In yet another pioneering initiative aimed at offering aspiring Chartered Accountants increased flexibility, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) has decided to offer on-demand computer-based exams for the Business Level from January 2023.
The on-demand computer-based exams will be offered at the CA Sri Lanka Head Office in Colombo 7 and across selected branches, island-wide and will be conducted throughout the year beginning this month.
To cater to the increasing number of students sitting for the Business Level exams, students will be allowed to apply for their preferred time slot and date, on a first come, first served basis, when applying for on-demand exams.
President of CA Sri Lanka, Mr. Sanjaya Bandara, explained that by introducing the on-demand exam, students will have the opportunity to complete the CA Sri Lanka programme at a faster pace.
The globally recognised Chartered Accounting programme comprises of four levels in total, and the Business Level I & II are the first two levels of the programme. The Business Level consists of eight subjects, which are Financial Accounting, Business Mathematics & Statistics, Business Law, Business Environment & Economics, Audit, Business Processes & Digitalisation, Management Accounting, Business Taxation, and Digital Business Strategy.
Further, along with the introduction of the on-demand exams for Business Level, CA Sri Lanka will also convert the Business Level exams from traditional paper-based physical exams to computer-based exams in keeping with evolving times.
The computer-based exams for both Business Level I and II exams will benefit thousands of students across the country, as the Institute has decided to increase the number of exam centres. “In the past, CA Sri Lanka conducted the paper-based Business Level exams at 9 centres, but with the introduction of the computer-based exams, we are looking at increasing the number of exam centres to at least 15,” Mr. Bandara said.
Due to the larger number of exam centres, students will be able to choose an exam centre closest to their city of residence, thereby limiting their travel time. The exam papers will comprise multiple-choice questions with a duration of two hours per subject. With the transition from paper-based exams to computer-based exams, releasing of the exam results will also be expedited.
During COVID-19, CA Sri Lanka conducted virtual exams for students to ensure that they could continue their exams and studies without interruption. However, given some of the challenges students faced during that time, CA Sri Lanka has taken steps to ensure that the facilities required to conduct computerised examinations are provided to students free of charge with the introduction of computer-based exams.
At present, CA Sri Lanka offers virtual exams for all levels for CA students living overseas, including in Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Kuwait, Latvia, Malawi, the Maldives, Malta, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
