By David Langstane
Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” The latest exam results from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), whose principal administrative office is based in Glasgow, have offered a timely reminder that Roosevelt was right and the route to professional accomplishment is rarely straightforward.
Pass rates announced following the March 2026 sitting show that while thousands of students continue to progress towards qualification, the journey to becoming a chartered certified accountant remains demanding, competitive and far from guaranteed.
A total of 92,224 students entered the March exam session, completing 103,785 exams between them. Of those, just 3,334 students completed their final exams to become ACCA affiliates — a milestone that marks years of sustained effort, technical study and professional development.
Yet the broader picture painted by the pass rates is one of rigour rather than ease. Across all exam levels, pass rates ranged from 40% to 53%, meaning that in several papers, more than half of all candidates did not make the grade first time around.
March 2026 ACCA Pass Rates
| ACCA Qualification | Pass Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Applied Skills | |
| TX – Taxation | 53% |
| FR – Financial Reporting | 50% |
| PM – Performance Management | 45% |
| FM – Financial Management | 50% |
| AA – Audit and Assurance | 43% |
| Strategic Professional – Essentials | |
| SBL – Strategic Business Leader | 52% |
| SBR – Strategic Business Reporting | 50% |
| Strategic Professional – Options | |
| AAA – Advanced Audit and Assurance | 42% |
| AFM – Advanced Financial Management | 44% |
| APM – Advanced Performance Management | 40% |
| ATX – Advanced Taxation | 50% |
Advanced Performance Management proved the toughest paper, with only 40% of candidates passing. Advanced Audit and Assurance followed closely at 42%, while Advanced Financial Management recorded a 44% pass rate. At the Applied Skills level, Audit and Assurance was the most challenging, with 43% passing, followed by Performance Management at 45%.
Taken together, the figures show that professional qualifications continue to demand far more than academic ability alone. Success requires sustained commitment, technical competence and resilience under pressure — along with, often, the willingness to learn from setbacks and try again.
Commenting on the results, Alan Hatfield, executive director – content, quality and innovation at ACCA, said: “It’s great to see so many students advancing towards their goal of ACCA membership in this first exam session of the year. Congratulations to all successful students from the March session.”
He added that ACCA had worked to strengthen its learning support ahead of the sitting, including subject-specific live sessions, examiner insights and detailed guidance on how markers assess candidate performance. On the role of study resources, Hatfield noted: “Using these resources continues to support improved exam performance, meaning faster progress to qualification, especially when studying with an Approved Learning Provider.”
For those who passed, the results represent progress genuinely earned. For those who did not, they reflect the reality of a qualification built to uphold high professional standards — one that does not yield easily, by design.
As Scottish businesses face growing complexity across regulation, reporting and technology-driven change, the need for well-trained and ethically grounded finance professionals has never been greater. These pass rates are a reminder that those who ultimately achieve ACCA membership do so with credentials that carry real weight — and that the difficulty of the journey is precisely what makes the destination worthwhile.
