Do You Need A-level Maths to Become an Accountant?
Accountancy is a tough industry to get into, however, it’s not just a paper and pencil job. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Accountant is one of the most lucrative careers for officers. The question is, what do you need to become an accountant, and do you need A-level Maths to become an accountant? We will answer it in this article.
1. Is Accounting Math?
Some people often said being an accountant means you are good at math. Is that true? Simply, accounting is the recording and reporting of financial facts in numerical form. Thus, it is a connection between accounting and math. They may be a math-intensive area of business, but not mathematics.
Accountants’ work is typically considerably different from that of a mathematician – even an applied mathematician. Accounting does not require nearly as much high-level math as vocations that are actually part of the mathematical occupations, such as actuary, operations research analyst, statistician, and mathematician. Accounting may appear monotonous to students who love math but have little interest in the business because it does not provide enough opportunities to employ high-level math approaches, models, and equations.
However, in order to be an accountant, maths can not be out of the circle. Whether they work in public accounting, management accounting, or government accounting, accountants will use math. But what type of Math do you need, it’s A-level Maths.
2. Do you need A-level Maths to become an accountant?
In short, these are the main A-Levels you need to pursue your career in Accountancy:
- A-Level Maths
- A-Level Accountancy
- A-Level Business Studies
- A-Level Economics
- A-Level Further Maths
- An A-Level Science
2.1. A-Level Maths
A-Level Math students study a variety of mathematical abilities that may be used in a variety of business and government areas, including accounting. Thus, it’s obvious that an accountant has to be proficient not only in maths itself but also in other related A levels and skills.
Thus, if you plan to be an accountant or an Accountancy student, think through when applying for A-level maths as you need to get involved in a lot of qualifications and might be biting off more than you can chew.
Importantly, The basic guideline for potential accountants regarding A-Level Math is that it is typically more significant while pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BSc) than a Bachelor of Arts (BA) (BA).
2.2. Others
It is said that you need at least 3 A-levels to become an accountant, and we suggest you take the A-Level Accountancy and the A-Level Business Studies, along with the A-level Maths.
A-level Accountancy: This type of A-level teaches students the basics and fundamental concepts that Accountancy needs. Although an A-Level in Accountancy is not compulsory, it is an A-Level option that might greatly benefit your career. Learning the fundamentals of accounting before beginning your degree program might provide you with a significant edge when beginning your course. This is due to the fact that you would have covered much of the Year 1 degree curriculum during your time at Sixth Form College.
A-level Bussiness Studies: Being an accountant is not dissimilar to being a businessman or woman; thus, before you perform the accounting for any firms that employ certain models, you must have a thorough understanding of how business models function. This implies that an A-Level Business Studies certification will provide you the ability to successfully analyze firms, boosting your grasp of the final accounting you will perform for that business.
3. What skills do you need to become an accountant?
In order to be successful in accounting, an accountant needs a lot of more than math skills. A-level Maths or numbers and algebra are just a small part. Some of the qualifications that you need to arm yourself include:
3.1. Analytical skills
Analyzing financial reports and statements is an essential part of accounting. In fact, while software tools are more capable of creating reports, accountants devote more of their time and effort to analysis. Analysis is also an important aspect of auditing duties, which focus on ensuring the correctness of financial accounts and reports.
3.2. Organization skills
This is essential for keeping the different financial documents and information on track, especially when you are in charge of more than one client.
3.3. Problem-solving skills
A lot of accounting is about problem-solving, which is done using numbers. Indeed, 41 percent of accountants polled claimed that the problem-solving component of their employment brought them the most enjoyment.
3.4. Technology skills
This skill is needed because most of the time you will work with the computer. Today’s accountants use computer technology for a lot of their work, including accounting software programs like Intuit QuickBooks, tax preparation software like ATX Total Tax Office, and financial analysis software like Delphi Technology and Oracle E-Business Suite Financials.
3.5. Punctilious
It’s a fact that in accounting, a single mistake could bring you serious problems in the financial statement. Thus, you should be detail-oriented and careful while putting numbers in the column of debits or credits.
3.6. Communication skills
If you think that accounting is less likely to communicate, you might be surprised that communication is a required skill for you. Accountants do not function in a vacuum, rather, they discuss goals, plans, and the outcomes and insights of financial reports with firm executives as well as public and corporate customers. Accountants should ideally improve communication skills in all areas, from active listening and speaking to writing.
4. Accountant’s career choice
Accounting can be split out into the specialty that you can consider as a career option:
Financial Accountant: A financial accountant monitors a company’s financial activities by examining its income, spending, obligations, and how money flows through the organization.
Management accountant: In many respects, the functions of a management accountant and a financial accountant overlap since both professions track a company’s financial performance and provide reports based on that data.
Tax accountant: Tax accountants assist businesses with their tax returns. It is their obligation to guarantee that firms pay the appropriate amount of tax on their profits and investments.
Forensic accountant: Forensic accountants use a combination of accounting and investigative techniques to analyze, interpret and summarise complex financial matters. The aim of their analyses is typically to detect fraud and embezzlement, and their findings are often used in legal matters.
>> Read more: Top incredible Jobs With A Math Degree 2022
That’s the relationship between A-level Maths and Accounting that students planning or deciding on this industry must know. We’ve also answered the question “do you need A-level Maths to become an accountant”. For students who have a solid foundation in maths, becoming an accountant is a great choice! If your knowledge needs to be improved, let’s take the A-level Maths practice test!