SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making (ADF) — Information & Free Practice

About SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making (ADF)

SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making (ADF) · SG

Key exam facts

Provider

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

Format

Restricted open-book electronic examination with 50 multiple-choice questions, including standalone questions and short case-based scenarios; remotely proctored via Proctorio on Cirrus. MCQ format applies from the June 2026 examination session.

Exam questions

Total questions: 50.

Time limit

2 hours 30 minutes of examination time. The ADF sitting on 7 December 2026 is scheduled 14:00–16:30 Singapore time (GMT+8).

Passing score

At least 50% of the available examination marks is required to pass the module (percentage of marks, not a scaled score).

Exam fee

Per module: non-student examination S$408.75; student examination S$327.00; re-sit S$218.00. Amounts include GST, are non-refundable and exclude tuition. Student eligibility is formal full-time or part-time tertiary education at enrolment, based on the application graduation date. Separate application/candidature or other charges may apply; fees may change without notice.

Topics covered

• Introduction to Management Accounting (6%)

  • Accounting as a Tool for Managers
  • Define managerial accounting.
  • Identify the three primary responsibilities of management.
  • Distinguish between management accounting and financial accounting.
  • Cost behaviour Patterns
  • Distinguish between Merchandising, Manufacturing, and Service Organisations.
  • Identify Basic Cost Behaviour Patterns.
  • Determine Variable and Fixed Costs.

• Cost Management and Cost Analysis (17%)

  • Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis
  • Explain contribution margin.
  • Compute a breakeven point in sales units and sales dollars for single and multiple products.
  • Apply breakeven sensitivity for a single product and multi-product environment under changing business conditions.
  • Job Costing
  • Distinguish between job costing and process costing.
  • Compute a predetermined overhead rate for a job.
  • Compute the cost of a job.
  • Prepare journal entries for a job costing system.
  • Process Costing
  • Identify conversion costs for process costing.
  • Compute equivalent units and total cost of production.
  • Prepare Journal Entries for a Process Costing System.
  • Activity-Based Costing, Variable and Absorption Costing
  • Identify cost drivers for each activity.
  • Compute predetermined overhead and total cost under the traditional allocation method.
  • Compute activity-based product costs.
  • Compare and contrast traditional and activity-based costing system.
  • Compare and contrast variable and absorption costing.

• Budget Planning and Control (15%)

  • Budgeting
  • Describe why managers use budgets.
  • Prepare the operating budget, financial budget, and master budget.
  • Prepare the flexible budgets.
  • Explain how budgets are used to evaluate goals.
  • Standard Costing and Variance
  • Explain why a standard cost is developed.
  • Compute the standard costs for product costing.
  • Calculate and interpret variances for materials, labour, overhead and sales.
  • Explain how companies use variance analysis for performance evaluation and control.

• Responsibility Accounting and Business Decision Making (23%)

  • Responsibility Accounting
  • Evaluate centralised and decentralised organisation structure.
  • Describe various types of responsibility centers.
  • Evaluate the effects of various decisions on performance evaluation of responsibility centers.
  • Explain the objectives of transfer pricing and describe the advantages and disadvantages of various transfer pricing methods.
  • Compute the transfer prices between strategic business units within an entity.
  • Short term decision making
  • Identify relevant information for decision making when resources are constrained.
  • Evaluate whether to accept or reject a special order.
  • Evaluate whether to make or buy a component.
  • Evaluate whether to keep or discontinued a product or a segment.
  • Evaluate whether to sell or process further.

• Strategic Management (17%)

  • Strategic models and tools to determine the strategy and competitive position of the businesses
  • Apply porter's generic strategies.
  • Apply porter's five forces.
  • Apply PESTEL.
  • Apply SWOT.
  • Apply value chain analysis.
  • Apply resources, capabilities & core competencies.

• Performance Evaluation and Sustainability Issues (22%)

  • Balanced Scorecard and Performance Measures
  • Describe the balance scorecard and discuss how it is used.
  • Discuss the importance of performance measurement.
  • Discuss the characteristics of an effective performance measure.
  • Evaluate a project using Return on Investment, Residual Income, and Economic Valued Added.
  • Sustainability Issues
  • Describe how sustainability creates business value.
  • Identify users need of information for sustainability reporting.

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

• SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making Study Guide

  printed p. 8, Module at a Glance

• SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making Study Guide

  printed p. 17, LO51

• SCAQ Foundation Accounting for Decision Making Study Guide

  printed p. 4, Module Assessment

• ISCA SCAQ Developments

  FAQs for SCAQ Programme Developments

• SCAQ Candidate Handbook

  section 11.8, Pass Requirements

• ISCA Foundation Programme

  Fees, Foundation Programme Module Examinations

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.