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IRBA RELEASES RESULTS OF PRIVATE PRACTICE EXAMINATION |
| Source: | Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) | | Country: | South Africa | | Date: | 07/03/2011 | | Contributor: | Dieter Gloeck | | Web: | http://www.irba.co.za |
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The South African Public Practice Examination (PPE) was written on Tuesday, 23 November 2010 in 23 local venues and two international venues; Namibia and the United Kingdom. The results were released on Friday, 25 February 2011. Of the 1952 aspirant accountants and auditors who wrote the PPE in 2010 (2798 in 2009), 1585 (2320 in 2009) passed resulting in a pass rate of 81% (83% in 2009). Of the 1495 candidates who wrote the examination for the first time, 1305 passed resulting in a first time pass rate of 87%.
In total, honours were awarded to 14 candidates who achieved a pass mark of 75% or above.
Entry to the PPE is the culmination of a long and rigorous academic, training and assessment process aimed at developing the core and professional competence of prospective accountants and auditors. Success in the PPE allows the candidate the opportunity to register as a Registered Auditor (RA).
The PPE
The objective of the PPE is to assess the professional competence of candidates at entry to the auditing profession. Within the constraints of a written examination, the IRBA has developed the PPE over the years to ensure that it is an appropriate assessment of professional competence and that it reflects the multidisciplinary public practice environment. The primary objective of the IRBA as established in terms of section 3 of the Auditing Profession Act, 2005 (the Act) is to protect the public through regulation of the auditing profession. In this regard, the IRBA has a duty to ensure that only those who have demonstrated an appropriate degree of professional competence are registered as auditors. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to solve multidisciplinary practice problems in an integrated manner and to do so must analyse and interpret information and provide viable solutions to address specific client needs. The ability to demonstrate logical thought and exercise professional judgment is an integral part of the examination. The qualification period is at least seven years and is similar to that of other highly regarded professions and internationally recognised accounting bodies.
Transformation of the profession
Transformation of the profession remains a priority for the IRBA. Of the 855 black candidates who wrote the PPE, 641 passed, representing an overall pass rate of 75%. The IRBA facilitates a Support Programme for Black repeat candidates on an annual basis. In 2010, Fasset (the Seta for finance, accounting, management consulting and other financial services) provided the IRBA with funding to assist in hosting the Support Programme. The Programme yielded excellent results in 2010. Of the 87 candidates who completed the programme 61 passed; representing a pass rate of 70%. Without exception the candidates who attended the Support Programme achieved better results on each question than repeat candidates who did not attend the Support Programme in 2010. |
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