The last examination session of current AAT examination is December 2018 and PBE is December 2019.
Students who are partway through their studies under the current system including AAT Examination and PBE can claim cross-credits to the relevant modules of the new QP on or before 31 December 2021.
For AAT students/ graduates/ members
Existing AAT Examination paper
Credit for new QP module
1
Accounting and
Computerized Accounts
Accounting
2
Business Communication and Organization and Management
4
Business Management
3
Management Accounting
Business Economics and
Financial Mathematics
Business Economics
5
Principles of Taxation
-
6
Fundamentals of Business Law
7
Financial Accounting
8
Principles of Auditing and Management Information Systems
Information Management
Cross-credit for Module 1 can either be AAT Paper 1 or Paper 7.
AAT students who have completed all or certain of eight papers of the AAT Examination can be exempted from the corresponding first five modules of the new QP, i.e. Modules 1 to 5 of the Associate Level as specified in the above table. There is no paper-for-paper exemption for AAT Paper 5 "Principles of Taxation" and Paper 6 "Fundamentals of Business Law", as Modules 6 to 10 of the Associate Level are pitched at a higher level of competency for the corresponding papers.
For PBE students/ graduates
Existing PBE paper
I
II
Management
Accounting and Finance
Financial Management
III
Auditing and Information Systems
Principles of Auditing
IV
Business Law and Taxation
9
10
Business and Company Law
PBE students were AAT graduates who have completed all eight papers of the AAT Examination. Given PBE Paper IV "Business Law and Taxation" is a combined paper with law and taxation, cross-credit is available for both Module 9 "Principles of Taxation" and Module 10 "Business and Company Law" under the new QP. PBE students who have completed all or certain of four papers of the PBE can be exempted from the corresponding Modules 6 to 10 of the Associate Level as specified in the above table.
Current AAT/ PBE students or members need to indicate their wish to take the new QP in the 2018/2019 annual renewal and their personal information and examination results will be transferred to the institute automatically afterwards.
Past registered AAT/ PBE students or graduates or members need to reinstate their HKIAAT studentship by 31 August 2018 or register with the institute as a student on or after 1 September 2019; and claim cross-credits to the relevant modules of the new QP on or before 31 December 2021.
Yes, you are still able to claim cross-credits under the transitional arrangements. However, in order to facilitate your claim, you are strongly advised to contact the Qualifications Assessment Team (students.reg@hkicpa.org.hk) before applying the new QP.
No, students who choose to continue with the existing AAT plus PBE route should follow the current policy, i.e. they are required to complete all eight AAT papers before enrolling the PBE. If they want to continue with the new QP for Modules 6 to 10, they are not required to complete all eight AAT papers.
Failed attempts at the AAT Examination, the PBE and the current QP will not be counted towards the number of attempts for modules under the new QP.
The following options will be available to AAT members:
(a) Stay with the HKIAAT and maintain their membership status until 31 December 2029; and/ or
(b) Register with the institute and take examinations under the new QP. In such case, their status will be
transferred to the register of the institute. Same as AAT graduates, they will be exempted from the first
five Associate Modules of the new QP under cross-credit arrangement.
Such AAT members will need to register with the Institute for taking examinations under the new QP. They will then be eligible to obtain a "Certificate of Completion" of the Associate Level issued by the Institute once they have attained 5-year relevant work experience. A qualifying statement will be included in the Certificate denoting that:
(a) The Associate Level of the new QP is deemed to have been completed by a combination of the
qualification of AAT Examination plus 5-year relevant working experience under the Recognition of Prior
Learning; and
(b) The certificate holder who wishes to enroll in the modules of the Professional Level of the new QP will be
required to sit and pass a Gateway Examination.
The Gateway Examination will be a three-hour, closed-book examination and will be offered for four sessions commencing June 2020 until December 2021 with two sittings per year. The examinations will comprise essay type questions which are optional. Further details will be announced in due course.
The Gateway Examination covers substantially the knowledge areas and syllabuses of the Associate Modules 6 to 10 of the new QP. Please click here for the details of the "Module Outline and Syllabus" of Modules 6 to 10.
Yes, candidates are required to register as a QP student before sitting the Gateway Examination.
You can complete the Associate Modules 6 to 10 if you want to be admitted to the Professional Level of the new QP.
No, the Gateway Examination does not need to be taken on a consecutive basis. However, the last offering of the Gateway Examination will be in December 2021.
Yes, the Gateway Examination and the Associate Modules can be enrolled at the same time. There is no restriction in this regard.
Students will not be allowed to retake the Gateway Examination as the December 2021 session is the last session of examination. Students need to take the remaining modules (i.e. Modules 8 to 10) in order to complete the Associate Level.
No, only AAT members who were on the HKIAAT Member Register as at 31 December 2015 and satisfying the relevant requirements are eligible to enroll in the Gateway Examination.
No, you still have to register as a QP student with the Institute for taking new QP examination in order to be eligible to sit the Gateway Examination. However, you may wish to contact the Qualifications Assessment Team (students.reg@hkicpa.org.hk) to confirm your membership status before applying as a QP student.
No, there is no need to maintain a continuous AAT membership to obtain the Certificate of Completion and to enroll in the Gateway Examination. As long as you were on the HKIAAT Member Register as at 31 December 2015, you can register with the institute and will be eligible to obtain a Certificate of Completion once you have attained five years of relevant work experience and to enroll in the Gateway Examination.
No, the requirement is that the working experience is accounting related.
The JES students will be eligible for cross-credit arrangement of the Associate Modules based upon the results obtained under the JES.
The mapping table of JES papers for QP admission is as follows:
JES Examination Paper
Accounting Framework
Legal Framework
Management Information
Organizational Framework
Information Analysis
Audit Framework
Tax Framework
Managerial Finance
Information for Control
and Decision Making
JES students who have obtained exemption of Associate Modules 1 to 5 via cross-credit arrangement and have 5-year relevant work experience are also eligible to sit for the Gateway Examination.
No, the cross-credits will be retained regardless of the outcome of the Gateway Examination.
Yes, the AAT membership can be kept until 31 December 2029.
From the date of first registration as a QP student or the date of conversion to become a QP student.
AAT members will not be able to use the AAT designation after31 December 2029 since the HKIAAT will cease to operate by then. The HKIAAT will seek to renew the RMA with other overseas AAT bodies and the results will be announced in due course.
Students admitted to HKIAAT accredited sub-degree programmes on or before 31 December 2019 are eligible for module exemptions upon graduation irrespective of the outcome of our re-accreditation exercise on their programmes. These students are entitled to exemption of the relevant Associate Modules according to the cross-credits arrangements applied to graduates of the programmes enrolled in the AAT examination provided that:
(a) They fulfilled the exemption criteria of the accredited programmes as specified in the latest version of the 'HKIAAT Exemption Policy and List of Exemptions Awarded'; and
(b) They submit the exemption application and register with the Institute as a student within FIVE years upon graduation from the HKIAAT accredited programmes.
For example, for students who commence study in September 2019 and graduate in July 2021 in a HKIAAT accredited programme which has yet to obtain the institute accreditation status under the new QP, they are still able to get exemption of the relevant Associate Modules (Modules 1 - 5, max. all 5 of them) if they register in the QP on or before 31 July 2026.
