ACCA AFM exam-day guide
ACCA AFM · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission notice / exam confirmation
Bring the confirmation the provider issued for your sitting (or know your candidate number). Formats and requirements vary, so confirm with the provider what must be printed versus shown on a device.
Acceptable photo ID
Bring the original ID type specified in your admission details. Accepted documents differ by centre and country; confirm with the provider well before exam day and check that the name matches your registration.
Approved calculator
Bring a calculator that meets the provider's rules (non-programmable, no transmitting capability). Confirm the current permitted models and whether spares are allowed with the provider.
Writing materials
Bring pens, pencils, eraser and a ruler. If you are sitting a computer-based exam, check with the provider whether rough-paper or a scribble pad is supplied and whether you may bring your own.
Exam-day logistics plan
Know the centre address, travel route and arrival time. Arrival and late-admission cut-offs are set by the provider; confirm the exact times on your admission details.
Timekeeping device
Bring a watch if permitted, since clocks in the hall may not be visible from your seat. Confirm with the provider whether watches are allowed and whether smart watches are prohibited.
Personal admin
Plan meals, medication and hydration around the session length. If you have an approved access arrangement, confirm with the provider in advance what evidence you must bring.
Prepared formula and technique notes
Review your own summary of AFM formulas and method steps (e.g. NPV, WACC, adjusted present value, option pricing, hedging, business valuation, M&A, restructuring). Leave these outside the exam room; they are for revision only.
Question-approach plan
Decide in advance how you will allocate reading time, which questions you will answer first, and your target minutes per mark. Practise this on at least one full paper before the sitting.
Professional and ethical scenarios recap
Re-read your notes on how to identify and discuss ethical and professional issues in a scenario, since these can appear in any section. This is content revision, not an item to bring.
Plan the day
Switch from learning new material to consolidation. Work through at least one full timed past paper or mock under exam conditions, then mark it honestly and list your three weakest syllabus areas. Spend the remaining time on targeted practice of those areas and on reciting your formula sheet from memory.
Confirm your centre, arrival time and ID requirements with the provider, check your travel plan, and prepare everything on the checklist in one place. Do not leave document checks to the morning.
Do light revision only: formula recall, method steps for the main question types, and a review of your mock-paper mistakes. Avoid new topics and avoid a late-night cram. Set alarms, eat normally, and aim for a full night's sleep.
Eat a proper meal, re-check that your ID and admission details are packed, and arrive at the centre with margin for delays. Do a short, calm review of key formulas rather than attempting new questions. Follow the centre's registration and seating instructions.
Use the permitted reading time to skim all questions, note the marks available and identify which questions you will answer and in what order. Flag any question that looks unfamiliar so you can return to it rather than losing time early.
Keep to your minutes-per-mark budget and move on when a question is overrunning. Show workings clearly, since method marks are available even when the final figure is wrong, and state any assumptions you make.
Reserve the last few minutes to check that every required question has been attempted, that workings are legible and labelled, and that you have not left a question blank because of time pressure.
Rules to check
Bring only the ID and materials the provider permits. Prohibited items typically include phones, smart watches and unauthorised notes; confirm the full prohibited-items list with the provider before exam day.
Follow all instructions from invigilators, including on seating, starting and stopping, and leaving the room. Failure to comply can lead to disciplinary action; confirm the provider's exam regulations.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the exam and do not attempt to access unauthorised material. Suspected malpractice is handled under the provider's disciplinary procedures.
If you need to leave the room for a break, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator. Whether breaks are permitted and whether the clock stops varies by centre and format; confirm with the provider.
If you are late, you may be refused admission. Late-admission rules are set by the provider, so confirm the cut-off time in advance and plan to arrive early.
If illness or another emergency affects you before or during the exam, notify the centre staff and the provider as soon as possible and ask what evidence is required. Do not assume a mitigating-circumstances process applies without confirming it.
Scoring is based on the marks available for each question, with credit for correct method and workings, not only final answers. Read the verb in each requirement (e.g. calculate, discuss, evaluate) and answer what is actually asked.
Do not assume this guide reflects current provider policy. Where any detail matters to you, confirm it directly with the provider before exam day.