AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting (Level 3)

Is the AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting course suitable for me?

As the AAT Accounting Level 3 is an advanced accreditation, we recommend you enrol on it once you have gained some experience working in accounting, or if you currently hold a valid AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting (Level 2), and are looking to gain the advanced qualification.

We also recommend that you:

•    Are at least 16 years old (or have the consent of a parent or guardian)
•    Have a solid understanding of the English language
•    Are comfortable with mathematics
•    Have access to a PC or Laptop

This certification is delivered on our eLearning platform, and we also include textbooks within the price.

What jobs can I apply for after my AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting training? 

Completing the AAT Level 3 course in Accounting will ensure you have the confidence, skills and knowledge to learn how to become an Accountant capable of performing more senior accounting functions, like advanced bookkeeping, final accounts preparation and indirect tax.

You can apply for Accounting jobs, including: 

•    Accounts Payable Clerk - £24k
•    Accounts / Finance Assistant - £24.5k
•    Bookkeeper - £28.5k
•    Payroll Supervisor - £32.5k
•    Finance Officer - £37.5k

(Source: Payscale)

Additional pathways include progressing onto our AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting (Level 4), a promotion in your current accounting job, starting your own business, or a new senior accounting job. 

AAT Qualified Bookkeeper

AAT Qualified Bookkeeper (AATQB) status will give recognition to your commitment to become a qualified Bookkeeper. Upon successful completion of the Advanced Diploma in Accounting, you will be able to start applying for AATQB status which confirms your skills and allows you to work towards being able to submit the final balance for your business, or other businesses of any size.

As a Licensed Bookkeeper, you can become self-employed and offer 5 of the 18 services listed in licence table, including Bookkeeping, Financial Accounts and Accounts preparation for sole traders and partnerships, VAT, Computerised Accountancy systems, and Payroll.

Licence types and Services

When you have earned your AAT Level 3 qualification, you can set up your own business and apply to provide 5 services.

These services include:

AAT Licensed Bookkeeper (Level 3) - Bookkeeping, Financial accounts, VAT, Computerised accountancy systems, and Payroll.

Designatory Letters

Earning your AAT Level 3 qualification will give you AATQB status, letting you use the designatory letters AATQB after your name. These designatory letters show you have gained the skills, experience and knowledge to work that employers are looking for, which can result in an increase in your earning potential. You can also now legally submit final balances for any sized organisation.

AATQB (gained with AAT Level 3) - An AAT Bookkeeping member is a qualified Bookkeeper, earning AATQB status. Delegates who have earned their AATQB status can use the designatory letters AATQB after their name, and they can apply to run their own practice as an AAT Licensed Bookkeeper.

General Accounting Responsibilities & Salary

Employers of all sizes see the value of employees with AAT qualifications and large companies including KPMG, train their staff with AAT qualifications because it demonstrates they can apply their studies to a real-world scenario.

At this level, you will be comfortable working on more technical accounting tasks and be involved in more senior duties, such as:

•    Advanced Bookkeeping
•    Final Accounts Preparation
•    Management Accounting: Costing
•    Indirect Tax FA18

Salaries vary by industry, sector and role; however, industry averages range between £23,000 and £30,000 a year, at this level.

AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Syllabus

Building on the skills and techniques you developed throughout Level 2, the AAT Level 3 course in Accounting will enable you to understand and perform more complex accounting processes, such as advanced double-entry bookkeeping, implementing procedures for acquisition and disposal of non-current assets, preparing and recording depreciation calculations, and more!

The 7 modules that you’ll cover throughout this course, are:

•    Unit 1 - Advanced Bookkeeping
•    Unit 2 - Final Accounts Preparation
•    Unit 3 - Management Accounting: Costing
•    Unit 4 - Indirect Taxation
•    Unit 5 - Ethics for Accountants
•    Unit 6 - Spreadsheets for Accounting
•    Unit 7 - Advanced Diploma Synoptic Assessment

Average course completion time – 6-8 months

These modules will teach you how to make provisions for doubtful and irrecoverable debts, help you understand the importance of ethics in the working environment and show you how to reconcile ledgers with the cash book. You’ll also learn how to analyse variances and use spreadsheets to manage and record information in the accounting environment.

Exam Prep Sessions - To help students have the best chances of passing their exams, we have developed a series of regular exam preparation sessions. Before the session, students complete a pre-assigned mock paper in advance, and your tutor will run through the paper and correct answers, informing you of what the AAT expect you to write and why. This helps you think in a way that will enable you to approach each question correctly, increasing the likelihood of you passing.

Live Online Classes - Your tutor will take you through a specific topic or module in an online classroom session.

*Sage software is only compatible with a Windows PC or Laptop. This software is not compatible with Apple Mac’s (unless Boot Camp is installed).

AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting Exam Details

There are five exams in total: 4 computer-based exams, which will need to be taken at your local AAT test centre, and 1 Synoptic Assessment.

Exams

•    Advanced Bookkeeping (2 Hours)
•    Final Accounts Preparation (2 Hours)
•    Management Accounting – Costing (2 Hours 30 minutes)
•    Indirect Taxation (1 Hour 30 minutes)
•    Advanced Diploma in Accounting Synoptic Test Assessment (2 Hours 45 minutes)

The exam format includes multiple-choice questions, selecting answers from a drop-down menu and typing numbers and text into form fields. The “Spreadsheets” section will use Microsoft Excel software. You should let your assessment centre know which version of Excel you are most familiar with.

When you are ready to take your assessments, you have two options:

Online Assessments directly with e-Careers - To take your assessment from the comfort of your home, please contact e-Careers Customer Service to book and pay for your assessment. Not available on the Synoptic Assessment.

Test Centre Assessments - You can still choose to sit your exam at a suitable AAT approved assessment venue. We can help find the closest one to you. Exam fees vary from centre to centre.

Exam fees are not included in the course cost. 

Synoptic Assessments

The Synoptic Assessments will test your overall understanding of a range of subjects. There are specific times of the year when you will be able to take your Synoptic Assessments, called the ‘Synoptic Windows’. For Advanced Level, the Synoptic Window is available 6 times per year (usually every other month).

Pass Rates

We are proud to be achieving some of the highest pass marks throughout the UK. This is made possible because of the programme offering we have, including eLearning platform, textbooks, a range of mock exams, and our official Sage courseware.

The national average pass rate for AAT Level 3 is 75.0%. Our pass rate is 87.6%.  

Synoptic windows revised

Synoptic window dates have now been confirmed for the remainder of the year and include additional dates to help with planning and potential capacity issues due to social distancing restrictions. Full details can be found here.

Level 2 synoptic assessments

In agreement with Ofqual, the UK qualifications regulator, the AAT has announced the intention to issue calculated results for eligible students studying the Foundation Certificate in Accounting - Level 2 (Level 5 in Scotland) and Foundation Diploma in Accounting and Business (Level 2).

Full details on the revised synoptic windows can be found here.

AAT Exam Centre Venue Search

AAT Exams Update - COVID-19

Pearson VUE-owned test centres will be following the recommendations from the CDC and World Health Organization for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting testing candidates and their staff. Candidates are asked to comply with the health and safety guidelines outlined below to keep fellow candidates safe. (Face masks are now required while testing at Pearson VUE-owned test centres).

What you need to know

You will not be admitted to the test centre and should reschedule your exam if:

You have tested positive for COVID-19 (unless you have been symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine and at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure, or you have received two negative COVID-19 test results in a row, 24 hours apart)

You are currently experiencing or have experienced one or more associated symptoms within the last fourteen (14) days (unless you have been symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever reducing-medicine):

• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Fever
• Chills
• Sore throat
• Loss of smell

You live with or have had close contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19 (unless at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure).

Have been or are under home quarantine or centralized observation by government or healthcare authorities (unless at least 14 days have passed since your quarantine or centralized observation has been lifted by the government or healthcare authorities).