Professional Bridging Examination (PBE)
Structure and Syllabus
Structure of paper
The PBE consists of four papers:
| Paper | Syllabus | Pilot Paper | Examiner's Report Jun 08 |
| Paper I - Financial Reporting | Paper I | Paper I | Paper I |
| Paper II - Management Accounting, including Management Information Systems | Paper II | Paper II | Paper II |
| Paper III - Financial Management, including Economics and Statistics | Paper III | Paper III | Paper III |
| Paper IV - Legal Environment | Paper IV | Paper IV | Paper IV |
| Marks | |
| Section A : 2 compulsory questions of twenty marks each | 40 |
| Section B : 3 (out of 4) questions of twenty marks each | 60 |
| Total | 100 |
The standard of the paper is set at a level comparable to the level of skills and knowledge expected of graduates in accounting and graduates of the Foundation and Conversion Programmes. In terms of competency-based standards, the competency is level 1 to 3. Level 1 requires a general professional awareness of the field and related concepts, but without a detailed operational knowledge at the applied level. Level 2 requires a good understanding of the field with the ability to perform professional tasks competently without assistance in straightforward situations or applications. Level 3 requires a comprehensive mastery of the concepts and techniques sufficient to deal competently and unaided with complex and unusual situations and applications consistent with the academic context.
The Six-month Rule
Candidates have to respond to examination questions according to legislation and pronouncements of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants which are released six months prior to the examination date. It should be noted that the six-month rule refers to the enactment date of the legislation and the release date of the pronouncements, not their effective date.
