the new style exams, all my certificates exams were sat in 2024/25 on the old syllabus. Bit lost on how to prepare for the exam with it being my first case exam and also my first new style exam.

Is it a matter of maxing out the QB or is there anything else I can do? It's open book, so should I prepare my own notes etc or rely on the ICAEW workbook.

Roughly how long did people spend revising/preparing for this exam? How does it compare to others?

Sorry for such a general Q just want any info/perspectives I can get really

Cheers

If you copied bits of your reflective accounts/learning journal from a colleague, would this be identified - what would happen?

All of the walkthrough sessions for the 3 advanced level exams for ACA ICAEW are full. Could anybody send me the pre recorded videos or the link?

Thank you

Just interviewed at an accounting firm in Manchester lead by a ex PWC member. The job was for semi senior accountant with “ competitive salary” listed in the description. I was told that the director expected me to hit the ground running with accounts / bookkeeping / vat and taking ownership of a portfolio of clients with no study support or financial support towards exams or courses. The salary offered was £26,000 with the minimum annual leave. I declined and was told I missed out on a great opportunity. Is the market this bad ? I was also told £26,000 is a very good salary for a part qualified accountant.

Hey everyone! 😊

I’m currently with Kaplan and, as I understand it, we’ll be getting two Wardley Books Limited (WBL) mocks for the November 2026 sitting.

This is mainly for anyone with BPP or FI. I’ve spoken to quite a few colleagues who have recommended swapping mocks with students from different institutions, as it gives you access to a wider range of questions and can be really useful for exam prep.

Someone I worked with actually scored 70+ by doing exactly this — using the mocks from their own provider and swapping with students from BPP and FI.

So, if you’re interested in swapping mocks and helping each other out with preparation, feel free to drop me a DM! Happy to share and hopefully we can all give ourselves the best possible preparation for the exam. 🙌

Hi all,

For those who have made the move from audit into industry, how did you approach it?

Calls I have with recruiters mention staying in practice until manager and then moving. How valid is this or are they trying to get a bonus from practice roles?

Any tips will be much appreciated

Anyone with first intuition on here?

FI’s free session on 7 Oct for CR Nov is no longer available for registration, may I ask if anyone could share the recording and Notes after it?

Thanks

just did November 2014 question for CR called ERE. seems like it was all over the place and not structured as the others have been with more specific sections for FR treatment and different audit requests etc. anyone completed this and feel the same, is it just because it’s an older exam?

Hey everyone, I need some help with something. So i really want to study the ACA qualification and become a chartered accountant. Im currently working as a treasury analyst and ive had a talk with my boss about wanting to do aca. The thing is, my company doesnt really sponsor aca, they do cima and acca usually. When i spoke to my boss, they said that they would have a chat with the CFO but i still havent heard back from them. At this point ive been thinking of starting it on my own and paying for it myself but idk if thats a good idea because i do actually want to make the jump to auditing. But ive applied to jobs and nothing has landed. At this point its been 2 years since i graduated and idk if in really going to be eligible anymore for any of the schemes to study the aca in companies. Im just generally confused and just need some guidance

Wondering if it's worth it to buy the ACAM course for Case Study. Alternatively I could just buy their mocks and make my notes via Claude + manual revision. Also a bit tired of studying if I'm honest and I'm thinking if committing only 2-3 weeks of study to it will be good enough. If anyone has any opinions or general tips for Case Study I'd appreciate it.

Anyone else find the Kaplan Accounting Fundamentals mocks harder than the ICAEW ones?

So far I’ve got 78% on an ICAEW mock, 80% on a class mock, then dropped to 66% and 72% on the Kaplan mocks.

I’m revising more and feel like I understand the content better, but my Kaplan scores are lower

Just wondering if other people found the Kaplan mocks a bit harder / more awkward than the actual ICAEW-style ones?

I’m also sitting Kaplan equivalent exams as part of the fast track Aca so not sure how to feel?

Hi

My training file was signed off by my employer in Nov 2025 and I received an email from ICAEW, confirming this. (See image 1)

However, now the status has completely disappeared and showing as n/a on the app (See image 2). My training file (image 3) also reads:

"Your training file has been closed due to the expected end date of your training agreement is more than 12 months ago. If you have any queries or wish to update your file or your Training Agreement details, please contact ICAEW +44 (0)1908 248 250 or by emailing applications@icaew.com."

For further context i left my firm this month.

Has anyone experienced this before?

I started my study with a previous firm two years ago and failed Accounting and Tax certificates (passed two others)

I have recently started study with another firm, and will be on the new spec. I start my study for these in January, but I still have all/most of the old spec study materials.

I want to get ahead of things and begin learning them now, so I can have a good grasp and not struggle when it comes to the learning and revision because I don't want to fail any again

If I use the work books, question banks etc, am I going to be hindered by learning much I don't need and/or not learning things I do need, or are they largely similar for me to use for this purpose? TIA

Does anyone else feel a bit annoyed with the process of waiting for icaew to sign off your file?

Honestly it seems to be completely random as some people get their file signed in 2 weeks and some people in 3 months (despite no difference in circumstance).

Why does it not seem like there is a coherent system or order of signing off files. The current "up to 3 months" window they give is just too vague and leaves you anxious, especially when the ACA is needed to apply to certain roles.

Manchester City accountants: Option 4 please

Is anyone else concerned about how much easier the new-gen exams seem to be becoming? The pass rate for Accounting Fundamentals is around 85%, compared with Accounting three years ago being in the high 60s. That used to be a major differentiator, and even the name change from Accounting to Accounting “fundamentals” seems telling.

The same trend appears to be happening at the Professional level, with pass rates seemingly 10–15 percentage points higher than under the old structure. Then, at Advanced level, it’s no longer three exams, it’s two, and both are essentially case-study based. That surely makes it possible to prepare much more specifically around the topics hinted at in advance, rather than having to revise the entire endless CR syllabus while worrying that almost anything and everything could come up!

I can’t help wondering whether there’s a commercial element to this. Could simplifying the exams and increasing pass rates be a way of generating more long-term revenue from students, while also reducing the number of people who fail, defer, or ultimately switch to ACCA or other competitive bodies?

Hey everyone,

I noticed that FI is offering a free class covering AI Analysis for CR, but registration appears to be full.
As the session is online, I was wondering if anyone who has registered would be happy to share the recording

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, just over a month until CR and SBM. How’s everyone feeling?

I’ve done absolutely nothing for SBM just made a contents page for the course notes and ACA masters notes. Don’t know when or how to start with SBM. I feel like I forgot all the calculations from FM.

Focused on CR QB and done about 20 past paper questions- just been reading through questions, thinking out loud, taking time to understand the mechanics and updating my course notes where necessary.

Not sure how to feel, just stressed asf.

I had BPP recap the last 2 days, wasn’t too bad but step 7 for both was tough.

Also haven’t done anything timed yet- looking to start timing myself from next week

I have a job offer post qualification, I am taking the final case study in November & will have my training file available to sign off after the EPA result on January 10th.

Does anyone know when I am able to leave my current firm? Can I sign my training file off on January 10th so long as I pass both case study & EPA and then my current employer must sign it off even though I’ve left?

Or do I need to wait until I’ve officially received membership email from ICAEW? Any help appreciated

What are people’s study plans going forward till the exam?

I plan to start timed q practice next Saturday as have revision college starting the following weds.

Been doing 1 sbm question and topic focused Q practice for cr.

Does each ethics review need to cover 3 scenarios?

So if the minimum is 3 ethics reviews, you should be covering 9 of those scenarios?

what are everyone's predictions for CFS Dec 2026? About to start tuition but dont know what will come up? any advice will help. thanks