Singapore CA Qualification (Foundation) Financial Management — Information & Free Practice

About Singapore CA Qualification (Foundation) Financial Management

Singapore CA Qualification (Foundation) Financial Management · SG

Key exam facts

Provider

Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) administers SCAQ; ACRA is responsible for SCAQ development. Cirrus delivers the e-Exam platform and Proctorio provides remote proctoring.

Format

Restricted open-book e-Examination with remote proctoring; multiple-choice questions, including standalone and short case-based questions, from June 2026.

Exam questions

Total questions: 50.

Time limit

2 hours 30 minutes of examination time.

Passing score

At least 50% of the available marks.

Exam fee

Singapore dollars, inclusive of GST: first examination S$408.75 per module for non-students or S$327.00 for eligible students; re-sit S$218.00 per module. Students are in formal tertiary education at exam enrolment. Fees exclude tuition and are subject to change.

Topics covered

• Introduction to Financial Management (7%)

  • The Financial Management Function and Environment
  • Outline the nature and purpose of financial management.
  • State the scope of financial management and identify its functions.
  • Describe the three key decisions in a financial strategy — investment, finance, and dividends — and how they interact.
  • Describe how financial objectives relate to corporate strategy.
  • Apply the Value for Money Framework of economy, efficiency and effectiveness to assess the performance of a non-profit entity.
  • Describe the nature and role of the main financial institutions and markets in Singapore.
  • Describe and explain the key issues in relation to both domestic and international current developments.

• Cash and Working Capital Management (20%)

  • Working capital management
  • Explain the nature, elements, and importance of working capital.
  • Describe the management of inventories, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and cash and recommend improvements.
  • Calculate the amount of working capital investment required assuming aggressive (low net investment) or conservative (high net investment) attitudes.
  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of aggressive (low net investment) and conservative (high net investment) attitudes for an organisation.
  • Calculate the amount of short-term and long-term finance required to fund working capital assuming aggressive or conservative attitudes.
  • Explain the sources, advantages and disadvantages of short-term and long-term finance required to fund working capital assuming aggressive or conservative attitudes.
  • Calculate the impact of a change in working capital policies (including the costs and benefits of introducing an early settlement discount or the services of a debt factor in the management of receivables).
  • Analyse financial (ratio analysis) and non-financial information in relation to working capital to draw conclusions about an organisation’s financial health.
  • Cash management
  • Produce cash flow forecasts for an organisation and explain the implications they have for funding.
  • Construct cash management policies using the Baumol model of cash management and evaluate the assumptions of the model.

• The Financing Decision – Capital Structure (including dividend decision) (20%)

  • Dividend Decision
  • Explain the impact of a change in dividend policy using Modigliani and Miller's Dividend theory, and the traditional view of dividend policy.
  • Explain the appropriateness of the assumptions behind Modigliani and Miller's Dividend theory.
  • Identify practical considerations that should be considered in dividend policy in a given situation.
  • Financing Decision
  • Recommend the use of different sources of finance available to an organisation.
  • Calculate the cost of each component of the cost of capital including equity (using the dividend valuation model and the Capital Asset Pricing Model), bonds (irredeemable and redeemable), bank loans, preference shares (redeemable and irredeemable); and assemble this information to determine the weighted average cost of capital.
  • Explain the capital asset pricing model and its assumptions in estimating the cost of equity.
  • Explain the effect of capital structure on the cost of capital, based on the traditional view and Modigliani and Miller (with and without tax). Detailed calculations will not be required.
  • Assess the appropriateness and cost of the various non-traditional sources of financing available to an organisation, including Islamic financing, crowd funding, venture capital, and business angels.
  • Explain the nature of the finance gap (e.g. reduced access to traditional sources of finance) in relation to SMEs.
  • Assess the impact of an organisation's overall credit rating on the cost of debt and the overall cost of capital.
  • Assess the merits of leasing over borrowing to purchase assets including using appropriate calculations to compare the cost of leasing and borrowing.
  • Evaluate the significance of exchange controls for a given investment decision and strategies for dealing with restricted remittance.
  • Assess the impact of a project upon an organisation's exposure to foreign exchange, cross-border transactions, and economic risk.

• The Investment Decision (40%)

  • Investment Appraisal
  • Describe the nature of investment decisions and the appraisal process.
  • Explain the main assumptions when using the existing weighted average cost of capital in investment appraisal decisions based on net present value.
  • Calculate relevant cashflows for inclusion in investment appraisal calculations.
  • Perform and interpret investment appraisal calculations using: Net present value (including taxation and inflation); Internal rate of return (estimated using linear interpolation); Accounting rate of return; Payback period (including non-discounted and discounted payback period).
  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of net present value, internal rate of return, payback period and accounting rate of return as investment appraisal techniques for an organisation.
  • Calculate an optimal investment plan when faced with capital constraints at a point in time, for both divisible (using the profitability index) and indivisible projects.
  • Calculate the optimal replacement cycle for an asset using net present value and equivalent annual cost.
  • Calculate the sensitivity of investment decisions to changes in key variables using sensitivity analysis.
  • Explain the concept and operation of simulations (such as monte-carlo simulations) to assist in investment decisions, including their advantages and disadvantages.
  • Business Valuation Techniques
  • Describe what determines the value of an organisation's shares and how management can influence these values.
  • Apply the following business valuation techniques: dividend discount model; cash flow methods (discounted and non-discounted); future maintainable earnings method (using an adjusted price earnings ratio); and the revised net asset value method for appraising investments and valuing ordinary shares.
  • Describe the efficient market hypothesis.
  • State how the efficient market hypothesis affects the valuation of an organisation’s share holdings.
  • Explain the significance and influence of behavioural finance and how it affects the rationality of market behaviour and decision making, including examples in a given situation.
  • Identify practical considerations when valuing shares.
  • Outline situations in which discounts or premiums might be applied when valuing a business.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • State the key elements of the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers, including the ethical considerations (brief overview only required).
  • Justify the arguments for and against the use of mergers and acquisitions as a method of corporate expansion.
  • Outline the problems of overvaluation of target companies.

• Risk Management (13%)

  • Risk Assessment
  • Describe the nature of risk and uncertainty.
  • Justify the necessity of risk taking as part of managing an organisation.
  • Explain the dynamic nature of risk assessment.
  • Explain risk appetite and how this affects risk policy.
  • Describe management's responsibilities in relation to risk management.
  • Identify the costs and benefits of implementing a risk assessment framework for various sizes of organisations.
  • Risk Management
  • Recommend a process for formal risk management by following the steps: identification; analysis (severity and probability); prioritization; treatment (transfer, accept, reduce, avoid); monitoring and review.
  • Assess the different approaches to embedding risk management into an organisation, including the importance of 'tone at the top'.
  • Explain how organisations use policies and techniques to mitigate various business risks (operational, financial, and strategic), and recommend an appropriate course of action in relation to a risk in a given situation.
  • Foreign Exchange Risk
  • Explain the reasons for exchange rate differences (transaction, translation and economic risk).
  • Recommend external hedging techniques used for foreign currency and interest rate risk (including forwards, futures, options, swaps, money market hedges). Note: calculations will not be required for futures and exchange traded options.
  • Calculate forward exchange rates using Interest Rate Parity and Purchasing Power Parity.

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

Official sources and references

• ISCA Financial Management Study Guide

  printed p.8, Module Syllabus

• ISCA Financial Management Study Guide

  printed p.4, Module Assessment

• SCAQ Programme Developments

  FAQs for SCAQ Programme Developments (syllabus continuity)

• SCAQ Candidate Handbook

  11.8 Pass Requirements

• ISCA SCAQ Foundation Programme

  Module Fees table and footnotes

• ISCA SCAQ Foundation Programme

  Module Fees, re-sit

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.