ACCA Applied Knowledge Pass Rates: What the Official BT, MA and FA Numbers Tell You

Students search for the ACCA Applied Knowledge pass rate to answer one question: how worried should I be? The honest answer is "less about BT, more about MA." Below are ACCA's own published figures, what they actually measure, and what to do with them. Every number comes from ACCA's pass rates page and results announcements on accaglobal.com, as of October 2026.

The Latest Figures: June 2026

ACCA's June 2026 results announcement gave these Applied Knowledge pass rates:

BT, Business and Technology: 89%
FA, Financial Accounting: 71%
MA, Management Accounting: 65%

For comparison, in the same release Corporate and Business Law (LW) was 82%, and the other Applied Skills exams ranged from 41% (Performance Management) to 55% (Taxation).

What These Numbers Actually Include

BT, MA and FA are on-demand exams. There is no single sitting day, so ACCA reports them alongside the session results. ACCA's June 2026 announcement says the results "also include those delivered via ACCA's on-demand offering for Foundation Diplomas, Applied Knowledge and Law exams," which accounted for a further 39,072 exams.

On ACCA's pass rates table, Applied Knowledge figures appear only for the June and December sessions. March and September show "N/A" for BT, MA and FA. Treat each figure as a picture of results reported in that half-year, not a single exam day.

The Trend Since 2022

From ACCA's pass rates table (BT / MA / FA):

June 2026: 89% / 65% / 71%
December 2025: 87% / 64% / 68%
June 2025: 88% / 64% / 68%
December 2024: 87% / 67% / 69%
June 2024: 89% / 68% / 68%
December 2023: 85% / 68% / 69%
June 2023: 83% / 63% / 72%
December 2022: 79% / 61% / 68%
June 2022: 85% / 64% / 69%

Three patterns stand out:

The ranking never changes. In every period listed, BT is highest, FA second and MA lowest.
MA sits in a narrow band. Between 61% and 68% across the whole period. About one in three MA attempts fails.
FA is steady. Between 68% and 72%. It is a technical paper, but a predictable one.

What This Means for Your Study Plan

A pass rate tells you about everyone else, not about you. Use it to set your time budget, not your confidence:

MA: plan the most time. MA is calculation-heavy and the three Section B questions always cover budgeting, standard costing and performance measurement. Our guide on how to pass ACCA MA breaks this down, and the MA question bank is where you build speed.
FA: the two 15-mark MTQs are always consolidation and accounts preparation, which you can rehearse in advance. See our ACCA FA exam tips and the FA question bank.
BT: a high pass rate is not a reason to skip preparation. The exam has 52 questions across six syllabus areas. Use the BT question bank and read our BT exam format guide.

Use Your Own Numbers, Not Just ACCA's

The published rate is an average across a huge, mixed group: first-time and repeat candidates, students with tuition and without, people who prepared for months and people who booked on a whim. Your own mock score is a far better predictor. A practical rule:

Do not book an on-demand exam until you have scored comfortably above 50% on at least two full timed mocks.
Track your score by syllabus area. A 60% overall that hides a 30% in one area is fragile, because a different exam version may lean on that area.
If you are a repeat candidate, change how you study, not just how long. More reading rarely fixes an MCQ problem. More timed questions usually do.

Why Pass Rates Higher Up Look Different

Applied Knowledge pass rates are higher than the Applied Skills and Strategic Professional ones. In June 2026, Performance Management was 41%, Audit and Assurance 47% and Financial Management 48%. Do not read the jump as "the later exams are unfair." The later exams include written, constructed-response questions, and many students arrive at them having learned to pass objective tests by recognition. Building real understanding at the Applied Knowledge stage pays off later.

Do Not Trust Unsourced Numbers

Many websites quote ACCA pass rates without dates, and some mix old and new figures. If a pass rate has no session attached, ignore it. ACCA publishes the official table on accaglobal.com and updates it after each results release. September 2026 results had not been published when this article was written.

The 2027 Transition Changes the Exam Names

ACCA's redesigned qualification arrives from mid-2027. FA and MA have exam equivalents in the new Knowledge level (K1 and K2), while BT is replaced by an Essential Employability Module. That means BT pass rates as we know them will stop at the transition. If you have BT outstanding, ACCA's guidance makes a strong case for sitting it before then. As of October 2026, confirm dates on accaglobal.com.

FAQs

What is the ACCA BT pass rate?
89% in ACCA's June 2026 results, which include on-demand exams.

What is the ACCA MA pass rate?
65% in June 2026, and between 61% and 68% in every June and December release from 2022 onward.

What is the ACCA FA pass rate?
71% in June 2026.

Why are there no Applied Knowledge pass rates for March and September?
ACCA's table shows N/A for BT, MA and FA in those sessions. The June and December figures include on-demand results.

Which Applied Knowledge exam should I take first?
ACCA lets you take them in any order. Many students start with BT, and the 2027 transition is another reason not to leave it last.