What’s the difference between open and closed book exams?

‘Closed book’ exams are what most students will be familiar with from school and university – you’re not allowed to take anything into them other than pens, pencils, water and snacks (find full details for exam centres and remote invigilation). All Certificate Level exams, along with Financial Management and Business Strategy and Technology at Professional Level, are closed book exams.

Three of the Professional Level exams – Audit and Assurance, Financial Accounting and Reporting, and Tax Compliance – have ‘permitted texts’, resources that ICAEW recommends you use within the exam (find an up-to-date list here). You’re not allowed to take hard copies in with you; instead, you’ll have access to a blank, searchable version of the text within a tab alongside the question-and-answer area. (Bear in mind that this is a clean version, so any highlights or annotations you’ve made to the text in your own digital learning materials won’t be visible). 

The remaining exams – Business Planning at Professional Level and all three Advanced Level, plus the Role Simulation exam for Level 4 apprentices – are ‘open book’. This means you can take any written or printed material in with you, such as hard copy textbooks and course notes. You’ll also have full access to your ICAEW Bookshelf, including any highlights and annotations you’ve made to your digital learning materials.

How do you decide which exams are open book?

The ACA is designed to reflect the workplace and test your professional skills. As you progress through the qualification, you’ll build a foundation of knowledge, then it’s about demonstrating your skills and how you can use that knowledge. That’s why some exams have permitted texts or are open book, especially later in the qualification – to replicate the real world as closely as possible. You’d have access to tax tables in the workplace, for example, so it makes sense to do the same in the Tax Compliance exam. The focus then is not on rote learning, but on demonstrating your understanding of a scenario – and using the available resources to support you.

Can I take anything I like into an open book exam?

In theory, yes. You’re allowed to take in any hard copy material you think would be useful. But the first thing to bear in mind is desk space – if you’re sitting in an exam centre, space is limited, and it’s important to feel calm and comfortable. The other issue is time – these are time-pressured exams, so you don’t want to waste valuable minutes searching through multiple books and resources. Watch out, too, for replicating information rather than using it to support your interpretation – your answers must always be scenario-specific. Again, it’s about replicating the real world – when you consult a professional, you’re looking for advice about your particular situation, not the technical theory. Think of your resources as back-up rather than holding the answers, and use them sparingly.

How should I prepare my resources?

The best way to judge what will be most useful to you in the exam is plenty of question practice. In this phase of your preparation, your core knowledge should be secure, and you should be practising answering questions under timed conditions. This will give you a good indication not only of the resources you refer to most regularly, but also how much time you ‘waste’ looking through them. The more practice you do, the more you’ll be able to narrow down your materials.

Get familiar with the ICAEW Bookshelf and understand how it can help save you time on the day. Use the practice software so you know exactly how and where to find your learning materials within the exam environment. Remember that you’ll have access to your own versions, so make full use of the functionality. If you have lots of notes and highlighted sections, it’s a good idea to review and reduce them where possible before exam day, otherwise you might spend too long searching through them for exactly what you need. Get into the habit of using the search function, using specific terms to narrow down your results.

The same goes for your written material. Rather than taking in folders full of content, reduce it down to concise, well-structured notes so that you can look up information quickly. It can be helpful to create a single-sheet contents page, with coloured tabs marking the pages you use most often when practising questions. 

Find more tips from tutors on preparing for the open book exams in our exam guides for Professional Level and Advanced Level.