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ICAEW ACA Certificate Level Business Insight and Performance — Information & Free Practice

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About ICAEW ACA Certificate Level Business Insight and Performance

ICAEW ACA Certificate Level Business Insight and Performance · GB

Key exam facts

Provider
ICAEW is the examination owner and syllabus publisher. Pearson VUE provides test-centre delivery and OnVUE remote invigilation.
Format
Computer-based: 32 multiple-choice, multi-part multiple-choice or multiple-response questions (80% of marks), plus one scenario-based question (20%). Available at test centres or via OnVUE remote invigilation.
Exam questions
Total questions: 33.
Time limit
2 hours of examination time under standard conditions. The optional post-exam survey has a separate five-minute timer and is not part of exam time; approved access arrangements may alter individual timing.
Passing score
55% of marks (percentage pass mark).
Exam fee
GBP £103 per Certificate Level exam in 2027, payable when applying for each exam. Annual registration, tuition and learning-material costs are separate.

Topics covered

  • Costing and pricing (20%)

    • Recognise the use of cost information for different purposes
    • Classify costs as fixed, variable, direct or indirect
    • Calculate overhead absorption rates, unit costs and profits/losses using marginal and absorption costing and reconcile differences
    • Select the most appropriate method of costing for a given product or service
    • Calculate the sales price using cost based pricing
    • Specify the impact of the price mechanism including price elasticity
    • Calculate transfer prices for internal customers taking account of appropriate costs
    • Activity based costing (ABC): Level C technical knowledge

  • Budgeting and forecasting (20%)

    • Recognise and calculate high/low and time series forecasting
    • Identify how data analytics can be used in budgeting and forecasting
    • Data collection and interpretation including correlation versus causation
    • Prepare budgets or extracts
    • Select bottom-up, top-down, zero-based and incremental budgeting approaches for planning, control and motivation
    • Prepare cash budgets showing quantity and timing of surpluses and deficits
    • Calculate and interpret the cash operating cycle
    • Manage working capital and treasury to optimise cash flows taking account of sustainability
    • Manage cash surpluses and deficits predicted in cash budgets

  • Performance management and The external environment of business (joint official weighting) (25%)

    • Performance management
    • Calculate actual versus standard or budget differences in price and volume effects and identify possible reasons
    • The external environment of business
    • Identify key macro-economic factors affecting businesses
    • Specify principal effects of national and international regulation upon businesses

  • Management decision making (20%)

    • Calculate breakeven point, contribution and margin of safety
    • Allocate scarce resources using highest contribution per limiting factor
    • Calculate net present value, internal rate of return, payback or accounting rate of return
    • Advantages and disadvantages of investment appraisal techniques and incorporating sustainability

  • Technology and data analysis (10%)

    • Purpose, types, sources and comparability of data
    • Data collection and analysis: populations, surveys, simple frequency distributions and basic sampling
    • Data errors, protection of commercially sensitive information and cyber and data security principles
    • Spreadsheets, visualisations and interpretation of graphs and charts
    • Digital disruption, automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotic process automation

  • Ethics (5%)

    • Ethical issues in preparing, presenting and interpreting management information
    • Ethical issues in collecting, analysing, visualising and using data including bias and professional scepticism

How to prepare

Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.

These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the exam format?

Computer-based: 32 multiple-choice, multi-part multiple-choice or multiple-response questions (80% of marks), plus one scenario-based question (20%). Available at test centres or via OnVUE remote invigilation.

How many questions are on the exam?

Total questions: 33.

How long is the exam?

2 hours of examination time under standard conditions. The optional post-exam survey has a separate five-minute timer and is not part of exam time; approved access arrangements may alter individual timing.

What is the passing score?

55% of marks (percentage pass mark).

How much does the exam cost?

GBP £103 per Certificate Level exam in 2027, payable when applying for each exam. Annual registration, tuition and learning-material costs are separate.

Official sources and references

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.