AAT Level 3 Certificate in Bookkeeping

We help you to recognise the learning skills you already use in everyday life. We then coach you to develop those skills further through the techniques listed below. There is an optimum level learner in all of us, it just needs to be nurtured to perform. Our learning style course approach allows all to achieve maximum success. Listed below are some of the skills you will learn through our ‘key to success’ coaching:

Positive learning

Positive learning is a mental and physical attitude that once developed, will simplify, and increase your ability to learn, to store knowledge and increase the speed of your recall. ‘I will’ and ‘I can’ will replace ‘I can’t do’ and ‘I don’t remember’. 

Personalised achievable timetables’

Motivating, successful study fits around life’s commitment, not the other way around.  Success is not just passing exams; it’s completing a lesson that you fully understand. Your coach will help you set a realistic timetable that achieves all outcomes and exceeds personal goals. 

Develop your knowledge recall

Everything you learn is stored in your memory, but not always readily recalled. You will learn techniques to believe in your ability to recall. Over time, instant recall will emerge eradicating any negativity like ‘I’ve forgotten and need to revisit a lesson’ thoughts.

Time efficiency

Your AAT study will be part of your life for a while. Time efficiency management will decrease your completion time without affecting your free downtime. We’ll show you how 15 minutes can be as effective in study as a full lesson timeframe.

There is a reason why we receive multiple AAT excellence award nominations. Our consistently high achieving students demonstrate that we get AAT training right.   

• Course access time 12 months – Meets learning style flexibility to acquire advanced bookkeeping skills.

• Join our high achieving student community – Receive one-to-one coaching support.

• Easy access 24/7 study through via learning portal – Tutor support 7 days a week.

• For successful completion of your unit assessments. You can attend one of over 200 AAT approved UK assessment centres - short travel distances from home.

• AAT Level 3 Certificate in Bookkeeping course resources & delivery meets all learning styles – Live classroom – multi-viewable recorded classroom –key topic animation & interactive online learning – Hardcopy books for manual learning.

• Computer based exams fee and AAT one off registration fee are available at enrolment as an additional cost. It is no longer a requirement to renew AAT membership fee annually.

• Average completion time based on 6-8 hours of study a week is 34 weeks.

• Fast response – coaching and tutor support.

• Enrolment 365 days a year.

A TOTUM PRO Student Discount Card

TOTUM membership (formerly known as NUS extra), is available to all Gold Edge Training accounting and bookkeeping students. A TOTUM PRO Student Discount Card opens doors to a broad range of discounts and deals on everything from dining, fashion, tech to travel, and daily essentials. The TOTUM platform offers over 400 discounts and deals, with more exciting brands being added every month.

Since its launch in 2012, the Gold Edge Training reputation is renowned nationwide for high achieving student. Our exam passes rate far exceed the AAT national average because we develop the learner as well as teach them the AAT.

Our coaching programme was designed and written by our head accountancy teacher.  Alongside teaching and pioneering learning style online delivery, she has specialised in developing the learning skills of accountancy students for over 24 years. 

At Gold Edge, we treat all learners and employers as individuals needing bespoke learning packages. With a collective pedigree of AAT experience spanning nearly 40 years, we’ve learnt to understand AAT students. We deliver excellence through listening and acting on their personal learning requirements.

Flexibility

You control your speed of learning – We support at the same pace. Our programmes are designed to be studied anywhere and at any time. 15 minutes to spare? Use it to prepare for the next lesson or recap the last. These study snippets will increase your learning capacity during the next full lesson.

Kaplan hard copy study textbooks & exam kit books

Optimum learning style study requires a balance of different resources and different learning methods. How you learn online is different to how you learn from a book. When you learn from multiple resources and methods your depth of understanding increases, which strengthens your ability to recall.

Live online classroom

We offer live classroom sessions in the day and evening for levels 3. Watching live lessons best suits auditory and visual learners. The live sessions are also recorded to meet personal availability and the learning style of 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

All students, based on their natural learning style, will prefer or lead with different learning resources. We offer a full online range of workbooks, animations, interactive questions and videos in addition to the live classroom and hardcopy books. Amongst the online resources you will find PowerPoint presentations, additional manual question banks and practice exams.

Four-stage revision programme

Our programmes leave nothing to chance in achieving your success. Learning a subject is not sufficient to pass exams. Study knowledge needs to transfer to exam ready knowledge. Our four-stage revision programme of: green light testing to check depth of understanding – completing circa 200 manual exam kit questions - Live exam preparation session and finally, exam practice papers all ensure you are at optimum exam level when entering your exam.  Follow our programme, and you will join our high achieving student community.

Your advanced bookkeeping level 3 studies start at trial balance, the natural learning progression from level 2 AAT Foundation Certificate in Bookkeeping. 

The course is designed to develop students skills to being able to participate in full accounts preparation. You will understand how to deal with business issues such as client complaint. You will learn accounting principles, legislation requirements, final accounts preparation and underlying final accounts preparation.

In addition, you will learn how to implement procedures in order to interpret financial statements, complete complex tax processes and calculate profitability ratios.

In more detail, you will learn to record financial transaction for sole traders, partnership and limited company's non-current assets. You will learn to prepare the accounting record depreciation calculations for the fixed asset register.

Using the accounting principles of advanced double entry bookkeeping in conjunction with existing double entry bookkeeping skills, you will record financial transactions using recognised financial processes. You'll use existing skills to record period end adjustments in the organisation's accounts. These adjustments will lead to the preparation of an initial trial balance and then extended trial balance. From the extended trial balance you will produce financial statements. Once completed, the financial statements of the company can be assessed from a trading position and net worth position.

The second unit explores tax processes. You will learn to calculate VAT (value added tax), prepare and verify VAT returns including incomplete information tax processes.

• Financial Accounting: Preparing Financial Statements - 1 exam

• Tax Processes for Businesses - 1 exam

Booking Exams

When to book your exams - It is time to think about booking your AAT level 3 bookkeeping exams when you begin the revision stages of your studies. Revision on average takes 3 weeks to complete. Booking an exam at this stage gives you a focused end date for exam readiness.

You can sit your exams close to where you live. There are no set exam dates for AAT, you sit them when you are ready. We will advise you on how to book closer to when you are ready  for the first exam. 

The level 3 Certificate in Bookkeeping is for students who have already passed the level 2 or have extensive accounting experience. If you don’t meet either criterion, you will need to complete the level 2 bookkeeping first. There are no successful shortcuts in accountancy.

The level 3 is designed to not only teach you the next levels of accountancy, it is also structured to elevate your understanding to the beginnings of a managerial perspective.

To study you will require access to a PC or Laptop. The learning platforms are both Windows and Mac compatible.

You can enrol as a direct entrant to level 3 if you already have extensive, prior working experience in accounts. Usually, a minimum of 2-3 years’ experience combined with a very good working knowledge of manual double-entry bookkeeping. 

If your experience is purely using an accounting software package that completes the double-entry for you, we recommend that you start at the level 2 either by studying the Certificate in Accounting level 2 or the Certificate in Bookkeeping level 2.

An AAT accountancy career is a career for life - anywhere in the world. The AAT studies are underpinned by international accountancy standards meaning your skills will be transferrable worldwide.

Employers seek AAT studiers and AAT qualified because the qualification delivers practical, workplace ready skills. This demand is the reason why AAT is the leading accountancy qualification. 

Below are average salaries for level 3 achievers: 

• Accounts/Finance Officer/Ledger Manager - £27,000

• Team Leader/Accounts manager - £28,000

• Middle Manager - £36,000

• Director/Senior Accounts Manager - £46,000

* Please note the salaries above are an average of the survey's participants only. The actual and average salaries will vary with level of experience, position held, company size and geographic location.

Q.  What qualification will I achieve when I have passed the Bookkeeping qualification?

A. You will be known as a Qualified Professional Bookkeeper with letter after your name.

Q. Can I complete the Bookkeeping and Accounting qualification?

A. Not as two separate qualifications.  The four units that make up level 2 and level 3 Bookkeeping are financial units taken from the accounting qualification at level 2 and 3.  The unit and exam content is identical for each qualification.  If you want to achieve both qualifications, study the Accounting route.  You will automatically achieve the Bookkeeping qualification as you study. 

Q.  When can I start to prepare clients books?

You can begin as soon as you have passed your level 2 exams.  There is not a requirement to get workplace experience first.  As working for a larger company will not give you experience of preparing the accounts of a sole trader or partnership.

Q. I have some accounting experience and don’t know what level is right for me.  Can I get help?

A. Yes. Our teachers can advise you on the right level for your personal experience and career aims. Please give us a call on 023 9400 3559. A 10 minute call will give you peace of mind and increase your certainty of passing. Starting at the right level for your experience can save you a lot of money in unnecessary course fees.

Q. Can I study at my own speed?

A. Yes.  No two learners learn at the same pace. We are advocates of stress free learning and expect all learners to be different in the speed they learn. You set the speed of learning and we follow at your pace.