MIA Qualifying Examinations

Guidelines & Syllabus
Part 1 - Examination Guidelines
Eligibility for the Qualifying Examination
Application for Registration
Issuance of a Certificate of Candidacy
Application for the Qualifying Examination
Fees
Misconduct in Examination
Examination Results
Re-sitting of Examination Paper
Completion of the Examination
Candidates Requiring Special Assistance


1. Eligibility for Qualifying Examination

1.1 No person shall be eligible to sit for the Qualifying Examination unless he possesses a qualification relating to accounting, business or finance recognised by the Public Service Department or other qualifications approved by the Council.
1.2 The applicant must posses a qualification of not lower than a first degree in relation to accounting, business or finance and the accounting content in the qualification referred to under para 1.1 above shall form not less than sixty percent (60%) of the total qualification which will be assessed by the Examination Committee.
2. Application for Registration

2.1 Applications for registration to sit for the Qualifying Examination shall be submitted to the Examination Committee in the form prescribed in the First Schedule of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants Qualifying Examination Rules 2002. Application forms are available on request from the Institute’s Secretariat at the MIA Office. The forms are also available on the MIA website, (www.mia.org.my).
2.2 Applications must be received by the Examination Committee on or before the closing date set for acceptance of applications. The application must be accompanied by:-
(a) The prescribed fees payable for registration.
(b) A certified true copy of the results transcript of the qualification referred to in sub-paragraph 1.1. The copy is to be attested by:-
(i) the candidates’ employer; or
(ii) a member of the institute; or
(iii) a Commissioner for Oaths.

(c) Any other document as the Examination Committee deems appropriate on a case to case basis

3. Issuance of Certificate of Candidacy

3.1 If the candidate is eligible to sit for the Qualifying Examination, the Examination Committee will issue the Certificate of Candidacy.
3.2 Upon receipt of the Certificate of Candidacy, candidates are advised to check carefully the information contained therein. If there is any doubt, the candidate should contact the Institute’s Education Department immediately.
3.3 The Certificate of Candidacy shall be valid for a period of 2 years from the date the certificate.
3.4 The Certificate of Candidacy is renewable for a period of 2 years upon its expiration. Applications for renewal must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.
4. Application for the Qualifying Examination

4.1 Application for the Qualifying Examination shall be submitted to the Examination Committee in the prescribed form together with a copy of Certificate of Candidacy. Application forms are available at the Institute’s Secretariat at the MIA Office. The forms are also available on the MIA website.
4.2 Applications must be received by the Examination Committee on or before the closing date for any examination i.e. 60 days before the examination date. The application must be accompanied by the prescribed fees payable for the examination.
4.3 Upon receiving the application form, the Examination Committee will issue the examination docket stating the examination number, subjects entered for, date of the examination and the venue of the examination centre. The announcement of the issuance of the examination docket will be made on the MIA website. The docket serves as authority for the candidate to enter the examination hall.
4.4 A candidate is not allowed to defer or change the paper(s) once registered for the same.
4.5 The Institute’s Qualifying Examinations will be held twice every calendar year.
5. Fee

5.1 Registration Fee

The registration fee is RM200.00 per candidate for 2 years. For those whose applications are rejected by the Examination Committee or withdrawn by the applicants, MIA will refund the registration fee after deducting a processing fee of RM100.
5.2 Examination/re-sitting Fee

The examination/re-sitting fee is currently RM200.00 per paper.
5.3 Refund of Examination Fees
5.3.1 If after the payment of the examination fees, a candidate withdraws his entry or fails to attend the examination in one or more papers, the fees may be wholly or partly refunded as follows:-
(a) A candidate whose request to withdraw from an examination is received before the closing date of acceptance of entries will obtain a refund of the fee paid for the examination less a sum equivalent to 20% of the fee paid subject to a maximum of RM100.00
(b) A candidate whose request to withdraw from an examination is received after the closing date for acceptance of entries will not be entitled to any refund of the fee paid, except that the Examination Committee may:-
(i) on receipt of satisfactory medical evidence grant a refund to a candidate who, by reason of illness, withdraws from an examination after the closing date or who is absent from all the papers in an examination for which he has entered;
(ii) grant a refund in such other circumstances as the Examination Committee may deem fit.
An application for a refund of fees under para 5.3.1 (b) (i) and (ii) must be received by the Examination Committee, with supporting evidence, within 28 days from the commencement of the examination for which the candidate is scheduled to sit. A sum equivalent to 20% of the fee paid subject to a maximum of RM100.00, will be deducted from the fee paid when the refund is made.

5.3.2 For the purpose of para 5.3.1 above, the notice for the closing date for acceptance of entries for each examination shall be announced on the MIA website.

6. Misconduct in Examination

6.1 It is the duty of the Examination Body to investigate and submit a report to the Examination Committee all cases of misconduct in connection with an examination. Misconduct includes, inter alia:-
(a) being in possession of any books, notes or other unauthorised material while in the examination room;
(b) aiding, or attempting to aid another candidate or obtaining , or attempting to obtain aid form other candidate;
(c) failing to obey any instructions of the invigilators; or
(d) giving false or misleading information to the invigilators.

6.2 The Examination Committee reserves the right to withhold publication of the examination results of a candidate suspected of having been involved in any misconduct in connection with an examination pending inquiry into the alleged misconduct by the Examination Body.
7. Examination Results
7.1 Announcement of the Examination Results

The Examination Committee shall notify the candidates of the examination results within 60 days from the last day of the respective examination session. The results will also be made available on the website.
7.2 Successful completion of Qualifying Examination

The Examination Committee shall issue a Certificate of successful completion of the Qualifying Examination to the candidates who have passed all the required papers in the Qualifying Examination. The certificate of successful completion shall be proof of the candidate’s completion of the Qualifying Examination as part of the requirements for the purposes of application for an admission to the Institute as a member of the Institute.
7.3 Finality of the Examination Results

The decision of the Examination Committee with regards to candidates’ examination results is final and no correspondence shall be entertained with the candidates themselves, their employers, their parents or any persons or organisations claiming interest therein.
8. Re-sitting of Examination Paper

8.1 Candidates who are unsuccessful in any examination paper will be allowed to re-sit for the respective paper subject to paragraph 9. The candidates must apply to re-sit the respective paper through the examination form together with the prescribed fees determined by the Examination Committee.
9. Completion of the Examination

9.1 A candidate is allowed to sit for a minimum of 1 paper per sitting. All four papers required must be passed within 4 years from the date of the first Certificate of Candidacy.
9.2 If a candidate fails to complete all the papers within the 4 years from the date of the first issuance of the Certificate of Candidacy such candidate shall be deemed to have failed to complete the Qualifying Examination.
9.3 In the event of paragraph 9.2 above, any subsequent application by such candidate for a renewal Certificate of Candidacy under paragraph 3.4 of this Guidelines shall be considered anew by the Examination Committee without any consideration of the papers that the candidate may have sat for and successfully passed in any previous attempt to undertake the Qualifying Examination.
10. Candidates Requiring Special Assistance

Candidates who require special arrangements to sit for the examination should make an application for such arrangements 3 weeks from the date the examination is scheduled to be held. The application should be supported by a doctor’s report in writing, describing the nature of the candidate’s condition and an indication of any special arrangements deemed appropriate.
Part 2 - Examination Syllabus
Syllabus Outline
Syllabus Content Specification
Examinable Material
Business and Company Law
Auditing and Assurance Services
Taxation
Advanced Financial Accounting and Reporting

1. Syllabus Outline
The MIA Qualifying Examination shall consist of four (4) papers as listed below:-

1. Business and Company Law
2. Auditing and Assurance Services
3. Taxation
4. Advanced Financial Accounting and Reporting
2. Syllabus Content Specification
The syllabus for each examination paper is designed to assess candidates’ knowledge and skills in the respective area of study. In order to assist the examiners to achieve this objective and students in their preparation for the examination, a specification grid has been drawn up for each paper indicating the relative weightings of the main sections of the syllabus.

Each topic of the syllabus is divided into a number of areas according to the level of knowledge (ranging from A to C) as shown against each area to indicate the depth at which candidates can expect to be examined.
Level A A thorough and detailed knowledge and substantial comprehension, together with the ability to solve problems where candidates have to select the information required from the fairly unstructured data provided and exercise professional judgement.
Level B A detailed knowledge of the principles, concepts and techniques with the ability to solve problems where the information needed is clearly indicated.
Level C An overview or current awareness only.
3. Examinable Material

3.1 Legislation

Questions involving knowledge of legislation will be based on Malaysian legislation and candidates are expected to have knowledge of any current changes in legislation. However no questions on new legislation will be set until at least six (6) months have elapsed since the last day of the month in which Royal Assent was given to the new legislation.
3.2 Technical Pronouncements

Candidates are expected to have a detailed knowledge of and capable of answering questions in respect of the approved accounting standards, approved auditing standards, generally accepted accounting principles, generally accepted auditing standards, exposure drafts, regulations and legislation relating to financial accounting, reporting and auditing.

Questions involving knowledge of new approved accounting standards, approved auditing standards and exposure drafts will not be set until at least 6 months have elapsed since the last day of the month in which the statement became effective or was published.
Notes
(a) Approved Accounting Standards

Approved Accounting Standards comprise of:
(i) Accounting Standards and other technical pronouncements issued by the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB); and
(ii) MASB Approved Accounting Standards which comprise of the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the Malaysian Accounting Standards (MAS) issued by MIA and MICPA, which have not been replaced by MASB Standards.
Statements issued by the Council of the MIA relating to accounting are to be regarded as opinions on best current practice and thus form part of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
(b) Approved Auditing Standards

Approved auditing standards comprise of:
(i) International Standards on Auditing (ISA) and Related Services approved and issued by MIA; and
(ii) Malaysian Standards on Auditing (MSA) issued by MIA.
International Auditing Practice Statements (IAPS) approved and issued by MIA are to provide practical assistance to auditors in implementing the standards or to promote good practice. These Statements are not intended to have the authority of Standards.

Statements issued by the Council of the MIA relating to auditing are to be regarded as opinions on best current practice and thus form part of generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS).