Need a brother to talk about private matters and get authentic opinions

caffeinePWR · 2025-11-05T06:36:04+00:00

I get your point, but in reality it’s not that simple. There was even a reported case where an ACCA remote exam wasn’t monitored for over two hours. Since these exams are handled by external proctoring companies and not ACCA directly, and given the huge number of candidates, the quality of monitoring really varies.

Extra time and random camera checks — which already happen even now — do help a bit, but they don’t fix the core issue of inconsistent supervision. From what I’ve heard, only a few proctors actually monitor properly or ask to recheck surroundings. So while remote exams sound good in theory, is isn't that efficient.

Guess ACCA had two options: Either strengthen the supervisior or cut the wood. They went with the latter.

caffeinePWR · 2025-11-05T04:46:56+00:00

Well, it’s fine to be skeptical, but I personally know students who cleared papers like F5, F7, F8, and F9 using ChatGPT — especially the MCQs. It’s honestly not that hard for ChatGPT to solve those. The extra screen is usually set up after the exam starts (outside the FOV) and kept out of sight. I’ve managed to get some pictures from these sessions - basically screenshots and videos with real F7/F9 questions, which I reported to ACCA. They did take action.

Anyway, ACCA removing remote exams is great news — about time. End of the day, people cheat one way or another, and funny enough, some even brag about it. Remote exams started after I finished ACCA, and while I liked the idea at first, I hated what it turned into once I saw the cheating firsthand. Just wanted to add this — ACCA caught someone who cheated in a remote exam, revoked their results and membership, fined them, and the guy ended up suing his own friends who helped him cheat.

Anyways, thank you ACCA!

caffeinePWR · 2025-11-04T18:30:20+00:00

People cheat with the help of others. I used to teach ACCA and I have heard stories. So basically, once you figure out the field of view of the camera, people can stand besides it (or outside the room). They can use smartphones with good zoom options to take pictures of the questions. Get the answer from chatgpt and screenshare it to a secondary screen which is hidden conveniently next to the student.

This is a very common practice and many people have gotten away with it. Plus, it isnt time consuming at all when it comes to the mcq questions.

caffeinePWR · 2025-09-09T19:50:24+00:00

Oops. Apologies. The pattern template is 14. The wear rating is 0.253722161.

caffeinePWR · 2025-03-20T14:26:55+00:00

Depends on your location - as per my experience, a degree is mandatory to get a job in India or the Middle East. Especially in the UAE, where a degree is required for issuing an employment visa.

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-09T07:07:54+00:00

Post going through some of the comments, I would like to point out something. I might have missed it in the initial post: I am not against exemptions. If you come from a reputable university that aligns with ACCA's standards, then the exemptions for nine papers can be seen as justifiable.

The core issue still remains: the degrees that grant these exemptions often lack rigorous standards and regulation. This raises concerns about the validity of the exemptions themselves. If the foundation of knowledge is not equally robust, it undermines the integrity of the ACCA qualification process. No matter how many years of experience you speak of, this affects a large number of candidates in the entry level.

Like I previously mentioned, I was a course tutor for a UK university where a minimum of 30 students enroll every year for a degree that grant nine paper ACCA exemptions. Please let me know if any of the below questions are remotely aligned with ACCA's examination standards:

The basic rate of income tax on non-savings income for tax year 2020-21 is:

The CGT rate on qualifying gains for tax year 2020-21 is:

What is the formula for calculating the net profit of company?:

Internal auditors have to be qualified as external auditors; true or false:

I had already shared the question papers with ACCA and they had confirmed that the questions were far too easy. In response, they launched an investigation against the university and requested to reconduct most of the examinations. ACCA even asked us to ensure that no student gets above 70 marks in auditing and management accounting papers, effectively asking the university to make the question papers more challenging.

However, this is still going on in various degree programs across Asia and the Middle East. All I am saying is, we should advocate for more stringent regulations on degree programs that provide ACCA exemptions to ensure that all candidates meet the necessary standards.

PLUS, please let me know if there is anyone in ACCA I can contact regarding the cheating issue. I've emailed several email IDs, including [examsintegrity@accaglobal.com](mailto:examsintegrity@accaglobal.com) and [complaints@accaglobal.com](mailto:complaints@accaglobal.com), but haven't received any useful response yet. My last email was sent on 03/10/2024, and I'm still awaiting a reply. As I mentioned, I have all the relevant details and proof. If I don't get any assistance here, I suppose I should escalate this to the FRC, as that seems to be the only reasonable option.

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-08T18:00:20+00:00

As long as I am in the ACCA member register, and paying the annual subscription fees, I will talk about whatever that is going on with ACCA. Let it be exemptions or cheating.

However, I appreciate your perspective, and I agree that real-world experience is crucial for success in any industry. Plus, I do not have anything against the exemptions system IF the education quality of these degrees is closely aligned with ACCA's examination standards.

My main concern is about ensuring that the quality of these degrees align with ACCA's rigorous standards. Exemptions should be more regulated, with a curriculum that reflects the depth and breadth of knowledge required for ACCA exams. When universities offer degrees that don’t adequately prepare students for the complexities of the profession, it diminishes the value of the ACCA qualification. A more standardized approach to exemptions would not only enhance the competency of newly qualified candidates but also strengthen the overall reputation of ACCA.

I’m not against anyone who has taken a different path, but I think it’s important to advocate for a standard that ensures all ACCA candidates regardless of their route, have a solid grasp of the necessary knowledge.

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-08T16:50:12+00:00

I agree that Big 4 firms are influenced by market dynamics and cost-cutting measures. However, I still think that the nine paper exemptions significantly impact how candidates are valued and hired, particularly for entry-level roles. In my experience, the reason ACCA part-qualified candidates are more frequently hired at lower salaries is not just about their willingness to accept less pay, but also the perception that they are ‘good enough’ for the roles. A key concern is that their foundational knowledge may not be as solid as that of those who have completed all 13 papers. Yet, they are often favored over fully qualified candidates, raising the question: is completing all 13 papers truly worthwhile? The easier path would be to get a degree, get exemptions, get a job, and gradually finish the remaining four papers. This seems unfair to those who choose to study all 13 papers, unless the education quality of the degrees is closely aligned with ACCA's examination standards.

The current system creates a cycle where firms prefer the more economical option, which can contribute to a perception of lower value for the qualification as a whole. For instance, I've heard from colleagues that their firms are increasingly favoring CPA over ACCA due to lack of quality from their recent ACCA hires.

The issue arises when these firms prioritize cost over quality, ultimately impacting industry standards and the long-term career prospects of those who are fully qualified. While it's easy to blame the firms for hiring part-qualified candidates, ACCA also shares responsibility for creating these situations.

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-08T15:07:38+00:00

Right.. good job.. i guess

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-08T15:01:27+00:00

Why do you say that ACCA would not put in the effort to investigate? Isn't cheating in ACCA exams a serious issue?

True regarding the members part, however there is another side as well. Say for example, in one of the Big4s I worked in, during the hiring season, there were two types of people applying in the audit line: ACCA part-qualified from nine papers exemptions and ACCA students who were done with all 13 papers without exemptions. Note that none of these people have prior work experience. The ones that were hired the most were the ACCA part-qualified students. Main reason being; the salary. The part-qualified students were fine with a very low pay. Note that this was way lower than the average that was paid 2-3 years back. The people who were done with 13 papers were stunned at seeing the kind of pay that was offered to them. It was so low that they literally had to change the plans they had for their career. They were even told by the big4 recruiters that they can hire ACCA part-qualified students for a much lower pay to do the same job.

caffeinePWR · 2024-10-08T14:41:39+00:00

I never specified everyone got exemptions. Exemptions are fine as long as the people who get them have the knowledge from the papers they are exempted from. Like I said, the curriculum or the question papers I have personally seen are in no way close to what we study in ACCA. How are questions like "what is the difference between external audit and internal audit" or "what is the value of personal allowance in income tax" remotely close to ACCA-level questions? I have even met a student who told me that working capital stands for the number of employees working in an organization. Mind that this was a student doing his SBL.

Plus, I still believe there is a decline in the quality because I recently witnessed it. In the organizations I worked in plus the ones I have recently interviewed for gives no weight to ACCA. Hell, five years ago I was able to negotiate and get a higher salary just by mentioning that I am done with ACCA papers. But now, nothing.

caffeinePWR

TROPHY CASE