Over 1,700 candidates who passed their South African Institute of Chartered Accountants Initial Test of Competence board exam are now one step closer to attaining their CA(SA) designation.
From the 1,726 who passed their first of two SAICA board exams, over 1,073 of them were African, Coloured, Indian or Other, while 653 were White.
According to SAICA, the ITC is the first of two qualifying examinations which assesses the technical competency through analysis and evaluation specific scenarios. The second exam is the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
SAICA has congratulated the 1,726 candidates who passed the first sitting of the 2024 ITC, resulting in a pass rate of 67% from the 18 academic institutions.
The University of Pretoria produced a 100% pass rate with its 204 candidates, while Milpark, Wits and the Johannesburg universities produced 249, 209 and 187 candidates respectively.
The North West University and the University of Stellenbosch produced 97% and 96% pass rates respectively.
| Institution | Pass Rate | Total Wrote | Total Passed | Rank | |
| University of Pretoria | 100% | 204 | 204 | 1 | |
| North West University | 97% | 92 | 89 | 2 | |
| University of Stellenbosch | 96% | 174 | 167 | 3 | |
| University of Cape Town | 94% | 178 | 168 | 4 | |
| University of the Witwatersrand | 92% | 226 | 209 | 5 | |
| University of the Free State | 85% | 60 | 51 | 6 | |
| Nelson Mandela University | 83% | 53 | 44 | 7 | |
| University of Limpopo | 81% | 36 | 29 | 8 | |
| University of Johannesburg | 79% | 237 | 187 | 9 | |
| Rhodes University | 68% | 22 | 15 | 10 | |
| University of the Western Cape | 67% | 24 | 16 | 11 | |
| Institute of Accounting Science | 58% | 144 | 83 | 12 | |
| The Independent Institute of Education IIE (VC and Msa) | 56% | 34 | 19 | 13 | |
| University of KwaZulu-Natal | 47% | 113 | 53 | 14 | |
| Milpark Education | 45% | 557 | 249 | 15 | |
| Regent Business School | 42% | 38 | 16 | 16 | |
| University of South Africa | 34% | 343 | 115 | 17 | |
| University of Fort Hare | 33% | 36 | 12 | 18 | |
| Total | 67% | 2571 | 1726 |
“While we are encouraged by the results for first time candidates, we are also concerned with results of the repeat candidates. We remain committed to continuous improvement and provision of support for the repeat candidates,” said SAICA chief executive Patricia Stock.
Racial breakdown
SAICA also noted the demographics of the pass rate for the 2024 year.
The demographics of the January 2024 ITC results were as follows:
| Total | Fail | Pass | Overall Pass Rate | First Time Candidates Pass Rate | Repeat Candidates Pass Rate | |
| African | 1259 | 518 | 741 | 59% | 74% | 17% |
| Coloured | 159 | 53 | 106 | 67% | 73% | 13% |
| Indian | 326 | 137 | 189 | 58% | 75% | 12% |
| Other | 46 | 12 | 37 | 76% | 77% | 0% |
| White | 778 | 125 | 653 | 84% | 89% | 31% |
| Grand Total | 2571 | 845 | 1726 | 67% | 79% | 17% |
SAICA said the overall pass rate for first-time candidates is 79%, and 19% for repeat candidates.
“SAICA continues to analyse differences in pass rates between demographic groups and academic service providers. A review to understand the root causes of the gaps in pass rates of different race groups is underway,” it said.
The institution said that once the review is concluded, the relevant learning and development governance structures will consider the steps that should be taken to address the challenges with the pass rates.
100% for Tuks
The University of Pretoria was the only institution to produce 100% for its 204 candidates. The institution said it was extremely pleased about achieving a 100% pass rate.
The university said that it was proud of the performance of its candidates and said there is a euphoria at UP having achieved an incredible feat.
This is the second year in a row that a UP candidate has come out tops nationally, the university added.
Professor Madeleine Stiglingh, Head of Department of Accounting at the university said: “To pass this examination with honours is an exemplary achievement and we wish to congratulate each one of these candidates”.
Touching on the results from a transformational perspective, Tuks said they were proud to register 43% growth in pass rates from African, Coloured and Indian candidates.
They said they were committed to improving the numbers further in future and said they were proud of the results of this cohort as they had started their university journey during the challenging Covid-19 pandemic, which included two years of online learning.
“These outstanding results achieved by this cohort is a testament to their resilience and agility during very challenging times in the higher education sector,” said Prof. Stiglingh.
The UP also had four out of the Top 5 performers.
1. Gareth Griffiths (UP)
2. Deone Mulder (UNW)
3. Udo Bohmer (UP)
4. Matthew Pollock (UP)
5. Thalene Hanekom (UP)
How to become CA(SA)
– Pass matric with good maths mark
– Pick a degree recognised by SAICA
– Complete your degree
– Complete your CTA (Certificate in the Theory of Accounting)
– Apply for a three or five year training contract/learnership
– Pass the SAICA board exams - the ITC and ATC
– Register as a SAICA member, which allows the use of the CA(SA) designation.
IOL