AAT Level 2 Fast-track and Level 3, 4 Accounting

• Distance learning course completion times are: 12 months for Foundation Certificate in Accounting Level 2 - 15 months for Level 3 - 18 months for Level 4 - Plenty of time to complete without stress and at your own pace.

• Your career prospects grow as you study AAT - Each AAT qualification successfully completed will open a new career door for either promotion or new employment. The AAT Level 2 certificate will give you the first step on the career ladder as an accounts officer, pass the Diploma in Accounting and depending on experience, you can applying for assistant accountant or credit controller. Pass the Professional Diploma and with relevant accompanying experience all doors to your ambitions will be opened.

• Being a high achiever when studying with Gold Edge Training is a natural outcome when you follow your coaches advice.

• Likewise, easy access 24/7 study via our learning portal and expert support from your award winning tutor will guarantee success at high levels. Tutor support available 7 days a week.

• It doesn't matter where you are located in the country, you can study the AAT qualifications. There are over 200 AAT assessment centres across the UK, You're never more that a short distance from your local centre.

• Learning resources that support all learning styles. We ensure that we supply you with the right resources for success regardless of your natural learning - The range offered are recorded classroom that can be watched multiple times - live tutor led classroom – key topic animation & interactive online learning – Printed materials include hardcopy Kaplan study textbooks and exam kit books for all subjects and at all levels. All books are included in the course price.

• Computer based exams fee and one off registration fee are extra costs. You can purchase your AAT membership at enrolment if you wish or pay directly to AAT. If you are employer sponsored, we are happy to quote you for all fees. Please fill in the enquiry form requesting an employer quote on the website. Please include your post code for location of your local assessment centre.

• Average completion time based on 6-8 hours of study a week is 16 weeks Level 2 fast-track - 34 weeks for Level 3 and 34 - 40 weeks for Level 4 courses. View these timeframes loosely. All learners are differently and have different time availability.

• Fast response – coaching and tutor support ensures effective study progress.

• You can pay for your AAT finance qualifications in full at enrolment or through an interest free payment plan. For the best instalment planning, please ring 023 9400 3559. It only takes 10 minutes.

• We are not like any other AAT provider. We are unique in every aspect of our online learning platform, live and recorded lectures and coaching and tutoring support.

A TOTUM PRO Student Discount Card

Benefit from TOTUM PRO membership (formerly known as NUS extra). Keep your Totum card with you at all times to benefit from multiple discounts in many locations. All Gold Edge Training students are entitled can apply. Deals are increased daily with the current offers exceeding 400.

Gold Edge Training was founded in 2012 with the belief that all learners had an equal right to succeed. From its launch, our online learning courses had the reputation of each being bespoke and a top quality qualification. Most importantly to this day, Gold Edge students are amongst the highest achievers through the UK.

Our unique coaching programme was designed and written by the head of the college. Over the years, alongside teaching, she has written several AAT online learning programmes and pioneered learning style course delivery. She has also specialised in developing student learning skills to attain the highest levels of success in their AAT exams. 

The Gold Edge team collectively have 40 years experience. During that time we have focused on listening to and understanding our AAT students in order to design programmes that deliver exam success. Throughout our teams time in AAT education, they have taught 1000's of AAT students to go on to become successfully qualified accountants.

You control when, how and where you learn and set your own pace of study – We support at the pace you set. You are in control of when you study and how much you study each week. Your AAT qualification bespoke timetables will be set based on your personal available hours. This gives you the peace of mind that you can adopt a stress free study plan that will complete your AAT courses studies within each course's specified timeframes. At each level you know you are gaining the practical skills for an accountancy career through your distance learning.

Kaplan hard copy study textbooks & exam kit books. You receive a full set of hard copy Kaplan study textbooks and exam kit books with every course.

Optimum learning is balanced learning. With Gold Edge you benefit from learning in different ways to increase the depth of your understanding - Learning online is different to how you learn from a book. The wider the range of study materials and methods of learning in our AAT accounting qualifications, the deeper the level of understanding you will achieve.

Recorded online classroom. There are no set start dates. Students start there qualification when they are ready. Likewise, the day/s you choose to study each week is entirely your choice. All live lectures are also recorded for total viewing flexibility that fits around your life's commitments.

We offer live classroom sessions day and evening for Levels 2 and 3.  Watching live lessons best suits auditory learners. The recorded sessions above best suits the learning styles of visual, kinaesthetic and reflective learners. Learning how to adapt resources to suit how you learn best will enhance your learning experience and increase your knowledge absorption. All recording can be multi-watched for deeper understanding.

Online interactive content

Different learning styles favour a different order of using resources. Some will lead with online resources or online lectures and other will start with manual resources. We will advise on this at the start of your course. To ensure all learning styles are met, we offer a wide and diverse range online materials, downloadable workbooks, animations, interactive questions and videos. This is in addition to recorded lectures and live classroom. Finally you receive a full set of hardcopy Kaplan study textbooks and Kaplan exam kit books. There are also PowerPoint presentation highlighting key learning facts.

Four-stage revision programme

When you complete the learning stage of your study it does not mean your understanding is exam ready.   Our four-stage revision programme takes your understanding to the next level and then on to exam readiness. Included in our four-stage revision programme is the AAT green light test that accesses the depth understanding – circa 200 practice exam questions to familiarise students in exam question format - tutor led live and recorded exam preparation session and finally, exam practice papers. The four-revision stages ensure that knowledge is elevated to optimum exam readiness.

The Level 2 AAT qualification covers the fundamental of accounting in an accounts office. The AAT Level 3 broadens and raises the level of accountancy knowledge to include full accounts preparation up to the beginnings management and finance controls. The AAT course at Level 4 focuses on managerial cost and financial accounting for corporate businesses. Collectively, the AAT Level 2 through to the AAT Level 4 professional diploma covers all aspects of ethical practices, treasury management, limited companies accounts preparation, external auditing, UK taxation accounting systems management. It will give you the professional accounting knowledge to prepare accounting records and provide management accounting information. Even after completing the Level 3, your accounting career will be well advanced.

The AAT Level 2, AAT Level 3 and AAT Level 4 qualifications are the industry recognised qualifications that delivers the full accounting skills and principles necessary to become a professional bookkeeper and then an AAT accountant.

During these online courses, you will learn to process transactions using advanced double-entry bookkeeping skills whilst also learning compliance with bookkeeping controls. Your study will include business awareness of external and internal environments. You'll look at the legal frameworks of accountancy and be able to implement procedures that produce and interpret financial statements for all business types. Underpinning each of the AAT qualifications is an understanding of finance data security.

Your course will include the financial and management accounting techniques expected of an accounting technician. You'll learn in detail all aspects of taxation, business tax, personal tax, income tax paid by UK taxpayers, capital gains tax and inheritance tax. Throughout the AAT Level 4 in particular, you will study various aspects of accounting systems, understand how to assess credit risk and the importance of ratio analysis

Your studies of the Association of Accounting Technicians will cover how to calculate VAT at AAT Level 2 through to being able to successfully complete and verify VAT returns at AAT Level 3 plus many other accounting processes for businesses. At Level 4 you will choose 2 optional units in the areas of credit control or cash management, business tax or personal tax. If you're working in practice you may choose external audit.

Management accounting techniques will be studied to ensure cash management by preparing financial statements. You'll understand how to apportion and attribute costs by understanding the principles of business. As your studies progress you will develop a strong sense of business awareness.

Entering supplier transactions into the purchase and sales ledger control (accounts payable and accounts receivable) will be part of your studies. At regular times in an accounting period, you'll learn to check that the control accounts reconcile and all customer transactions and supplier payments have been completed and entered correctly into the system.

Your distance learning accounting qualification in Bookkeeping and Accounting, will ensure, moving forward, that your accounting skills for preparing accounts comply with all legal aspects and that you understand principles of both financial and cost accounting.

On completion of both Level 2 bookkeeping and Level 3 accounting qualifications, you will achieve professional bookkeeping status including "AATQB" letters after your name.

The accounts preparation within your Level 3 studies will include how to record period end adjustments, advanced bookkeeping, hot to produce a trial balance to the preparation of final accounts for sole traders, partnerships and small limited companies.

Your AAT Assessment Schedule Level 2

• Introduction to Bookkeeping - 1 exam  (90 mins)

• Principles of Bookkeeping Controls - 1 exam (90 mins)

Your AAT Assessment Schedule Level 3

• Financial Accounting: Preparing Financial Statements - 1 exam

• Management Accounting Techniques - 1 exam

• Tax Processes for Businesses - 1 exam

• Business Awareness - 1 exam

Your AAT Assessment Schedule Level 4

Mandatory Units:

• Applied Management Accounting - 1 exam

• Drafting and Interpreting Financial Statements - 1 exam

• Internal Accounting Systems and Control

Choose 2 of the 5 optional units listed below:

• Business Tax - 1 exam

• Personal Tax - 1 exam

• Audit and Assurance - 1 exam

• Cash and Financial Management - 1 exam

• Credit and Debt Management - 1 exam

The best time to book your exams is when you begin revision. It is important to set that final end goal to revision. You may think it is best to wait until you feel ready, but that is likely to waste precious time when you could studying the next module. Revision takes 2-3 weeks to complete. That is more than enough time to be optimum exam ready. Adding another 1 or 2 weeks is not going to make you more ready.

There are over 200 approved assessment centres in the UK guaranteeing that where ever you live, one will be just a short journey away.

The best time to book your exams is when you begin revision. It is important to set that final end goal to revision. You may think it is best to wait until you feel ready, but that is likely to waste precious time when you could studying the next module. Revision takes 2-3 weeks to complete. That is more than enough time to be optimum exam ready. Adding another 1 or 2 weeks is not going to make you more ready.

There are over 200 approved assessment centres in the UK guaranteeing that where ever you live, one will be just a short journey away.

International accountancy standards underpin your AAT studies meaning the AAT qualification is sought after worldwide.

Employers seek AAT studiers and AAT qualified people because of the work ready skills it delivers. AAT are the leading international accountancy qualification. Want some advice about your career in accountancy please ring 023 9400 3559 to speak to our AAT experts or complete the enquiry form on the website. We guarantee one of our teaching or coaching experts will resond.

Below are average salaries for Level 2 achievers: 

• Accounts and clerical assistant work in finance administration- £23,000 

• Purchase/Sales Ledger Clerk - £23,000 

• Accounts Payable Clerk - £24,000

For Level 3 and 4 achievers

• Accountancy and Finance roles - £27,000

• Team Leader/Supervisor - £28,000

• Middle Manager - £36,000

• Director/Senior Manager - £46,000

* Please note the salaries above are the median mid-point from survey participants only. These salaries will vary with level of experience, position held, company size and geographic location.

Q. Should I study the AAT Bookkeeping course or the AAT Accounting course?

A. Both routes will deliver a good career. Starting with bookkeeping Level 2 and then moving to the accounting route gives you optimum career opportunities using the most cost effective route.

Q. Will studying the fast-track route at level 2 affect me becoming an AAT Accountant at Level 4?

A. No.  Level 2 is an optional level that supplies the skills required for Level 3 and then Level 4. Some students with a lot of prior accounting experience will get a pass through Level 2 completely. The important achievement gained from Level 2 is to have a full and conversant knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping. This requirement is fully covered in the fast-track

Q.  At what point in my studies can I start to apply for accounting employment?

A. The ideal time is after you have passed your first exam at Level 2. You have proven to the employer that you have passed the hardest exam at level 2. From the employers perspective they know you are work ready for an accounting entry role position.

Q. Do I have to gain work experience as I study?

A. No, you can study the full qualification without gaining any work experience. However, building a career is about study and work experience. Until you begin to develop the work experience, you will not fully develop in your career. Try to start your work experience during your Level 2 studies. There are other benefits too, your employer is likely to help sponsor your studies.