1. Structure

ACCA redesigned the Professional level to create the Strategic Professional level which consists of six subjects from Essentials and Options. You will sit four of these exams to complete this level.

ACCA advise that you attempt their Ethics and Professional Skills module before you sit any exams on Strategic Professional. ACCA say that students who do so are statistically proven to increase their chances of passing the exams.

If you are considering studying AAA as one of your options subjects, please be aware that we strongly recommend that you attempt this after or at the same time as studying SBR.

You should also be aware with all subjects at this level there will be a certain amount of assumed knowledge from earlier subjects at Applied Skills level, so if you were exempt or sat these some time ago, you should use the resources and advice in the beginning of your course to refresh your understanding.

Entry requirements

You should have completed the previous two ACCA levels; Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills, or have been awarded exemptions from Applied Knowledge and/or Applied Skills. You should check whether you're eligible on the ACCA website and apply for any exemptions before you start studying.

Syllabus

You’ll learn about the role of accounting in the business environment and develop the practical skills and techniques required of an accountant.

The two Essentials subjects are mandatory - these are SBR and SBL. You can select two out of four subjects from Options, which include AFM, APM, ATX and AAA.

Essentials (Mandatory)

Options (Choose two)

2. Study methods

Do you prefer face-to-face learning? Online learning in your own time? Have family or work commitments? We have four study methods that suit different learning styles, to fit around your life. You’ll benefit from award-winning tutors, practical learning methods, and ongoing support, even after your exams.

Study methods available for this qualification

You can be confident in your exams whatever study method you choose, as we have plenty of practice questions and marked mock exams to help you prepare. We provide expert support during evenings and weekends, and we have flexible study methods and course start dates.

grid_on Study method comparison table

Timetables - Classroom and Live Online

date_rangeView timetables

3. Exams and sittings

Timings and working towards a sitting

There are four exam sessions per year. You can sit a maximum of four exams at each session, and a maximum of eight distinct exams each calendar year.

Exams for Strategic Professional subjects are paper-based and should be booked with ACCA directly.

Book an exam directly with ACCAlaunch

How long does it take to pass?

Most students will typically take 12 to 18 months to complete this level.

You’ll also need three years practical experience before you can become an ACCA member and be considered a qualified accountant, meaning the complete ACCA qualification takes a minimum of three years to complete. You can complete your work experience before, after, or during your ACCA exams.

Subject order rules

ACCA allow “free progression” at the Strategic Professional level, meaning you can choose to sit your Essentials and Options subjects in any order. If you are studying ACCA under a Level 7 Apprenticeship you must sit Strategic Business Leader last, as it is your End Point Assessment.

Study recommendation

ACCA advise that you attempt their Ethics and Professional Skills module before you sit any exams on Strategic Professional. They say students who do so are statistically proven to significantly enhance their chances of passing the exams. SBL contains a vast amount of these skills so it is especially important you to the module before sitting this exam.

If you are considering studying AAA as one of your options subjects, please be aware that we strongly recommend that you attempt this after or at the same time as studying SBR.

You should also be aware with all subjects at this level there will be a certain amount of assumed knowledge from earlier subjects at Applied Skills level, so if you were exempt or sat these some time ago, you should use the resources and advice in the beginning of your course to refresh your understanding.

Key dates

*These are Session Computer Based Exams for Applied Skills subjects and Paper Based Exams for Strategic Professional subjects.

Exam timetable

Monday - AAA

Tuesday - ATX/SBL

Wednesday - APM

Thursday - SBR

Friday - AFM

4. Study materials and delivery costs

Study materials

Classroom, Live Online and OnDemand students will receive printed and online study materials, while Distance Learning students have the option of printed or online only.

We provide:

• Study programme

  Integrated into your MyKaplan course, this outlines the course structure, providing guidance on what to do, and when.

• Study text

  A textbook covering the full subject syllabus with worked examples and activities. We’re an ACCA-approved content provider, so you can be confident our study text contains everything you need to be successful in your exam.

• Pocket notes

  Pocket-sized revision notes that highlight, summarise, and prioritise the key topics areas that you need for your exams.

• Exam kit

  Included in the exam kit is our recommended revision approach and a revision plan, exam technique guide, an analysis of past exams (where appropriate) with exam specific information, and practice questions with answers covering all areas of the syllabus.

• Application modules

  Core study material that all students receive. It’s tutor-led with interactive tasks to help deepen your understanding of key topic areas.

• Integrated workbook (Classroom, Live Online, OnDemand only)

  Helps you work through the syllabus, with room to write your notes. It helps you keep everything in one place to make it easy to study and revise from.

To buy the materials separately...

You can buy ACCA approved books for each subject on this level from Kaplan Publishing.

Buy ACCA bookslaunch

Delivery costs

5. MyKaplan: online learning environment

MyKaplan is an online learning portal with practical resources to help you prepare for your exams.

Online features

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  View your online materials in one place and access your content in a few clicks
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  Contact a tutor directly using live chat. You can also email or request a callback
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  Complete tests and get instant feedback
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  Take part in forum discussions with students and tutors and find answers to common questions
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  See instantly when your assessments have been marked
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  Access on mobile, tablet, computer or through the dedicated mobile app
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  Access to VideoBank - hundreds of tutor-led videos to help you get the most out of your course.

Access duration

Your chosen study method determines how long you can access your content for. All extensions are for existing content, and do not include any updated content.

Classroom
Six months from enrolment date, with one three month free extension on request, then a further extension for £50.

Live Online
Six months from enrolment date, with one three month free extension on request, then a further extension for £50.

OnDemand
Six months from enrolment date, with one three month free extension on request, then a further extension for £50.

Distance Learning
6 months from enrolment date, with one three month free extension on request, then a further extension for £50.

computerMinimum system requirements for MyKaplan

6. Tutor support

We'll support you every step of the way throughout your learning experience with us. You can contact a tutor and get the help you need quickly and easily.

Provided by our Academic Support team (our dedicated team of expert tutors):

• Live chat (instant response via online messenger system)
• Email (we'll get back to you within 4 hrs)
• Discussion forum (we’ll get back to you within 4 hrs)
• Request a callback so you can speak to a tutor (we’ll arrange a call with you within 24 hours). Please note request a callback is only available to UK based students.
• Course tutor - Receive contact details from your tutor during your first lesson, to enable you to request assistance out of scheduled sessions (Classroom and Live Online courses only).

7. Testing and mocks

We have a wealth of materials to help you revise for and pass your exams. All study options come with the following:

Knowledge checks
As you go along, knowledge checks help assess your understanding of a topic before you move onto the next one.

Consolidation Test
A short test of written questions you complete part way through tuition (two tests for Strategic Business Leader (SBL)).

Progress tests
An exam style assessment sat at the end of tuition (Knowledge and Application for OnDemand and Distance Learning). Human marked with feedback provided directly to you. (SBL does not have a progress test, but extra mock exams instead.)

Mock exams
Practice your exam technique with a mock exam, which replicates the format of the final exam, so you can check your progress. Mock exams are human marked with feedback provided directly to you. For SBL there will be 2 mock exams for Distance Learning, and 4 for all other study options. All but Distance Learning SBL courses provide an online debrief so you can understand the answer and improve your own.

Revision question debriefs
Videos that walk you through an answer to an exam-standard question highlighting the correct approach to the question and how you could score marks.

Question based mock exams
The question-based course provides you with additional questions worth in excess of the 100 marks you will have in your real exam in the exam format. In a classroom course, you will complete these to time, with the support of a tutor for any queries you may have. These will then be given to expert markers to mark and feedback improvements you could make, which they will do while you attempt the next question. Your attempt will be returned as soon as it has been marked on the day and your tutor will be able to provide the class with tailored debriefs and tips based on the classes performance on each question.

For a Live Online question based course, the difference is that you complete the questions in your own home and submit them online by the submission date for marking. You will then have a live session with the tutor to provide the tailored debriefs for your course.

Both options also provide detailed answers for all the questions and recorded debriefs to take you through the detail of these answers to ensure you have the utmost confidence in your preparation for your real exam.

(SBL is slightly different from the other subjects at this level as the question-based approach described above is included in the course on the last day, using the final mock.)

Question based is also included with OnDemand and Distance Learning courses. On these courses, you will complete the questions at home and submit online by the submission date. You will then have access to the recorded debriefs (OnDemand only) and detailed answers to work through with your personalised feedback to help you prepare fully for your exam

8. Pricing structure

Subject prices can differ depending on your study method, location and the time you choose to study (if you’re choosing Classroom). Go to our study methods page to learn more about each option.

Subjects are priced individually, so you can purchase them altogether, or separately as you need them.

Funding options

Apprenticeships ›

You may be eligible for an Apprenticeship through your employer, depending on your circumstances. For more information, contact our Student Services team.

Employer sponsored ›

Your employer may fund the costs of your studies if you're already working in a related field and want to develop your learning. You'll need to speak to them to see if you're eligible and whether they would be willing to cover the costs.

Payment plans ›

Available for any course as long as the total cost is a minimum of £500 (before any discounts). Any available discounts can be applied, provided the terms and conditions of that discount have been met.

Classroom and Live Online course fees must be repaid over the duration of the course(s) purchased, up to a maximum of 12 months. The final payment must be made one month prior to the final date of the last course.

OnDemand and Distance Learning course fees must be repaid over three months per subject purchased, up to a maximum of 12 months.