Comparison
ACCA and ICAN, side by side.
Both are serious routes to chartered status. The right one depends on where you will work, how you prefer to sit exams and what you already hold, and many HPS students hold one and add the other. The facts below are as published by the bodies; exemption guidance is indicative until they confirm it.
A
ACCA
I
ICAN
ComparingACCAICAN
- Awarding body
- ACCAAssociation of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK, global)
- ICANInstitute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria
- Designation
- ACCAACCA member (FCCA after 5 years)
- ICANACA; FCA after qualifying years
- Structure
- ACCAApplied Knowledge (3) · Applied Skills (6) · Strategic Professional (6)
- ICANFoundation (4) · Skills (6) · Professional (5)
- Exams to qualify
- ACCA15 exams, of which 2 are options from 4; plus the Ethics and Professional Skills Module
- ICAN15 papers, Case Study compulsory
- Exam format
- ACCAComputer-based: on-demand for BT, MA, FA, LW; session CBE for the rest
- ICANWritten examinations at ICAN centres
- Duration
- ACCA2 hours (Applied Knowledge), 3 hours (Applied Skills), 3 hours 15 minutes (Strategic Professional)
- ICAN3 hours per paper; Case Study 4 hours
- Sessions
- ACCAMarch, June, September, December; on-demand papers any time
- ICANMay and November diets
- Practical experience
- ACCA36 months of relevant experience recorded in the PER
- ICANSupervised practical training requirements set by ICAN
- Where it travels
- ACCARecognised internationally, with mutual arrangements in many jurisdictions
- ICANStatutory recognition in Nigeria; reciprocity arrangements with selected bodies
- Where HPS fits
- ACCATuition by session, mocks in the exam room, on-demand papers sat at the HPS CBE centre in Garki
- ICANTuition by diet, written-exam technique, mocks marked against ICAN-style schemes