ACCA Applied Skills · exam guide

ACCA Applied Skills Eligibility

Checked against ACCA's official pages, as of 12 October 2026. Rules and fees change; confirm on the official site before you act.

Applied Skills is the second level of the ACCA Qualification. You reach it by passing or being exempt from the three Applied Knowledge exams; graduates and holders of relevant qualifications may get exemptions.

• You must be a registered ACCA student. Direct registration from India needs a Class 12 (10+2) pass in 5 subjects (at least 3 in Year XII) including English and Mathematics or Accounts, with 65% in at least 2 subjects and over 50% in the others.
• ACCA exams follow a modular order, so Applied Knowledge (BT, MA, FA) comes before Applied Skills. If you enter an Applied Skills exam while Applied Knowledge exams are outstanding, you must also enter for those outstanding exams.
• Degrees, diplomas and professional qualifications with matching content can earn exemptions from Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills exams, up to a maximum of nine exams. Use the ACCA Exemptions calculator to check.
• Students without the Class 12 entry criteria can start with ACCA's Foundations level and progress from there.