Practising Certificate Examinations

Please read the following Notes carefully before completing the Registration and Entry Form

 

PURPOSE
1.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Professional Accountants Ordinance, the Council of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("HKICPA"/"the Institute") rules that an applicant for the issue of a practising certificate ("PC") is required to satisfy the examination requirement through completing the PC Examinations.

 

THE CANDIDATE
2.The following persons are eligible to sit the PC Examinations:
 2.1Member category
  
2.1.1Current members of HKICPA.
2.1.2Graduates of the HKSA/ACCA Joint Examination Scheme ("the Joint Scheme") under Hong Kong law variant.
  Note: Current members who have successfully completed the Institute's Qualification Programme ("QP"), which comprises 4 modules of the professional programme and a final examination, are exempt from taking the PC Examinations. (QP-graduate members under the categories listed in Note 3 below are required to sit and pass the Aptitude Test in Hong Kong Law.)
 2.2Non-member category
  
2.2.1Full members of an accepted accountancy institute as listed below who joined the institute by sitting and passing its professional examination for membership and not by virtue of any reciprocal / mutual recognition arrangement between that institute and another body:
 
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
 
  • Association of International Accountants
 
  • Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
 
  • Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (see Note 5 below)
  • Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants  (see Note 6 below)
 
  • CPA Australia
 
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
 
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
 
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
 
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
 
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
 
  • New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants
 
  • South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
2.2.2U.S. CPA.
2.2.3Graduates of the Joint Scheme under non-Hong Kong law variant.
2.2.4HKICPA registered students of the QP under conditional enrolment ("HKICPA registered students").
2.2.5Prospective QP applicants with special permission from the HKICPA for taking the PC Examinations ("prospective QP applicants").
3.QP-graduate members under the following categories are required to sit the Aptitude Test in Hong Kong Law for PC issuance purposes:
 3.1With effect from 1 January 2008, QP-graduate members with overseas accountancy degree who wish to apply for a PC are required to sit and pass the Aptitude Test in Hong Kong Law if they have not taken Hong Kong law subject(s) at an accredited university degree programme or in an accredited Conversion Programme of the Institute. This requirement is applicable to those who register as QP students on or after 1 January 2008.
 3.2With effect from the 2008/2009 academic year, the following QP graduates who wish to apply for a PC are required to sit and pass the Aptitude Test in Hong Kong Law in order to fulfill the competency requirement in local law:
  • Students of accredited accountancy degree programmes of the Institute who have studied the law subject(s) in exchange programmes at non-Hong Kong tertiary institutions; or
  • Non-Hong Kong degree holders who are exempted from the local law subject(s) in the accredited Conversion Programmes of the Institute.
4.Persons admitted as a certified public accountant of the Institute by virtue of their membership with the following accountancy institutes and who have sat and passed the audit papers in the professional examinations of their parent institute are exempted from the PC-Business Assurance paper: 
  
  • Association of Chartered Certified Accountants ("ACCA")
 
  • Admitted to ACCA before 1 January 2002.
 
  • Admitted to ACCA on or after 1 January 2002; and completed ACCA examination at or before its June 2001 diet.
 
  • Admitted to ACCA on or after 1 January 2002; and have sat and passed Paper 3.1 – Audit and Assurance Services under the ACCA Syllabus offered during December 2001 and June 2007 diet.
 
  • Admitted to ACCA on or after 1 January 2002; and have sat and passed Paper P7 – Advanced Audit and Assurance under the new ACCA Syllabus effective from the December 2007 diet.
  • Association of International Accountants ("AIA")

 

  • Completed AIA examinations in June 1991 or thereafter; and have sat and passed or been exempted from Paper 5 – Auditing and Taxation; and have sat and passed or been exempted from Paper 7 – Auditing AND have sat and passed Paper 15 – Professional Practice in AIA examinations.
  • Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • CPA Australia
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe
  • New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • U.S. CPA
5.

Full members of CIMA who have sat and passed the following parts of the Institute's QP under the transitional arrangements of the Agreement for Mutual Examination Paper Exemption between the Institute and CIMA that expired on 30 June 2011 are required to sit the PC-Law and PC-Taxation papers:

  
(i)both the workshop and examination of Module C – Business Assurance; and
(ii)the examination of Module A – Financial Reporting; and
(iii)the final examination.
6.CICPA members who qualified as a certified public accountant of the Institute by taking Module D (Taxation) and Final Examination of the QP under the Mutual Examination Paper Exemptions Agreement for Mainland and Hong Kong Accountants are required to sit the PC-Law paper for PC issuance purposes.  Those who have NOT sat and passed the auditing paper in the PRC CPA Uniform Examination of CICPA are required to sit the PC-Business Assurance and PC-Law papers.
7.Graduates or former students of the Joint Scheme may transfer their results obtained in the examination paper(s) specified in Appendix I.
8.

Acceptance of an entry to the PC Examinations from an applicant does not imply that the applicant is qualified for HKICPA membership and/or issuance of a PC, where applicable.  HKICPA membership/PC applicants must satisfy the examination and other admission/issuance requirements prevailing at the time of the HKICPA Registration and Practising Committee's consideration of their relevant applications.  Please visit the HKICPA homepage www.hkicpa.org.hk for the latest membership and PC issuance requirements.

 
THE EXAMINATION
9.The examination dates and corresponding enrolment deadlines for the 2012 sessions are as follows:
 
 
Examination Session
Examination Dates
Deadline for Submission of Examination Entries
PC-Business Assurance
PC-Law
PC-Taxation
June 2012
Thursday,
28 June 2012

Saturday,

9 June 2012

Friday,
29 June 2012
Friday,
13 April 2012
December 2012
Thursday,
27 December 2012

Saturday,

8 December 2012

Friday,
28 December 2012
Friday,
12 October 2012
10.Candidates who are required to sit more than one paper may choose to sit all papers or just one paper at each session.  The Council rules that paper-by-paper passes are allowed and that there is no time limit restricting the validity of such passes.
11.Syllabuses for respective PC papers are as follows:
 PC-Business Assurance:syllabus adopts that of Module C – Business Assurance of the Institute's QP
 PC-Law:independent syllabus
 PC-Taxation:syllabus adopts that of Module D – Taxation of the Institute's QP
12.The examination for each PC paper lasts for 3 hours in an open-book format. All answers must be presented in English. Each PC paper is divided into two sections and the marks allocation are as follows:
 

 

Case50

 

Essay / Short Questions50
13.

In an open-book examination, candidates are allowed to bring into the examination hall their own notes and reference materials, irrespective of the quantity. Candidates are only allowed to use noiseless and cordless calculators. Programmable calculators may be used in the open-book examination provided that the calculators are without communication function. However, computers and electronic dictionaries of any size or model are NOT allowed.

14.NO tax rate/allowance table will be provided in the question papers for the PC-Taxation paper.
15.Candidates will receive by ordinary post the Examination Attendance Docket containing details of the examination centre and other examination regulations and guidelines about two weeks prior to the examination. Candidates are required to produce the Docket for admission to the examination centre and observe the regulations and guidelines therein.
16.

NO overseas examination centre is provided.  Candidates are required to take the PC Examinations in Hong Kong.  The examination for 2012 is tentatively scheduled to be held in Asia World-Expo, Hong Kong International Airport.  Candidates should refer to the Examination Attendance Docket issued by Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority for the final examination venue assigned.

 
EXAMINATION ASSISTANCE MATERIALS/COURSES
17.Candidates taking Papers PC-Business Assurance and PC-Taxation may purchase the relevant Learning Pack ("LP") produced for QP Modules C and D respectively from the Institute to help them prepare for the examinations.  The LP will be updated from time to time and the latest version will normally be available for sale at the Institute's service counter around 3 months prior to the examinations.
18.Past examination papers are available for sale at the Institute's service counter. Candidates under Member category can also access the PC Online Resources Centre ("ORC") to download past examination papers and/or to view webcasted videos on examination assistance seminars free of charge.
19.Revision courses may be offered from time to time by the Institute to candidates attempting the PC-Law and PC-Taxation Examinations.  Candidates taking the PC-Business Assurance paper can also attend the Module Preparation Seminars on Module C – Business Assurance of the Institute's Qualification Programme for the preparation of the PC-Business Assurance Examination.
 
EXAMINATION RESULTS AND SCRIPT REVIEW SERVICE
20.Candidates will be graded as "Pass", "Fail" or "Absent".
21.Examination results will generally be sent by post to candidates around 12 WEEKS AFTER the examination. Current members or graduates of the Institute can check their examination results on-line by accessing the Members' area in the Institute's homepage at: www.hkicpa.org.hk around that time.
22.Script Review Service is available to unsuccessful candidates for the PC paper(s) examined during an examination session at a charge. THIS IS NOT A RE-MARKING SERVICE but candidates requesting such service will receive a Script Review Report and a Q&A booklet for the paper reviewed.
 
FEES
23.Fees will be charged according to the status of the candidate as at the closing date of application:
 23.1

Member category

Initial Registration Fee:HK$1,500
Paper Entry Fee (per paper):HK$1,500
  

Access to Online Resources Centre for
· past papers

· webcasted videos


Free

Free

 23.2

Non-Member category

Initial Registration FeeHK$3,000
Paper Entry Fee (per paper)HK$3,000
  
(Access to Online Resources Centre is not available) 
24.For candidates who have previously paid the initial registration fee and are making further attempts, they are only required to pay the paper entry fee for the paper to be attempted.
25.Access right to the ORC is valid until the examination date of the subscribed examination session.
26.Fees paid are NOT refundable and NOT transferable.
27.An administration charge in addition to the above-mentioned paper entry fee will be levied on those candidates who have submitted their examination entries after the submission deadline. Late entries will only be accepted subject to the availability of examination centres.
 
ENQUIRIES
28.

For enquiries, please contact the Student Education and Training Department of the Institute on telephone: 2287 7228; fax: 2147 3293; or email: pef@hkicpa.org.hk.