The Certified Accounting Technicians (CAT)

The Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) Qualification will provide you with a solid foundation in finance and accounting – providing you with all the necessary technical skills and knowledge required to perform an accounting-support role.
So whether you wish to start a career in finance, gain recognition for the wealth of skills and experience you have already achieved, or want accelerated progression to the ACCA Qualification and a more senior position in accountancy, ACCA's CAT Qualification will help you towards your career of choice.

To achieve CAT status you will need to complete a set of exams and one-year's practical experience in the workplace. The CAT Qualification is flexible and allows you to take control of how and where you study. With a range of internationally relevant syllabus options and the choice of distance learning, face-to-face or self study, the qualification allows you to study at your own pace and achieve a work-life balance that suits you.

Entry Requirements
There are no formal academic qualifications necessary to register for the CAT Qualification. But your previous qualifications may entitle you to exemptions from some of the CAT exams. This means that you will start your studies at the most appropriate level according to your knowledge and skills, and, more importantly, avoid studying subjects you already know

Exemptions

Your previous qualifications may entitle you to exemptions from some of the CAT exams. This means that you will start your studies at the most appropriate level according to your knowledge and skills.
You may also be able to claim exemption from the introductory papers of the CAT Qualification if you already have one year's relevant practical experience.
Plus if you already have an NVQ level 4 in Accounting, you will not need to complete the practical experience requirement.

Exams
You will need to complete a maximum of nine exams for the CAT Qualification, which are split into three levels. These are all designed to test the knowledge, skills and understanding you will need to work in accounting support roles. The exams cover the key areas of accounting, finance, IT and management. The Advanced Level exams are of equivalent standard to the first year of a university degree and offer a choice of options to suit your career needs.

There is no time limit to completing the exams and individual subject passes are allowed for all papers. Exams can be attempted twice a year in June and December.
You can sit the papers in any order to suit your own career or study needs, however we advise that they should be attempted in numerical order. And there is no restriction to the number of exams you may attempt, allowing you to choose to sit as many or as few papers as you like at each exam session. You are, however, recommended to attempt a maximum of four papers in each six-month period.
Computer based exams
At Introductory and Intermediate Levels of the CAT exams, you can choose to sit some or all of these papers as computer-based exams (CBEs). CBEs offer you the flexibility to sit papers outside the set June and December exam sessions, providing immediate access to your results upon completion - CBEs are held at ACCA CBE Licensed Centres.
Experience
At ACCA we recognise that everyone is an individual. So after taking the CAT exams you may decide to take a break from studying for a while. If so, the CAT Qualification will more than adequately prepare you with the knowledge and skills you need to perform at an accounting-support role. Simply gain one-year’s practical experience and you’ll be able to use the letters CAT after your name.
Practical training can be completed in any size or type of business, and in any combination of sectors, before, during or after completing the exams. It’s your responsibility to find relevant training, but there are lots of resources available to assist you in your search for employment.
To become a Certified Accounting Technician, you must pass or be exempt from the CAT exams and either:

• Achieve a Level 4 NVQ in Accounting (NVQ Route)
  or
• Meet ACCA’s practical experience requirements (Practical Experience route).

The NVQ route
If you achieve a Level 4 NVQ in Accounting you are not required to complete the Practical Experience route. However, you will be required to provide evidence of your NVQ achievement e.g. NVQ certificate.
The practical experience route
If you follow the practical experience route you must obtain at least one year's supervised work experience and meet 10 competence unit requirements for Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) status.
Mixed practical experience and NVQ route
If you achieve an NVQ in Accounting at Level 2 or 3, but do not achieve Level 4 then you are required to obtain at least one year's supervised work experience. However, as you have already demonstrated competence in some of the units of competence required for the CAT qualification, you will not need to obtain work experience in those units.

Important dates and fees

Registration can take place at any time, however if you wish to take part in specific paper-based examination sessions, the following deadlines apply:

Computer-based exams

Although you do not need to register by the usual registration deadlines to sit CBEs, you will still need to ensure that you are registered as a CAT student and in possession of your student registration number. Please allow at least six weeks for your form to be processed and for your student number to be issued.