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career in PM still causing heartache Aaccountancy The December ACCA exams are over, but the complaints don’t seem to change! Very few sitters enjoyed the PM exam, with one PQ saying: “Hate this exam so much!” The Open Tuition Instant Poll shows they were not alone in their thoughts. Some 22% of sitters ticked the ‘disaster’ box and another 41% admitted they found the exam ‘hard’. Just one
in three sitters said the exam was ‘OK’. Students also seemed to struggle this time around with ATX and APM. ATX was described as ‘horrific’ by more than one trainee, and APM was seen as the usual
tough test. But it wasn’t all bad news, as AA sitters generally thought the
December exam was OK. SBL also got the thumbs-up. And, as usual, when there was more than one paper on offer students seemed to have wanted the questions they didn’t get. Those Monday first-day blues returned to one UK centre, too. PQ magazine got reports that the Birmingham MTS exam centre had technical issues on the first day of the exams, with the morning session starting two-and-a-half hours late and an evening exam not finishing until 8pm. For all the feedback see page 19.
Your accountancy family is growing! Membership of the main UK accountancy bodies continues to grow, according to the twenty-first edition of Key Facts and Trends in the Accountancy Profession. The seven bodies have nearly 400,000 members in the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI), and over 600,000 members worldwide. The growth in membership between 2021 and 2022 was 2.1% in the UK and ROI and by 2.4%
worldwide. However, after increasing slightly in 2021, the decline in student numbers that we saw in 2020 in the UK and ROI returned for 2022. Between 2021 and 2022 student numbers in the UK and ROI decreased by 3.5% and by 2% worldwide, compared with growth of 0.3% and 1.6% respectively in the previous year. That still means there are more
than 155,000 students in the UK and ROI studying a professional qualification, and over 585,000 worldwide.
anyone?
PQ magazine and Queen Mary University of London have joined forces to offer a unique insight into a career in accountancy. With the help of ACCA, AICPA & CIMA, IFA and Hays Accountancy & Finance, we have put together a programme that will shine a light on the many ways there are to become a professional accountant. Making decisions about your future can be daunting, so we are bringing together the experts to give those just starting out a real insight into whether accountancy is the right career for them. PQ magazine editor Graham Hambly said: “We believe that everyone should have an equal chance of access to the accountancy profession. We want to help to deliver real change, and will be explaining everything from apprenticeships, degrees (including Flying Start) and all the professional qualifications.” See page 23 for more.
Become an Intermediate Financial Accountant Unlock you career potential with the IFA Graduates, recently qualified and part qualified accountants get the support, guidance and recognition you need to set yourself apart in a competitive SME job market with: •
Designatory letters IFA AIPA
•
Access to a variety of technical resources
•
Relevant CPD webinars and networking meetings
•
Financial Accountant, our member magazine
•
MyCommunity, our online member space
•
A weekly enewsletter covering accounting, finance and business
PQ Magazine January 2024
FIND OUT MORE
at IFA.ORG.UK/ROUTESIFA
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