The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda has released the November 2023 examination results that had three diets in the year 2023 – in May, August, and November, running at seven examination centres across the country.
The courses examined were Accounting Technicians Diploma (ATD), Certified Tax Advisor (CTA), and Certified Public Accountants (CPA). A total of 6,223 candidates sat the various papers representing an increment of 2.6% compared to the 6,067 candidates who sat the May 2023 examinations.
The average pass rate was 51.2% compared 43.5% in May 2023. The Public Accountants Examinations Board noted that ATD 12: Principles of Auditing had the lowest pass rate of 21.4%. Many candidates could not point out factors to consider in establishing an overall audit strategy; distinguish between internal audit and external check.
The minimum score for being recognized as a top student is 60%. A total of 9 candidates completed the ATD course compared to 6 in May 2023.
The cumulative number of students who have completed the Accounting Technicians course has now reached 1,840. The most poorly performed subjects were CTA 6: Indirect Taxes (17.1%) and CTA 10: International Taxation (6.1%). The difficult areas were the valuation of excisable goods and monthly accountability for Value Added Tax.
May candidates were aggregating values for the whole year. Examiners also cited the inability of candidates to cite tax and case laws to support answers.
The new syllabus requires one to complete levels 1 and 2 before proceeding to Level 3. There were no candidates for this level. Meanwhile, the most poorly performed subjects with a pass rate of 20% and below were CPA 12: Advanced Financial Reporting (15.8%), CPA 13: Public Financial Management (15.2%) and CPA 16: Audit Practice & Assurance (17.2%).
CPA Laura Aseru, the Chairperson of PAEB said, they were going to conduct a study on factors affecting performance to inform strategy to reverse the bad performance.
