ACCA Computer-Based Exams
Every ACCA exam is now computer-based. What actually decides your planning is whether yours is on demand — bookable whenever you are ready — or a session exam tied to March, June, September or December.
On-demand CBEs
Booked around your own readiness rather than a fixed date. If a centre has a seat, you can sit it.
- BT / AB — Business and TechnologyApplied Knowledge
- MA — Management AccountingApplied Knowledge
- FA — Financial AccountingApplied Knowledge
- LW-ENG — Corporate and Business Law (English)Applied Skills
- LW-GLO — Corporate and Business Law (Global)Applied Skills
The first seven Foundations exams and the CAT qualification are also on-demand.
Session CBEs
Everything else — the remaining Applied Skills exams and Strategic Professional. Four fixed sittings a year:
March
June
September
December
ACCA notes that not every exam version runs in every session — confirm availability for your specific exam before planning around a date.
Register with ACCA before you book a seat
A centre hosts and invigilates the sitting; it does not register you with ACCA. You need an ACCA student registration and number first, and the booking is made against it. Bring photographic ID matching that registration on the day — centres apply ACCA's identification rules strictly, and a candidate without acceptable ID is turned away without a refund.
Which type is your exam, and why it matters
The distinction changes how you study, not just how you book. An on-demand exam lets you work until you are genuinely ready and then sit it — useful if you are studying around a job and your pace is uneven. A session exam fixes the date first, so preparation has to be planned backwards from it, and slipping means waiting roughly three months.
In practice most students start with the Applied Knowledge exams on demand, build momentum, and hit the session cycle for the first time at Applied Skills. That transition catches people out — the flexibility they are used to disappears.
ACCA CBEs, answered
What is an ACCA computer-based exam?
An ACCA exam sat on a computer at a licensed centre rather than on paper. All ACCA exams are now computer-based; what differs is when you can sit them — some are available on demand throughout the year, and the rest run only in fixed quarterly sessions.
Which ACCA exams are on demand?
The three Applied Knowledge exams — Business and Technology, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting — plus Corporate and Business Law in both its English and Global variants. The first seven exams in the Foundations suite and the CAT qualification are also on-demand.
What is a session CBE?
An exam that runs only during one of ACCA's four exam sessions, which fall in March, June, September and December. The remaining Applied Skills exams and the Strategic Professional exams are session CBEs, so the sitting date is fixed rather than chosen.
Can you book an on-demand ACCA exam any time?
Effectively, yes — subject to the centre having a seat free. That is the practical difference: an on-demand exam is booked around your readiness, while a session exam means working backwards from a fixed date months away.
Are all exam versions available every session?
No. ACCA states that not all exam versions are available in every session, so check the current availability for your specific exam before planning a sitting rather than assuming a quarterly cycle for everything.
Do you need to be an ACCA student to book?
Yes. You register with ACCA first and receive a student number; the exam booking is made against that registration. A centre invigilates and hosts the sitting — it does not register you with ACCA.
Where can you sit ACCA CBEs in London?
At licensed computer-based exam centres. We arrange sittings at approved London venues, so you can pick a location that fits around work rather than travelling across the city for a morning exam.
What do you need to bring on the day?
Photographic identification matching your ACCA registration, and your exam docket or confirmation. Centres enforce ACCA's identification rules strictly — a candidate without acceptable ID is not admitted, and the fee is not returned.
Exam formats and session months verified against ACCA on 2026-09-07 — official source. ACCA changes exam availability and naming between cycles, so confirm the current position for your exam in your ACCA account before booking.
Ready to book a CBE in London?
Tell us the exam and whether it is on-demand or session, and we will find you a seat.