Exemption - FAQ

Exemption is a process through which you can complete subject/s or levels of AAT without sitting for the same subjects or levels at AAT Examinations based on external qualification/s recognized by AAT Governing Council.

Exemptions are available from A/L qualification onwards. Please find all the recognized qualifications listed in our student Guide or https://aatsl.lk/index.php/en/student/exemptions.

You should apply for exemptions before the deadlines and definitely before AAT Level III if you really want to obtain the exemptions and if you have satisfied the exemption criteria. No automatic exemptions are available.

Yes. If you wish to apply for exemptions from AAT Examinations, you should get yourself registered as a student with AAT Sri Lanka. You need to quote your student registration number when applying for exemptions. Please refer the link for online registrations: https://www.aatsl.lk/index.php/en/login

You should renew your studentship and then only you should apply for exemptions. If you have applied for exemptions without renewing your studentship, your application will have to be kept unprocessed until you renew your studentship up to the current year.

Yes. Below are the general closing dates/ deadlines in applying for exemptions from particular AAT Examinations.

  • For July Examination - 31st March
  • For January Examination - 30th September

If you are applying for few subjects of a certain level and applying for the balance subjects of the same level at the immediate AAT examination, when you get the AAT result sheet, you will get a level completed status if you have been granted the eligible exemptions and passed the subjects you have sat.

On the other hand, if you are planning to apply for AAT Final examinations hoping to get the remaining subjects in Level I/II or complete Level I & II exemptions given that you have satisfied required external qualifications, it is mandatory that you apply for the exemptions before the deadline. If not done, you will not be eligible to sit for the Final examination.

No. Separate result sheets will not be issued. But, you will receive an exemption certificate.

Online exemption application is not currently available. But, you can make the payment online and if you have not obtained the Student Guide, you can download the exemption application from https://aatsl.lk/images/pdf/exemption-application-en.pdf

If you possess the approved qualification as per the exemption criteria available in the Student Guide / website and haven’t completed those subjects at AAT, you can get those pending subjects exempted (released) without sitting for AAT Examinations. You can fill the exemption application correctly and send under registered post to AAT Head Office or handover to the Head Office or Branches with the specified supporting documents and the payment. If there is no shortcoming in the submitted exemption application, it can be processed to grant the exemption. Once the exemption is granted, an exemption certificate is printed and posted to you.

Yes. Based on the subjects you are applying, you should calculate using the below payment structure and pay accordingly.

Exemption Fee Structure

Exemption Fees (Effective from 1st November 2023)
Examination Level Description Fees (LKR)
Level I Per Subject 2,000/=
Level II Per Subject 2,500/=
Level III Per Subject 2,700/=
Talent Capstone Per Subject 2,500/=

The above fees are subject to change and therefore please get updated on the applicable fee structure at the point of applying for exemptions.

You have two options to make the exemption payment.

  • Option 01: To bank (any branch of NSB or HNB banks)
  • NSB (A/C No. 90_ _ _ 2301989)

    OR

    HNB (A/C No. 039020327099)

    Note : Please put 33 prefix with your 7 digit student registration number for the payment reference number without fail.

  • Option 02: Online through AAT website (https://aatsl.lk/index.php/en/online-payment) You can make the payment online using a credit card.
  • Note : Please put 33 prefix with your 7 digit student registration number for the Account ID without fail.

If you use a wrong payment reference number, your payment will get credited to someone else. In such a scenario, you will have to prove that the payment belongs to you. You will have to make a request in writing and submit supporting documents.

No. Getting exemption is similar as sitting and competing subject/s at AAT Sri Lanka Examination.

You can download the exemption application from https://aatsl.lk/images/pdf/exemption-application-en.pdf. Or, if you wish, you can purchase the Student Guide which has the exemption application.

No. You should use the latest Exemption application and refer to the exemption criteria available in the latest Student Guide or website whenever you are applying for exemptions.

For latest details: https://aatsl.lk/index.php/en/student/exemptions

No. There is no need to apply for exemptions for the subjects you have already completed at AAT. A subject previously completed either through examination or exemption is permanently completed and there is no need to re-apply for those subjects.

No. Exemptions are available from A/L qualification onwards as specified under the exemption criteria.

Students who have passed G.C.E.A/L examination (Sri Lanka/UK) in the following subjects are eligible to be exempted from AAT Level 1 Examination subjects as shown below. If you have completed A/Ls in the past with 4 compulsory subjects including statistics in addition to Economics, Accounting and Business Studies, you can apply for complete level I exemptions.

G.C.E. (A/L) Subjects Level I exempted Subject
Accounting 101 Financial Accounting (FAC)
Combined Mathematics / Pure Mathematics / Applied Mathematics / Business Statistics 102 Business Mathematics and Statistics (BMS)
Economics 103 Economics (ECN)
Business Studies / Commerce and Finance 104 Business Environment (BEN)

You should send detailed syllabi, transcripts and certified result sheets of particular qualifications to AAT Sri Lanka for those documents to be forwarded to the Education and Training Committee for the approval. If the Committee approves, you can get the exemptions as per the recommendation of the Committee.

You can. Please refer: https://aatsl.lk/index.php/en/student/exemptions for more information

Yes, as long as you fulfill the Exemption criteria with the attempts, you can apply for Exemptions.

No. You can’t get exemptions for all the 13 subjects at AAT. Maximum exemptions are given to CA qualification only which is 11.

Please refer the link for more information: https://aatsl.lk/index.php/en/student/exemptions

No. Either you have to apply for the AAT Examination or get exemptions for the similar subjects. If you have applied for the same subjects at the examination and got absent at the examination, then you can apply for the same subjects for exemptions.

You should not apply for subjects you have completed. If you have completed subjects under old syllabus, you should get clear clarifications from AAT Examination Division on the pending subjects and then only you should apply for exemptions for subjects you haven’t completed yet if you possess relevant qualifications for exemption.

Yes. You can apply, given that you have already completed (with exam or exemptions) or are completing level I & II with exemptions now. Please note that exemptions will not be granted for Business Communication subject if you can’t get exemptions or have not completed Level I at AAT Exam or completing with the current exemption. Also, level III subjects will not be granted if you can’t get exemptions or have not completed Level I and Level II.

No. You can’t obtain exemptions based on the pending qualifications. You need to complete qualifications as stipulated in the Student Guide/ website and submit relevant result sheets/certificates when applying for exemptions.

As per a ruling by CA Sri Lanka, If you are planning to get exemptions from CA Sri Lanka after completing AAT, then you should not get exemptions from AAT through other qualifications except G.C.E A/L qualification.

Please refer student guide – page number 27

Yes. You can apply for subsequent exemptions. If you know the pending subjects that you need to do to become a Passed Finalist, you can apply for exemptions by filling an exemption application and submitting supporting documents as mentioned on the reverse side of the exemption application. Please note that previous exemption certificate should be submitted. In the event exemptions are available on your subject wise completion of external qualifications (eg. A/Ls and CA), you can apply for exemptions based on passed external subjects first and the balance subjects subsequently as well.

Yes, you should submit your previous exemption certificate when applying for subsequent exemptions. You will get a new exemption certificate incorporating the subsequent exemptions also in that case.

If you’ve submitted your exemption application without any shortcoming/s, it will be processed and exemption certificate will be printed and sent to you.

Exemptions will not be cancelled once granted under any circumstance/s and therefore you are advised to have a clear idea when applying for exemptions.

If you have lost/misplaced the exemption certificate, you can request for a duplicate exemption certificate in writing giving clear background of the misplacement while paying Rs. 500/=. Please note that Duplicate seal is kept on the surface of the Exemption Certificate when issuing a Duplicate Exemption Certificates.

If you have applied and not received the exemption certificate yet, please call the Registration Division on 0112559669 / 0112595857 / 0761559669 Ext: 327, 322 or via email – exemption@aatsl.lk / registration@aatsl.lk with your registration number and the contact number.

If you are not eligible to claim for exemptions, please make a written request for a refund of payment via exemption@aatsl.lk / registration@aatsl.lk while giving your full name , registration number, bank account number, bank and branch details.