Overview

Accountancy is the process of communicating information about the financial state of an organisation to its stakeholders. The broader skill set requires the individual to analyse, interpret and propose solutions to business related problems. There is a need to understand and harness the data produced by an organisation in order to drive and manage change.

This competition is designed to reflect the role of an Accountant and the standards expected within the financial sector. The competition will take the format of a set business case study with accompanying tasks and assessments to be undertaken in the given time period.

The skills you need to demonstrate

  • Maths skills

  • Critical thinking

  • Teamwork

  • Effective communication

  • Commercial acumen

  • Problem solving

  • Strong IT skills

  • Customer service skills

Contact details

Entry criteria

  • This is a team competition (teams of 3).
  • Teams should be made up of no less than two and no more than three people.
  • There is no limit to the number of competitors permitted to enter this competition per organisation.
  • There is no age limit for this competition.

This competition is intended for those studying, training and/or working in the accounting and finance sector. Competitors must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Undertaking a Level 3 or Level 4 apprenticeship, or first year of L7 apprenticeship; or
  • Undertaking an equivalent qualification (e.g. HND in Accounting); or have completed a Level 3 or Level 4 apprenticeship within the past 12 months.

How it works

Registrations are now open and close midnight 28th March 2024.

The Entry stage of competition is an online test sent after registration closes on the 8th April 2024.

The Entry Stage test is completed online and made up of 25 multiple choice type questions. Each question carries 4 marks and the test is marked out of 100. It covers a range of relevant topics and is to be completed on your own. The average score of all team members will be taken as the final score for the Entry Stage. The 12 teams scoring the
highest marks will be invited to attend the Qualifier Stage.

Competitors will have until the entry stage closes on 26th April 2024 to complete the task.

The National Qualifier Stage will take place online on 20th June.

Teams will be allotted a start time and, 5 minutes before, will be issued with a case study and supporting documents. Teams will have 2 hours to complete 4 tasks and to plan, create and practise a presentation (lasting no less than 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes).

Teams will then present to a panel of judges (via Zoom) and answer any questions they may have from the presentation.

To help finalists prepare ahead of the UK Final, we will provide relevant technical training and share mindset development techniques, to support them to remain focused on achieving success.

National finals will take place between the 18th-22nd November 2024 in Manchester (venues TBC).

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