CPAA, CAANZ or IPA?

evievask · April 2017

Good afternoon!

I would like to ask for your insights and experiences on these assessing bodies. We are preparing our requirements for skills assessment (fingers crossed they are still on the 2017-2018 list) for either Accountant - General or Finance Manager. Applicant is non-accting/noncpa (Bachelor in Economics) but is doing full-fledged Financial Analyst/ Fin Manager role for the last 12 yrs. However, we see a deficiency in fulfilling the core knowledge areas (course being non-acctg) so we are truly curious about how the assessment will turn out given his profile.

Section 1/In the Top 3 University in Ph
Economics degree, with MBA units the yr after graduation and before doing full-fledged financial analyst/fin mgr role
12 yrs strong Financial Manager experience in multinational banks

Anybody here who has more or less the same profile/case?
If required to take further courses/studies to complete and obtain favorable assessment, which assessing body is recommended? CPAA has online courses you can take while in the Ph. How about CAANZ?

Thank you in advance for your response!

rbl2609 · June 2017

Hi. Have you submitted your assessment? What's the outcome? I am interested in this topic as well. I am a CPA, my prob is more on the outcome. Anyone who are CPAs in the Philippines, with external audit experience and how your assessment went? Thanks

Au_Vic · June 2017

To get a favourable assessment you need to meet the competency requirement for the nominated occupation. CPAA does not care whether you studied in the top university in PH or some never heard university/college. You may get some credits for your MBA units depending upon the subjects you have finished.

Not sure about the curriculum of Economics but I am guessing you may need to do a lot of bridging studies to meet the core competencies and yes, I think CPAA offers bridging studies but the cost may be too expensive. Why dont you take the subjects you are missing in a university or college in Philippines.

Au_Vic · June 2017

@rbl2609 Hi, I am a CPA in Philippines and also a CPA in australia. I don't think you will have any issues with the assessment. There is a new agreement signed last year between PICPA and CPA Australia for CPAs in Philippines.

During my time, there is no agreement between PICPA and CPAA so all filipino accountants in Australia had to sit and pass the 6 subjects in CPA Australia exam to get full membership.

evievask · October 2017

@Au_Vic thanks for your inputs. It's not actually for me but for my husband. My siblings kasi are allbased in Syd and we are being encouraged to explore. He got assessed by CPAA, and all else are okay except he needs to sit 3 foundation exams (ongoing) and then be reassessed to get positive assessment. we were also told by another source that his university being a section 1 school is comparable to Au bachelor's degree so no issue even if he is non-cpa in the phils. You are correct, it is additional expense but it's good to course it thru cpaa na lang rin just to ensure a smooth process on the credits. He is in the field of Financial Planning and Analysis/Financial Analyst/Management Reporting/Budget Forecasting kasi and not exactly doing General Accountant work so he's assessed as a Management Accountant. Thank you!

gt2018 · February 2018

Hi evievask, I have the same profile. I am a Business Economics graduate but I was asked to sit in 2 foundation exams - financial accounting and reporting, plus business law. I am considering taking the exam just to speed things up as well vs taking a semester or course here in the PH.

Did your husband already take the foundation exams? How did he prepare for it? How much is the cost estimate and do you know how frequent are the exams scheduled?

Sorry for many questions but just trying to weigh our options..Did you also try to apply via IPA instead of CPAA?

Thank you!

evievask · February 2018

Hi @gt2018. Im not sure if there are short courses in the Ph that will equate to the core subjects and which institutions locally are accredited by the assessing body/ies, which is why we felt it's safer to just take them thru CPAA. Given the hectic demand of my husband's work he recently sat the first two and will be taking the last one in three weeks, all depending on his workload. Then when he's done he's asked to request for reassessment for a fee. We shall see from there how it will progress. Were you assessed as an Accountant-General or Management Accountant? Super stiff and taas ng requirements for these professions ano? And for one to hope to be invited this FY, dapat at least 75points na yata. Then there's the element pa of uncertainty, since flagged na sya and there's news na maaaring maslash pa further ang migration invites. There are so much uncontrollable variables at play, and there's no guarantee until the moment actually comes na may mareceive nang approval. We are just doing what we can as we explore this opportunity, then await whatever happens. :-)

As for the cost it is $345 per exam, or approx 14kphp. then for the schedule of exam it is up to you when you feel you're ready. There are various testing centers depende sayo where you'd like to take them. My husband said if you read and understand the materials well, no problem for sure you'll be able to pass it. Self-study lang rin sya and wala rin any other review matls except for the module you'll receive via email when you enrol. Time needed to review depende sayo how many hours you can allot to study. Ok din naman daw narerefresh sya theoretically, kasi antagal na rin naggraduate sa school diba although medyo hassle lang tlaga yung thought na mandatory pa tlaga i-sit at ipass hehe. We have not tried any other assessing body so wala ako masagot for comparison. I think okay naman ang CPAA, at least kung sakaling palarin kayo ay pwede nyo ituloy sa CPA program, walang tapon kumbaga. Though ang linya talaga ng husband ko is towards CFA route so di pa rin sya sure kung ano sa huli. All the best sa iyo at sa ating lahat hehe. Dependent lang nya din ako if we will push thru at palarin, although banking din ang linya ko di ako same profession kaya sayang din extra 5 points sana sa partner. :-) God bless!

toAustraliaandbeyond · February 2018

Question po, anu anung information po kailangan ni CPAA sa COE po, pra po sana marequest ko po sa mga previous at current employer ko po. Also my taga PUP po ba dito pde po ba makahingi ng ssample ng subject mapping po. Salamat

evievask · February 2018

@toAustraliaandbeyond hello! yung COEs po ng hubby ko unfortunately issued by employers nya ay standard lang kasi di nag-iissue ng ibang format. So nakalagay lang don ung period of employment nya, role/designation, and compensation. then we supported them na lang with an affidavit/declaration signed by his immediate bosses para sa detailed role nya. you can check the cpaa website don lang din po namin nakuha ang info on requirements

All the best!

toAustraliaandbeyond · February 2018

Awww.. Pati ba ung sa current employer gnun din? Dba pdeng co-worker lang? Kasi boss ko nsa overseas until May hehe tapos malalaman pa nila nag-aapplyy ako for visa hehe

toAustraliaandbeyond · February 2018

Sana dii mawala yung accountant sa list. Di pa ako nagsusubmit so sana wag muna

evievask · February 2018

@toAustraliaandbeyond ay oo nga un nga ung risk ano pag sinali ung current employer.. naku di ko po sure hehe puro ex-employers kasi yung kinuhaan namin.

toAustraliaandbeyond · February 2018

Hehe un kasi ang worry ko, though merun nmn ako issued job description from the company kung pde sana sa co-worker wala aakong magiging prob hehe

sethcabrera786 · June 2018

Hi po mam @evievask and @gt2018 may i ask this one po re: CPAA assessment:

---> Do I need to request the syllabus on all the subjects (e.g. liberal arts subjects) under the BSA Program where I graduated or yun lng pong subjects na pertinent sa mandatory subjects ng CPAA?

Hope you can help me po on the matter per your previous experience. THAAANK YOU!!!

evievask · June 2018

Hello @sethcabrera786 what we did was get the syllabus of subjects related to the core mandatory subjects of CPAA. so yung mga hindi naman related hindi na po namin sinama.

sethcabrera786 · June 2018

Thank you po @evievask!!!

otreasure · August 2018

Hello po. Pasingit lang po ako. ^_^

Tanong ko lang po sana kung may edge yung mga CPA na nagpa skill assessment?

Worried po kasi ko since wala po akong license...

2010- Graduated BS in Management Accounting ; Got certification po as Associate in Accounting Technology

2011-2015 worked as a bookkeeper sa Philippines po

2016-2018 worked as a part time bookkeeper sa Melbourne under (student dependent visa)

2018- balik pinas po ako and nag wowork ulit as a bookkeeper

Okay naman na po yung PTE ko (para sa english proficiency). So ang worry ko nalang po is ung ibibigay ng school ko na syllabus description.

As per our agent po, nasa 75 to 85 points po kami basta mag take ulit alo ng PTE (at least 79 each test) nagkulang po kasi ako ng 4 points

Anyway, I am applying po pala for accountant general.

Ayun..sana may makabasa po nito.

Thanks a lot! ♥

God bless po sa ating lahat

batman · August 2018

@otreasure being a CPA has a factor to get a positive skills assessment. You also mentioned that most of your work experience relates to bookkeeping. Bookkeeping can't be considered as equivalent to accountant general skill level.

otreasure · August 2018

@batman I see, thank you very much po sa pag reply.

han_na · October 2018

hi everyone am a newbie in this group, i'm a graduate of bs accountancy but NOT a CPA, am working in a bank for 10yrs now as an accounting assistant. is there an chance na ma qualify ako for 189/190? kelan ba dapat ako magpa assess ng credentials and anu ano ang mga kailangan. thanks in advance sa sasagot.

batman · October 2018

@han_na welcome to the forum. make sure your job descriptions are related or closely related to the nominated occupation you are going to nominate.

there are requirements to be eligible for skilled visa. its a points base. like education,
employment
age
English test, etc

read more details here in the forum. to fully understand the requirements and process.

hopeful_persistent · January 2019

Just want to ask, meron ba dito na na expire na ang CPAA na skills assessment and then nagpa-assess ulit? ask ko lang sana sa process. Salamat.

batman · January 2019

@hopeful_persistent meron update ng assessment, check mo website nila.

irl031816 · February 2019

Hello, regarding COE and Job Description, paano kaya sa case ko na 5 years na sa company and twice na napromote, yung nakaindicate kasi sa COE namin is yung present item lang, date started then compensation details. Yung sa Job Description naman is pwedeng hingin and icertify ng HR namin, yung hihingin ko bang JD if ever is including yung mga past positions ko?

batman · February 2019

Sa mga external auditor na gusto mag pursue ng audit, CAANZ na kau mag pa assess para ma gamit nyo assessment pag dating dito pag mag pursue kau ng CA kasi pag audit yun ang usual na recommended at supported ng employers.

irl031816 · February 2019

@batman paano kapag sa CPAA nagpa assess then later on pagdating dyan gusto mag pursue ng CA? may additional bang need gawin? And same lang ba required docs ng CAANZ at CPAA para sa assessment?

marose · May 2019

@batman with regards to CAANZ, by any chance, paano nalalaman kung sino sino mga pumasa per module (e.g. CAP119)? I am not in the program but knows someone who's taking it. Thank you.

batman · June 2019

@irl031816 same lang pinasa ko nun nag pa assess ako sa caanz.

batman · June 2019

@marose alam ko nag eemail sau kong pasa ka.

irl031816 · June 2019

Hi, meron ba dito na ongoing ang skills assessment kay CPAA at naghihintay ng results ng outcome? Ika 16th working day na kasi today since nag send ako sa kanila ng docs at wala pa din feedback until now. Sabi sa website nila is 15 WDs ang standard processing time nila..

angela3nice · June 2022

Sino po ang nakapagtake ng Financial Accounting and Reporting Foundation Exam? Saan po ba magtatake ng exam if you're in the Philippines? Hope to hear your stories. Salamat.