1. Structure
The course is made up of four mandatory subjects. You must pass all four subject assessments to be awarded the qualification.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements, but you are expected to have good mathematical and English skills equivalent to GCSE grade C/4 or above.
Syllabus
BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics
- Number of lessons:
Classroom: 4 days
Live Online: 8 sessions
OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
- Subject assessment: computer-based exam
You’ll learn about the economic and operating context of business, and how competition, financial markets and government economic policy can affect a company.
BA2 Fundamentals of Management Accounting
- Number of lessons:
Classroom: 4 days
Live Online: 8 sessions
OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
- Subject assessment: computer-based exam
You’ll learn the knowledge and techniques of management accounting and the role of management accounting in the commercial and public sector. You’ll gain the skills to plan, control, and make decisions.
BA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
- Number of lessons:
Classroom: 5 days
Live Online: 10 sessions
OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
- Subject assessment: computer-based exam
You’ll learn how to prepare financial statements for single entities within a conceptual and regulatory framework. You’ll gain an understanding of controls, the nature of errors and how to measure financial performance.
BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law
- Number of lessons:
Classroom: 3 days
Live Online: 6 sessions
OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
- Subject assessment: computer-based exam
You’ll learn how ethics underpins commercial activity. You’ll be able to identify ethical dilemmas, understand the implications, and appropriate resolution.
2. Study methods
Do you prefer face-to-face learning or studying online in your own time? Do you have family or work commitments that you need to fit your studies around? With four different study methods, we have a course that will meet your needs.
Study methods available for this qualification
Whatever study method you choose, you’ll benefit from high quality learning materials, practical learning methods, hundreds of practice questions, marked mock exams and expert support even on evenings and weekends. You can be confident with Kaplan.
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Study method comparison table
Award-winning structured online course with the flexibility to start anytime and study anywhere.
- Topic focused learning modules, containing tutor-led bite-sized videos
- Engaging activities designed for effective online learning
- Integrated programme to guide you efficiently through the whole syllabus
View OnDemand demo
A traditional scheduled programme with face to face tutor-led classes.
- Classes with your peers at set times of day
- Centrally located in most major cities: View all classroom locations
- Access to our award winning OnDemand online learning resources
View Classroom demo
Live interactive online classes at a set time, which you can watch from anywhere.
- Live lectures delivered online by a tutor
- Re-watch and replay lessons through recordings
- Access to our award winning OnDemand online learning resources
View Live Online demo
Self-study online modules for you to work through at your own pace.
- Study remotely with printed and online materials
- Study guide to provide direction
View Distance Learning demo
Timetables - Classroom and Live Online
date_rangeView timetables
3. Exams and sittings
Timings and working towards a sitting
All CIMA Certificate assessments are computer-based objective tests, that are 2 hours each, taken at a Kaplan centre or Pearson VUE test centre. The exams can be sat at any time of the year, and can be taken in any order. All assessments are marked by computer. Subjects BA1, BA2 and BA3 have 60 objective test questions, while the BA4 assessment has 85 objective test questions. The tests are made up of multiple-choice, number entry, and drag and drop, and other question formats. Remember, you’ll have to book your exam as well as your course.
How long does it take to pass?
Students usually take around one year to complete the qualification, but this depends entirely on your preferred way of learning and study method.
What happens if I need to resit?
Firstly, don’t worry. We know it can be frustrating to fail an exam, but you can resit, and we try to make the process as easy as possible.
You can take an online resit course, via MyKaplan, available for three months after you’ve enrolled. It comes with helpful articles to help you prepare for your resits. You will also have access to useful Masterclasses, a resit information PDF to help you get back on track and a chance to build your own tests, so you can practice the areas you’re less sure about. And of course, plenty of academic support from our expert tutors.
The online resit course is only available to Classroom, Live Online and OnDemand students who have met the terms of their pass guarantee. The resit is not available to buy individually.
If you need a resit course, please contact Student Services on 0161 259 7400 to enrol.
4. Study materials and delivery costs
Study materials
Classroom, Live Online and OnDemand students will receive printed and online study materials, while Distance Learning students have the option of printed and online, or online only. The CIMA materials are the only official CIMA study materials that cover the full syllabus, and are reviewed and approved by CIMA faculty, so you can be confident of their quality.
We provide:
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Study text
A textbook covering the full subject syllabus with worked examples and activities.
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Integrated workbook (not included in Distance Learning)
The integrated workbook helps you work through the syllabus, with room to write your notes. It helps you keep everything in one place to make it easy to study and revise from.
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Study programme
Outlines the course structure, providing guidance on what to do, and when.
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Revision cards
Pocket-sized, brief revision notes that highlight and prioritise the essential topics you need to understand to pass your CIMA exams.
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Exam kit
The exam kit gives you plenty of exam style questions and answers to test your knowledge and practice.
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eLearning modules (Classroom, Live Online and OnDemand only)
Interactive tutor-led video modules that teach the whole syllabus and extend learning via tricky topic tutorials.
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eLearning resources (Distance Learning only)
eLearning contains over 120 hours of CIMA approved content.
To buy the materials separately...
You can buy CIMA approved books for each subject on this qualification from Kaplan Publishing.
Delivery costs
subscriptions
How much it costs to deliver your study materials and how long it takes depends on where in the world you live.
If you’re completing a classroom course, your materials are provided on the first day of your course.
Delivery fees are as follows:
UK and NI - £7 for the first package, £7 for subsequent packages
EU - £30 for the first package, £30 for subsequent packages
Rest of the World - £50 for the first package, £50 for subsequent packages
A package relates to all the materials for a specific subject, for example CIMA BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics. If purchasing a course for more than one subject, the additional package charges will apply.
Delivery fees are capped at 3 x the cost, per single order. So, if you buy 5 courses for UK delivery in a single order, it will be £7 x 3, rather than £7 x 5.
Our standard delivery times are:
UK – 3 to 5 working days
EU – 5 to 7 working days
Rest of the World – 7 to 10 working days*
*Subject to availability.
Delivery charges apply to all Distance Learning, OnDemand and Live Online courses which include printed materials, and selected Classroom courses. If delivery charges are applicable for your course, they will be shown during the online checkout process, before you complete your payment details.
5. MyKaplan: online learning environment
Watch our video explaining MyKaplan (1:30)
MyKaplan is your online learning portal where you can access all of your online learning and testing resources, including online versions of your study materials. Accessible from your computer, tablet or via the dedicated mobile app, it’s the one stop shop for everything you need with practical resources to help you prepare for your exams.
Online features
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View your detailed study programme and online materials in one place and access your content in a few clicks
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Contact a tutor directly using live chat. You can also email or request a callback
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Complete practice tests and get instant feedback
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Track your performance by topic and easily identify where you need to improve; you can even compare yourself with others in your class
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Take part in forum discussions with students and tutors and find answers to common questions
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Use the
mobile app to study on the move and access your study materials offline
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Access to VideoBank - hundreds of tutor-led videos to help you get the most out of your course.
Access duration
Your chosen study method determines how long you can access your content for.
Classroom
Three months from last course date.
Live Online
Three months from last course date.
OnDemand
Six months from enrolment date.
Distance Learning
12 months from enrolment date.
There is also one free extension for 3 months, and a further 3-month extension for £50.
computerMinimum system requirements for MyKaplan
6. Tutor support
We'll support you every step of the way throughout your CIMA learning experience with us. You can contact a tutor and get the help you need quickly and easily.
Provided by our Academic Support team (our dedicated team of expert tutors):
- Live chat (instant response via online messenger system)
- Email (we'll get back to you within 4 hrs)
- Discussion forum (we’ll get back to you within 4 hrs)
- Request a callback so you can speak to a tutor (we’ll arrange a call with you within 24 hours). Please note request a callback is not available to overseas students.
Guaranteed Tutor response times
Academic Support:
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 9pm
Friday: 8am - 5:30pm
Weekends: 9am - 1pm
7. Testing and mocks
We have a wealth of materials to help you revise for and pass your exams. All study options come with the following:
Knowledge checks
As you go along, knowledge checks help assess your understanding of a topic before you move onto the next one.
Test yourself (Classroom, Live Online, OnDemand)/ test builder (Distance Learning)
There are a range of hundreds of questions to build your own tests, so you can target weak areas, or check your overall knowledge.
Two mock exams
Practise your exam technique with two full mock exams so you can gain confidence before the real thing. The mock exam will have the same look and feel as the actual exam.
8. Pricing structure
Subject prices can differ depending on your study method, location and the time you choose to study (if you’re choosing Classroom). Go to our study methods page to learn more about each option.
Subjects are all priced individually, so you can purchase them altogether (for a discount), or separately as you need them.
| Scheduled |
Flexible |
| Classroom |
Live Online |
OnDemand |
Distance Learning |
| from £569 |
from £499 |
from £399 |
from £279 |
Funding options
You may be eligible for an Apprenticeship through your employer, depending on your circumstances. This is available for Classroom, Live Online, and OnDemand. For more information, contact our Student Services team.
Your employer may fund the costs of your studies if you're already working in a related field and want to develop your learning. You’ll need to speak to them to see if they’re willing to provide this support.
The CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting is covered in our interest-free payment plan. The plan lets you spread the cost of your studies over 12 months, with no extra costs. You’ll need to buy all subjects in the qualification to take out a payment plan.