Part 6: ACLP 3.0 Application Day: May the Fastest Finger Win!

This is part of my ACLP 3.0 Journey series, documenting my personal experience of applying for the course

The Big Day Arrived

After all the preparation, the day finally arrived. It was time to apply for ACLP 3.0. I had already created my IAL account, completed the mandatory eLearning and was ready for the application. But there was still one thing I couldn't control: How quickly I could get the application submitted once the application window opened. And that was why I jokingly called this...

May the Fastest Finger Win! 😅

Getting Ready Before the Application Opened

By application day, I had completed most of the preparation, but there was one thing I hadn't done - I had not fully updated my academic and employment details in my IAL profile. And this was something I would have to deal with while the clock was ticking. My advice would be to get as much of the preparation out of the way as possible before the application window opens. That means having your IAL account ready, making sure your profile information is updated and completing the mandatory requirements beforehand. I certainly didn't want to be discovering that something was missing while everyone else was already submitting their applications.

Application Opens at 9am

The ACLP 3.0 application opens every Friday at 9am. Here's another reminder: log into your IAL account before 9am. When the application window opened, I clicked on the course link and was then prompted to log in. So, I logged in and proceeded with the ACLP 3.0 application. There were several sections to go through, along with documents to upload, before the application could be submitted. At this point, I was trying to balance two things: Go fast enough to secure a place, but don't go so fast that I make a silly mistake. After all, submitting quickly is pointless if you accidentally submit the wrong information. 😅

The Race Against Time

And this was where I really felt the pressure. Remember, I hadn't fully updated my academic and employment details in my IAL profile beforehand. Because of the time constraint, I decided to update only the minimum academic information required. I entered my ACCA qualification and uploaded my GCE 'O' Levels certificate. Then came the employment experience section. Boy, did that take some time! With decades of working experience, there was no way I could remember the exact month I joined and left every company. The application required the dates in MM/YYYY format. Fortunately, I had my JobStreet resume, where my employment history was already recorded in MM/YYYY format. So I quickly referred to my resume and entered the information from there. In the end, I only included my last 4 jobs, but even that stretched back almost 20 years. At that point, I wasn't trying to create a complete employment history going back to the beginning of my working life. I just wanted to provide enough relevant experience within the time available and get the application submitted.

One Last Check Before Submit

After entering the required information and uploading the necessary documents, I finally reached the Declaration Form section. There was three declaration to acknowledge and accept before proceeding. I clicked "Accept" - but I wasn't quite ready to hit the Submit button yet. I went back through the details I had entered and checked them again. After rushing through the application, this final check was important. I wanted to make sure that whatever I had entered in my hurry was at least correct before I submitted the application.

And Then... Submit!

After all that rushing, checking and double-checking, I was finally ready to submit. And then... Application submitted!

[Next: Part 7: ACLP 3.0 Course Fees, Funding, Payment: Is It Worth It?

Disclaimer: This article documents my personal experience of applying for ACLP 3.0 and is intended for sharing and reference only. It is not an official guide or representation of IAL's application process. The information and screenshots reflect my experience at the time of application in August 2026. Course requirements, fees, funding arrangements and other details may change, so please refer to the official IAL website for the latest information.