SAICA congratulates candidates who achieved success in the 2022 APC

Johannesburg, Friday 24 February 2023: Today, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) announced that 2 711 (58%) of the 4 671 candidates who wrote the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) in December 2022, successfully demonstrated their competence in the assessment.

Freeman Nomvalo, SAICA’s Chief Executive Officer, congratulates the 2022 successful candidates for their dedication and determination in applying themselves to the professional requirements of the APC. “These candidates have risen above a myriad of challenges, including those presented by the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did these challenges affect the way that candidates had to prepare for the assessment, but they also had to adapt to the realities of the “new normal” and hybrid working environments, which no doubt impacted candidates’ ability to access sufficient depth of on-the-job experience, whilst potentially juggling increased personal commitments as well.”

Exceptional performance honoured

SAICA further celebrates the achievements of eight candidates who earned a place in the institute’s APC Honours Roll. The Honours Roll is made up of candidates who demonstrated exceptional performance and showed the greatest insight in the way they completed the case study tasks. These candidates, in alphabetical order by surname, are:

SAICA also celebrates the fact that of the total number of candidates passing the December 2022 APC, 63% are Black (African, Coloured and Indian). African candidates make up the majority of the 63%.

In many ways, the APC is the toughest challenge in an aspiring chartered accountant’s [CA(SA)’s] qualifying journey because it requires candidates to integrate their technical academic knowledge from multiple disciplines into a single, complex real-life business case study. This eight-hour competency-based assessment reviews, via a case study, candidates’ ability to demonstrate ethical, personal, and professional attributes in their application to real-world scenarios, using their technical know-how.

The lower pass rate as well as the fact that only eight out of 4 671 candidates secured a place on the Honours Roll, point to the difficulties experienced by the candidates who started their training during COVID-19.

The effects of the pandemic and the inequality gap

It has been well documented around the world that education and training have faced a serious and direct impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. This has added to the already existing challenges in South Africa’s post-school education and training space.

Preparing for the APC exam within the constraints of the inequality gap, have undoubtedly had an impact on the ability of candidates to adequately prepare for the exam, given the reduced time many of the candidates have had in terms of on-the-job training and the ability to hone their professional skills in a conducive environment.

One can, therefore, not ignore the effect of COVID-19 on the APC candidates’ overall pass rate.

The 2022 APC results are as follows:

Detailed statistics can be found on the SAICA website.

The road to transformation is a long one

SAICA continues to be concerned about the low pass rate for African candidates. SAICA is currently finalising the independent study looking into the reasons for the lower pass rates and SAICA will, as necessary, review the full pipeline of the qualification process to address any aspects of the study findings which impact negatively on the pass rate. The declining number of grade 12 learners passing with 60% in mathematics is also of great concern for the future chartered accountancy profession pipeline. It is envisaged that a far stronger initiative involving a broader spectrum of stakeholders will be required to increase the number of learners taking, and passing, mathematics, as well as broader initiatives to resolve impediments in the qualification pipeline, as identified by the research.

“Together with stakeholders such as the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants of Southern Africa (ABASA), African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), and the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Fasset), SAICA continues to implement initiatives to support candidates in order to close the inequality gap and ensure that no prospective CA(SA) is left behind,” says Nomvalo.

“I appeal to unsuccessful candidates not to give up, but to re-enroll and prepare for the 2023 APC. Do not give up – you can be successful in your next attempt,” concludes Nomvalo.

About SAICA

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 50 000 members and associates who are chartered accountants (CAs[SA]), as well as associate general accountants (AGAs[SA]) and accounting technicians (ATs[SA]), who hold positions as CEOs, MDs, board directors, business owners, chief financial officers, auditors and leaders in every sphere of commerce and industry, and who play a significant role in the nation’s highly dynamic business sector and economic development.

Chartered Accountants are highly valued for their versatile skill set and creative lateral thinking, that's why all of the top 100 Global Brands employ Chartered Accountants.

SAICA is a member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW), a global family that connects over 1,8 million fellow Chartered Accountants and students in more than 190 countries. Together, we support, develop, and promote the role of Chartered Accountants as trusted business leaders, difference-makers, and advisers.

SAICA Media Contacts

Kgauhelo Dioka, ***@saica.co.za
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Renette Human, ***@saica.co.za
Project Director: Communications
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