Accountants body finds solution to better exam results

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Institute of Certified Public Accountants has registered an improvement in the pass rate, reversing a trend that has seen constant performance below 40 per cent over the years.

In the May 2024 cohort, two examinations; Accounting Technicians Diploma (ATD) and Certified Tax Advisors (CTA) registered a pass above 50 per cent for the first time.

The ATD exam was sat by 121 candidates who presented 274 scripts, and 54.7 per cent of them passed compared to the 51.2 per cent who passed in the November sitting. Of the passes, 54 per cent were first-time candidates, while 52 per cent were aged 18 to 24.

The CTA course had 113 candidates sitting in May, up from the 207 that sat in November 2023, presenting 214 scripts. The pass rate also improved significantly from 36.2 to 52.3 per cent.

The Public Accountancy Examination Board (PAEB) says that 65 per cent of the CTA scripts than registered passes were presented by candidates sitting for the first time.

“So this perception that ICPAU intentionally aims at failing candidates should be discarded. It can be done,” said PAEB chairperson Prof Laura Aseru Orobia.

To date, 88 students have completed the two levels of the CTA course. In the CPA Exams, the four levels had a total of 10,678 scripts presented by 6,142 candidates, and these registered a 43.7 per cent pass rate, compared to 38.8 per cent recorded by the November cohort.

Of these scripts with passes, 65.8 per cent were also by candidates attempting the exams for the first time. There was also a reported increase in students joining CPA from tertiary institutions.

“We note here that the age bracket 25-29 years forms the bulk of the active students of the CPA course. Most of these are fresh graduates from institutions of higher learning,” Orobia said.

81 students completed the CPA course in this sitting, compared to 76 per cent in November, with 50.6 being female which indicates that the ratio of female to male accountants is moving towards equilibrium. Cumulatively, the number of students who have completed CPA now stands at 5,051.

Orobia attributed the better performance to the student engagement sessions that were introduced earlier this year, organised by ICPAU as an interaction between the students and professionals.

She also says the master classes, a system that created a platform for tuition providers and candidates also had an impact.

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URN