ICAEW Access Arrangement Guidance
The details on this page assume you have had your access arrangements approved by the Access Arrangement Team. If you have not had your confirmation letter, please contact the AA team via the enquiry line - my.icaew.com/examsonline. Email and postal applications will no longer be accepted. Note, sometimes you will have different access arrangements at certificate level to the higher levels due to system capabilities. Please refer to your confirmation letter for details of the arrangements approved.
If you have previously had an exam booking which was cancelled, a No Show, or have booked an exam before your access arrangement was awarded, you will need to cancel any existing exam and contact the student support team at ICAEW to send a new exam authorisation to ensure your arrangements are reflected in your exam bookings.
We recommend waiting until the ICAEW Access Arrangement Team confirms your access arrangements are in place, before booking your exams.
Note: If your Tuition Provider manages your exam bookings, please contact them before making any changes. If you are in a training agreement, please check with your employer first.
Access arrangements are divided into these four categories:
Note: when you make your booking you will receive your exam booking confirmation email. Check this thoroughly, well in advance of your exam, to ensure the time allocated is as expected and all details are correct. It is your responsibility to ensure your arrangements are reflected in your booking.
If you are awarded with any of the access arrangements below, the relevant information is submitted automatically to Pearson VUE’s booking system in your exam authorisation(s) and you should be able to book your exam via the exam booking portal or through your Tuition Provider (if they manage your bookings).
- Extra time (up to 100%)
- Stop the clock (Pause the clock) (Centre Only)
- A combination of 17% extra time + 17% Pause the clock (Centre only)
- A combination of 25% extra time + 8% Pause the clock (Centre only)
Medical Supplies
The Pearson VUE Comfort Aid List shows what you are permitted to have with you during your exam without an approved access arrangement – Pearson VUE Comfort Aid List. For anything not on this list, refer to the Complex Access Arrangements process. If in doubt, contact the ICAEW student support team.
Access Arrangements that require additional action
These are access arrangements that have been approved by ICAEW, but need to be implemented by Pearson VUE. However, you or your Tuition Provider (if they manage your bookings) will need to contact Pearson VUE to make arrangements for each exam you schedule.
These cannot be automatically applied as, for example, a reader would need to be contacted and booked in; or the software for ZoomText needs to be installed on a specific machine, etc.
Complex Access Arrangements
Although some of these arrangements may not seem complex, they require additional support or organising to put them in place either at the centre or remotely.
If you have been awarded with any of the below access arrangements, it will be considered a Complex Access Arrangement and it will not be possible to book the exams yourself:
- More than 100% extra time
- Combinations of AAs for remote sittings
- Anything not specified on the other lists.
Please contact ICAEW student support and they will contact the Assessment Team to make the arrangements for you. Please allow up to 21 working days for arrangements to be made and for your exam(s) to be scheduled.
Reader and/or scribe
If you have been approved a Reader and/or Scribe but you do not think you will use them, please contact the Access Arrangement team and they will remove the pre-approved authorisation, and allow you to book online.
To go ahead with booking a Reader and/or Scribe, please follow these steps:
- Contact the Access Arrangement team at ICAEW to confirm you are going to use a Reader and/or a Scribe and for which module(s) at least 21 working days in advance of your proposed exam date. This will only be required for your first attempt using a Reader and/or Scribe. Skip to step 3 if this was done previously.
- ICAEW will add additional time to your authorisation to accommodate communication time and inform you this has been completed.
- Contact Pearson VUE to book your exam with the Reader and/or Scribe. Do not contact Pearson VUE until you have been notified by the AA team that your additional time is in place.
In certain circumstances, you may want to request approval from ICAEW to use your own appointed reader and/or scribe. Personally sourced Readers and/or Scribes are required to sign a consent to video and audio recording and a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) upon arrival at a test centre or at least two weeks before your scheduled remote invigilated exam. Contact the AA team to enquire about this process allowing plenty of time, at least 21 working days, for authorising and processing your request.
Visual Impairments
All ICAEW exams are web based and you can zoom in and out of the screen by clicking on Ctrl + or –. No access arrangements will be required.
If you have been granted the use of ZoomText for colour contrast, please test this out prior to your exam booking to ensure it is suitable for your needs:
Using ZoomText at a Centre
You will need to contact Pearson VUE before giving at least ten days’ notice for every booking to arrange for an assigned computer that has the ZoomText software installed on it before your exam.
Using ZoomText via Remote Invigilation
You will need to contact Pearson VUE to book your exam. They will ensure the software is on a ‘White’ list and is allowed for your exam. Note, there will be a block on the system when this accommodation is added to enforce this call, so you won’t be able to book your exam online. Without the call to Pearson VUE, you won’t be able to book the exam and the software will not be permitted.
You need to download ZoomText onto your device if you want to use it via remote invigilation.
When using ZoomText on your device, it will be your responsibility to ensure the software is installed correctly and that you are familiar with how to use if for adjusting the colour contrast.
Glucose monitoring equipment
Some glucose monitoring equipment will fall under the comfort aid list – Pearson VUE Comfort Aid List – and will not require an access arrangement.
If the equipment you require is not in the comfort aid list, you need to apply for access arrangements. You will need to apply for sole occupancy (a separate room) if any of the following apply:
- Your device makes a noise.
- The device is not attached to your body.
- The device needs to be plugged into the computer.
- The device has an external remote control.
- The device requires a mobile phone to control it.
Sole Occupancy (Separate Room)
If you have been approved to sit in a separate room, please note that most test centres will only have one separate room and choices for availability might be limited. Please ensure you book as far ahead as possible. Contact Pearson VUE or your Tuition Provider to arrange your separate room.
Wheelchair accessible centres
Please see individual test centre access details here: Pearson VUE - Find a test center
Contact ICAEW Student Support
Contact ICAEW Student Support on +44 (0)1908 248 250, email studentsupport@icaew.com, or visit the ACA or ICAEW CFAB student areas of the ICAEW website.
You can schedule your exams via the Pearson VUE website https://access.icaew.com/pearsonvue or by phoning the ICAEW exam booking line on +44 161 855 7444.
Contact the ICAEW Access Arrangement Team
Apply for Access Arrangements or make an enquiry for an active application via your single sign on – my.icaew.com/examsonline. Further guidance is available here Access arrangements guidance for exams | Apply for exams | ICAEW