1. Structure and syllabus
Structure
The level is made up of three Objective Test subjects and one Case Study. You must pass all three Objective Tests before moving onto the Case Study, which tests what you’ve learned overall in the level. You need to pass all assessments to be able to progress to the Management level.
info
The CIMA® (Chartered Institute of Management Accounting) Professional Qualification is now the CGMA® (Chartered Global Management Accountant) Professional Qualification.
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Entry requirements
You’ll need to have completed CIMA Certificate, AAT Level 4 Diploma, or have an accountancy or finance degree.
Pass Guarantee availableexpand_less
We want you to pass your exams and succeed in the next steps of your career. If you don’t get the results you were expecting and have enrolled on an eligible course, you can take advantage of our pass guarantee. Get extended course access, tutor support, a new mock exam, and guidance for FREE until you pass your exam.
For more information, view out our dedicated Pass Guarantee page.
Syllabus
The Objective Test subjects can be sat in any order. You must have passed all 3 Objective Tests before you can book your Case Study examination.
Objective Test subjects
Compulsory
Managing Finance in a Digital World (E1)
You’ll learn about the role of finance in organisations, the structure and shape of the finance function, how the finance function interacts with the organisation to create and preserve value, data usage by the finance function and the technology landscape and its impact on organisations and the finance function.
- Number of lessons:
- Classroom: 4 days
- Live Online: 8 sessions
- OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
Subject assessment: computer-based exam
Course content:
- Role of the finance function
- Technology in a digital world
- Data and information in a digital world
- Shape and structure of the finance function
- Finance interacting with the organisation
Compulsory
Management Accounting (P1)
You’ll learn the importance of costs in the production, analysis and use of information for decision-making in companies. P1 covers short-term budgeting, and making short-term decisions on products and services, as well as digital issues in costing.
- Number of lessons:
- Classroom: 5 days
- Live Online: 10 sessions
- OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
Subject assessment: computer-based exam
Course content:
- Cost accounting systems
- Budget and budgetary control
- Short term decision making
- Dealing with uncertainty in the short term
Compulsory
Financial Reporting (F1)
You’ll learn about the regulation and preparation of financial statements, giving you the skills to produce basic financial statements for individuals. You’ll also learn about working capital and business tax.
- Number of lessons:
- Classroom: 5 days
- Live Online: 10 sessions
- OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
Subject assessment: computer-based exam
Course content:
- Regulatory Environment
- Financial Statements
- Principles of taxation
- Managing Working Capital
Case Study
Compulsory
Integrated Case Study
You’ll be tested on your overall knowledge of E1, P1, and F1. Using the skills gained during the level, you’ll resolve issues that a management accountant may come across at work.
- Number of lessons:
- Classroom: 5 days
- Live Online: Evening and Afternoon - 8 sessions, Weekend - 5 days
- OnDemand/Distance Learning: study at your own pace
Subject assessment: computer-based exam
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.
Study method comparison table keyboard_arrow_down
What |
Classroom |
Live Online - full day |
Live Online - afternoon/evening |
Award winning OnDemand |
Distance Learning |
Live, tutor-led classes at set times |
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Re-watch your lessons |
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Learning materials available - including study text, pocket notes/revision cards and exam/revision packs |
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Award winning online learning resources including bite-sized tutor-led videos |
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Marked mock exams and lots of additional practice questions |
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Access to Academic Support 7 days a week |
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Progression Advisors (previously Learning Coach) offering advice, guidance and support to help keep your learning on track |
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Interact with other students studying the same course |
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Pass Guarantee available with full course |
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Study at your own pace |
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Classes capped at 40 students |
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Pass Guarantee available
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 5 day free trial
Every module and topic has been through a detailed instructional design process, which means we‘ve considered how to best explain each area and cement your understanding of the subject. This includes a variety of concise learning formats such as bite-sized tutor-led lectures, and activities to help link topics together. Every module is scripted and links on screen animations with graphics found within your integrated workbook. This provides a high quality online learning experience, which is so much more than a live recorded tutor session or even a tutor narrating highlighted text book visuals.
In addition to Academic Support, our team of Progression Advisors offer advice, guidance and support, on how to best learn and progress through your course. They use data to identify if you need extra support and will help you get back on track if you need it.
Pass Guarantee
OnDemand is a complete course, which includes tuition, revision and exam preparation, and comes with a Pass Guarantee. If you are unsuccessful, the Pass Guarantee will give you FREE access to a further 2 mock exams and 180 'Test Yourself' questions. Your access to MyKaplan and tutor support can also be extended on request to help you get back on track.
Pass Guarantee available
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 to access when doing work outside of the classroom
View Classroom demo
Classroom is a complete course, which includes tuition, revision and exam preparation, and comes with a Pass Guarantee. If you are unsuccessful, the Pass Guarantee will give you FREE access to a further 2 mock exams and 180 'Test Yourself' questions. Your access to MyKaplan and tutor support can also be extended on request to help you get back on track.
Pass Guarantee available
Live interactive online classes at a set time, which you can watch from anywhere.
- Interactive live lectures delivered online by our expert tutors
- Full weekday, weekend, afternoon or evening classes available
- Re-watch and replay lessons through recordings
- Access to our award winning OnDemand online learning resources
View Live Online 5 day free trial
Live Online is a complete course, which includes tuition, revision and exam preparation, and comes with a Pass Guarantee. If you are unsuccessful, the Pass Guarantee will give you FREE access to a further 2 mock exams and 180 'Test Yourself' questions. Your access to MyKaplan and tutor support can also be extended on request to help you get back on track.
We have classes available weekdays and weekends, and for a full day or part day. You can engage with your tutor during classes, and keep in touch with classmates via MyKaplan.
If you are unsuccessful in the Case Study Assessment, the Pass Guarantee will give you FREE enrolment on this course for the next or subsequent sitting. Your access to MyKaplan and tutor support will be extended on request to help you get back on track.
Distance Learning is a complete course, which includes tuition, revision and exam preparation. If you are unsuccessful, tutor support can be extended on request to help you get back on track. Access to your eLearning content can be extended for £35. You can also pay £49 to access a further 2 mock exams and 180 'Test yourself' questions.
Timetables - Classroom and Live Online
date_rangeView timetables
3. Exams and sittings
Timings and working towards an assessment
Each subject is assessed by an objective test, and the level as a whole is assessed by a final Case Study. Remember, you’ll have to book your exam as well as your course.
The Objective Tests are computer-based and are 90 minutes 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. Your results will
be available with 48 hours.
In the Case Study, you’ll be expected to use what you learned in the Operational Level to work through a real life scenario, where your ‘role’ will be a Finance Officer. The Case Study exam is 3 hours long, is computer-based, and available to take in four windows throughout the year (February, May, August, November), at a Kaplan centre or Pearson VUE assessment centre.
The exam is based on a pre-seen that will be released approximately 7 weeks before the exam window. From May 2020 the pre-seen will be valid for two sittings, one pre-seen for May and August and another for November and February. It is marked by a human, and results are available 5 weeks after the close of the exam window. It will test your research and analysis skills, how you present information, and your persuasion and communication skills.
Book an exam
How long does it take to pass?
Students usually take around one year to complete the level, but this depends entirely on your preferred way of learning and study method.
What happens if I need to resit my OT exam?
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 on the course. Included in this course are helpful articles to help you prepare for your resit exam, access to a PDF containing information to help you get back on track, a chance to build your own tests, so you can practice the areas you’re less sure about, and two previously unseen mock exams for even more question practice. And of course, you still have access to our academic support team for technical 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.
What happens if I need to resit my Case Study exam?
We all know that failing an exam is upsetting but it is important to pick yourself up and get ready to try again. At Kaplan we want to make this as easy as possible for you and so we will give you additional support.
The pre-seen material for case study exams is valid for two sittings. May and August share a pre-seen, November and February share a pre-seen. This means that if you sat your exam in May or November and need to resit you can resit your exam using the same pre-seen in the August / February exam window which follows.
If you wish to resit, you have access to an online resit course via your existing MyKaplan Classroom, Live Online, or OnDemand course for the following sitting. The survey for which will be made available during results week for the exam sitting you were attempting. This includes a resit guidance PDF to help you get back on track, or case resources for the new pre-seen*, and two previously unseen, mock exams which you can submit for marking. You will still have access to our academic support team if you need technical guidance or help from our expert tutors.
Alternatively, if you were enrolled on to a classroom course, you have the option of attending another classroom course, or the last two days of a classroom course if your resit is on the same case study (where available), or attending a Live Online course, or sessions 7 and 8 of a Live Online course if your resit is on the same case study. If you were enrolled on a Live Online course then you can attend another Live Online course, or sessions 7 and 8 of a Live Online course if your resit is on the same case study.
*if resitting under a new case study.
Both the online resit course and access to a new course are only available to Classroom, Live Online, and OnDemand students who have met the terms of their Pass Guarantee. The resit product is not available to buy as a stand alone course.
If you need to resit your exam and would like to discuss your options, please contact Student Services on 0161 259 7400 for an informal conversation about the best way forward. We are here to support you every step of the way.
Dates and deadlines for Case Study exams
Results for November 2023 Case Study exam will be released on 21st December 2023.
All the key dates and deadlines for the 2024 Operational Case Study exams are listed below for you.
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February 2024 |
May 2024 |
August 2024 |
November 2024 |
Exam entry opens: |
2 Aug 2023 |
18 Oct 2023 |
24 Jan 2024 |
24 Apr 2024 |
Pre-seen material released to students: |
15 Sep 2023 |
22 Mar 2024 |
22 Mar 2024 |
20 Sep 2024 |
CIMA exam entry deadline: |
23 Jan 2024 |
23 Apr 2024 |
23 Jul 2024 |
22 Oct 2024 |
Exam window: |
7-9 Feb 2024 |
8-10 May 2024 |
7-9 Aug 2024 |
6-8 Nov 2024 |
Results released: |
28 Mar 2024 |
27 Jun 2024 |
26 Sep 2024 |
2 Jan 2025 |
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.
The following materials are included in each Objective Test course:
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Study text
Textbook covering the full subject syllabus with worked examples and activities.
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Integrated workbook (not included for 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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Application modules
Helping deepen your knowledge of key topics areas, understand how smaller topics fit together and how you might see them in a work environment.
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Study modules (Classroom, Live Online, OnDemand only)
Engaging, online modules including bite-sized tutor led lectures taking you step by step through the whole syllabus.
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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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Study programme
Outlines the course structure, providing guidance on what to do, and when.
If you choose Classroom, Live Online or Distance learning, you can access the study programme through MyKaplan, and it will guide you through your course.
If you choose OnDemand, we’ll provide you with a printable study programme. You can choose one of three study durations, as not everyone learns at the same pace.
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Exam kit
The kit gives you plenty of exam style questions and answers to test your knowledge and practice.
The following materials are included in each Case Study course:
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Study text
The official CIMA textbook covering Integrated Case Study Exam preparation with worked examples and activities.
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Familiarisation and Practice Workbook
An examination preparation tool, based on the case study, including ethical considerations, key issues, how to prioritise, and plan your answer. The workbook includes 10-12 case specific tasks including a familiarisation quiz and exercises.
For those doing the classroom study method, this will be a printed copy. It will be online only for LiveOnline, OnDemand and Distance learning students. You can download it and print it out.
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Case analysis videos
Watch a tutor walk you through the pre-seen, highlighting key facts, information and potentially examinable topics.
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Technical Recap videos and notes (except Distance Learning)
Technical recap recordings that will help you revise key syllabus areas from the underpinning subjects, and introduce you to how those topics could be examined in a case study examination.
To buy the materials separately...
You can buy CIMA approved books for each subject on this level from Kaplan Publishing.
Buy CIMA bookslaunch
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.
Delivery fees are as follows:
- UK and NI - £7 for the first package, £7 for subsequent packages
- EU - £35 for the first package, £30 for subsequent packages
- Rest of the World - £50 for the first package, £50 for subsequent packages
Please note that due to varying interpretations of the post-Brexit EU/UK trading agreement, some EU countries are imposing import duty on the value of the goods received from the UK. It is payable by the end consumer via the delivery company and your delivery may be withheld until paid. This may vary from country to country and be up to a value of 20% of the value of the study material.
A package relates to all the materials for a specific subject, for example CIMA P1 Management Accounting. 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 for Live Online, OnDemand, Online and Distance Learning 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.
Our standard delivery deadline for UK classroom courses is one week prior to the first course date.
Delivery charges apply to Classroom, Distance Learning, OnDemand, Online and Live Online courses which include printed materials. 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
MyKaplan explained (1m:18s)
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
- View your detailed study programme and online materials in one place and access your content in a few clicks
- Contact a tutor directly using live chat. You can also email or request a callback
- Complete practice tests and get instant feedback (Objective Tests)
- Track your performance by topic and easily identify where you need to improve; you can even compare yourself with others in your class
- Take part in forum discussions with students and tutors and find answers to common questions
- See instantly when your assessments have been marked (Case Study)
- Use the mobile app to study on the move and access your study materials offline
Access duration
Your chosen study method determines how long you can access your content for. For Objective Tests:
Classroom
Three months from last course date.
Live Online
Three months from last course date.
OnDemand
Six months from selected start month.
Distance Learning
12 months from selected start month.
There is also one free extension for 3 months, and a further 3-month extension for £50.
For the Case Study, access durations are all six months after the selected exam sitting.
computer Minimum 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):
- LiveChat (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 hrs). Please note request a callback is not available to overseas students.
Academic Support opening times
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 8pm
Friday: 8am - 5:30pm
Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Sunday: 9am - 1pm
Ways to get support
If you think you'd benefit from additional tutor support while studying, we recommend the structured study methods such as Classroom and Live Online.
7. Testing and mocks
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Pass Guarantee
If you don't get the results you were expecting and have enrolled on an eligible course, you can take advantage of our Pass Guarantee. Get extended course access, tutor support, a new mock exam, and guidance for FREE until you pass your exam.
Learn more about our Pass Guarantee chevron_right
We have a wealth of materials to help you revise for and pass your exams.
Objective Test
For the Objective Test, all study options come with the following:
Case Study
The Case Study is a difficult exam, testing your overall knowledge across the level, and is tested by a written exam, based on a business scenario. We support you with resources that match the feel of the real Case Study:
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.
Funding options
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 if they’re willing to provide this support.
CIMA Operational 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 level to take out a payment plan.
You may be eligible for an Apprenticeship through your employer, depending on your circumstances. Speak to your employer to find out more.