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Contents
What is CIMA?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Why study CIMA?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Where can CIMA take me?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Can I study CIMA?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What will it cost me?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CIMA Syllabus explained. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

How do I progress?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Which study method is right for me?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Why study with Kaplan?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Your CIMA checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Contact us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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What is CI A?
Are you a strategic thinker with a knack for looking at
the bigger picture? Do you want to be integral to the
success of a global business? If so, then the CIMA
qualification is for you!

CIMA is a chartered accountancy qualification, ideal for those

who would like a rewarding career in business or finance.

During the CIMA qualification, you will study a broad range

of topics that will help your career, including:
❚ Making pricing and product decisions
❚ Managing large-scale projects
❚ Formulating financial strategy
❚ Mitigating risk

The skills and knowledge you pick up from your

CIMA qualification will help you progress in
your chosen field, as well as increase your
earning potential and career opportunities.

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Why study CI A?
CIMA is the world’s largest professional body of management accountants,
with more than 229,000 members and students in 176 countries.
Having a CIMA qualification tells everyone you’re a trusted business strategist who can help
bring success to any organisation. It proves you have an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of
business finance, as well as a commitment to ethical professional practises.

CIMA members 63% of CIMA Students CIMA Students salary grew

(CGMAs) on average expect to receive a bonus by an average of 3%
earn £66,000 in the next 12 months in the past 12 months

Statistics taken from 2019 Association of International

Certified Professional Accountants Salary Survey. 3
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Where can CI A take me?
The success of any organisation is dependent on sound financial
management. That means by studying CIMA, you’ll be ready to
add value to any business sector – from fashion to football.

The roles within an organisation that are open to you are just as varied
– you could become a management consultant, finance director or CEO.
Or you may want to run your own business instead.

And because of its global reputation, a CIMA qualification is

your passport to work around the world. 15% of students
looking for new jobs are planning to move abroad.*

The outstanding global reputation of CIMA

87% of employers would pay CIMA students and CGMAs were CIMA students and CGMAs were
a premium to have a CGMA represented in 100% of Interbrand’s represented in 96% of FTSE
work for them** Best Global Brands 2016*** top 100 companies in 2016

Find out more about how your career will progress with our Career Timeline 

Our quick quiz suggests an area of accountancy you may find

interesting based on your traits, personality and motivations.
Take the Quiz 

*CIMA Salary survey 2016 **2014 CGMA Brand Index, AICPA/CIMA/Applied Research and Consulting LLC
***interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2016/ranking/

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Can I study CI A?
Whether you’ve just finished school, want to change CIMA Professional Qualification
career, or already hold a financial qualification,
If you have prior experience, you may start on the full
you can get started with your CIMA qualification.
CIMA Professional Qualification. Once you complete
The main entry routes are covered below.
this you will be a Chartered Global Management
CIMA Certificate in Business Accountant (CGMA).
Accounting (Cert BA) Time to complete
CIMA Cert BA teaches the fundamentals of both On average, it takes students around three years
business and finance – skills that employers will to complete the CIMA Professional qualification
always need. It is a recognised qualification in its with most students taking 4–6 subjects per year.
own right, but can also be used as a stepping stone
Entry Requirements
into the full CIMA Professional qualification.
You need to have one of these:
Time to complete - CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting qualification
12 months. - Relevant degree
- Membership of a recognised IFAC body, such as AAT.
Entry Requirements
None. More details about entry requirements
Find out more here  and exemptions can be found here 

Myths and Misconceptions

Many believe that they don’t have the right qualifications or skills to start studying accountancy.

Whilst it does help to be comfortable with Maths, English and using a computer,
most accountants today use spreadsheets or accounting software to do a lot of the
calculations and processes. So you certainly don’t need to be a maths or IT genius!

Find out more myths about starting in accountancy here 

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What will it cost me?
Though CIMA courses can be expensive, it is worth investing in the long term
benefits you’ll receive such as salary increases and career opportunities.

CIMA students earn on average £32k a year,

whereas CIMA members on average earn a
whopping £66k a year.

You don’t have to be fully qualified to benefit

from an increase in pay – as you progress
through the levels your average salary will go up.
Operational level students earn an average of
£30k, which jumps up to £32k for Management
students and finally £38k for those who have
completed the Strategic level.

Although 63% of students are expecting to

receive a yearly bonus, with an average
bonus potential of 7%, 72% of members
are expecting to receive a bonus – with a
better than average bonus potential of 12%.

Financial Support

On top of this, there’s lots of extra financial support available for CIMA students.
In our survey, 60% of people said they got financial support from their employer
or training provider.**

Kaplan offer interest free payment plans on our courses. So you can pay for your
course in smaller, affordable chunks. Plus, there’s no extra cost to do this!
Learn more 

You can also now study CIMA via an apprenticeship, meaning you can earn while
you learn. Is an apprenticeship right for me? 

**Kaplan career changer survey.

Qualified vs. Non-qualified earning statistics taken from 2019 Association of International Certified Professional Accountants Salary Survey.

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CI A Levels Explained
To become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant, you need to complete the
three CIMA Professional Levels – Operational, Management and Strategic.

Operational Level Strategic level

Overview Overview
The Operational level covers the implementation This level concentrates on making long term
of strategy. After completing this level, you will strategic decisions and providing the context
receive the CIMA Diploma in Management for those decisions. On completion you will be
Accounting (CIMA Dip MA). eligible to become a fully qualified CGMA.

You will learn to: You will learn to:

1. Prepare financial statements 1. Formulate financial strategy
2. Provide management accounting information 2. Manage strategic relationships
3. Use appropriate tools for decision making 3. Identify and manage risk.
through a broad understanding of business.

Management Level
There are three consistent themes that
Overview
run across all three levels, which CIMA calls
The Management level concentrates on monitoring ‘Pillars’. The Enterprise pillar focuses on how
and reporting on strategy. On completion, you to formulate and implement strategy. The
receive the CIMA Advanced Diploma in Performance pillar focuses on a realistic
Management Accounting (CIMA Adv Dip MA). strategy and to monitoring implementation.
You will learn to: The Financial pillar focuses on how to
prepare and interpret financial statements.
1. Prepare group accounts
2. Make pricing and product decisions
based on a robust analysis
3. Manage projects and relationships.

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How do I progress?
To pass each level, you must complete three objective tests (based on the three Pillars)
and a case study exam.

Objective tests are 90 minutes long and can be taken all year round. Case studies are
three hour exams, available in four windows each year. You must have passed all the
objectives tests in a level before tackling the case study.

Objective tests and case studies are always computer-based exams, which can be
taken in centres across the world.

CIMA QUALIFICATIONS STRUCTURE

Certificate Level
BA1 Fundamentals of BA2 Fundamentals of BA3 Fundamentals of
Business Economics Management Accounting Financial Accounting

BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law

AWARD: CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting (CIMA CERT BA)

Enterprise Pillar Performance Pillar Financial Pillar

Practical Experience / Lifelong Learning

Operational Level
E1 Managing Finance P1 Management
F1 Financial Reporting
in a Digital World Accounting

Operational Case Study Exam

AWARD: CIMA Diploma In Management Accounting (CIMA DIP MA)

Management Level
P2 Advanced F2 Advanced
E2 Managing Performance
Management Accounting Financial Reporting

Management Case Study Exam

AWARD: CIMA Advanced Diploma In Management Accounting (CIMA ADV DIP MA)

Strategic Level

E3 Strategic Management P3 Risk Management F3 Financial Strategy

Strategic Case Study Exam

Assessment of Practical Experience

AWARD: Membership of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants® and the CGMA designation

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Which study method is right for me?
Many factors can affect how you perform in your CIMA exams, but one key question
is frequently overlooked – what’s the best study method for me?

Your unique learning style and situation can make all the difference to your CIMA
success. Pick the wrong study method and you may face a tough journey, even if you
are well suited to the subject.

Luckily, Kaplan has different ways to study CIMA to suit different needs.

Structured Flexible
Is this right for me?  Is this right for me? 

Classroom OnDemand
A traditional scheduled programme, with An online course with resources specifically
face to face tutor led classes at one of our designed for online learning, with the
centrally located Kaplan Training Centres. flexibility to start studying anytime, anywhere.
Learn more  Learn more 

Live Online Distance Learning

Live interactive online classes at a set time Study independently in your own time,
with expert tutors. Every session is recorded at your own pace, using a range of online
so you can watch them back later. and printed learning materials.
Learn more  Learn more 

Still unsure which of these study methods is best suited to you?

Answer 7 simple questions to find which one we recommend for your unique Take our Quiz 
learning style. You’ll then get a chance to try it for free with an in-depth demo.

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 Why study with Kaplan ?
If you’ve decided that CIMA is the right qualification for you, and you’ve decided
how you should study, the final question is – why study with Kaplan?

Because we listen! We’ve recently redesigned all our courses based on student
feedback, to give you the best chance of completing your studies, whatever study
method you choose.

Official CIMA publisher Above average pass rates

We’re the only official CIMA publisher, meaning you We always have exceptional pass rates and Kaplan
can study with confidence in your learning materials. students are regularly CIMA prizewinners, so you
can be confident of success when you choose us.

Guaranteed response in 4 hours or less UK’s largest accountancy training provider

Get instant tutor support via Live Chat or We train over 40,000 accountants each year so
within 4 hours by email or callback. you can be confident when studying with us.

Fully marked mock exams and 8 of the top 10 UK accountancy firms

a wealth of practice questions have employees studying with us*
You’ll get feedback highlighting what went well It’s not just about quantity. Top firms choose
and what was incorrect, so you can focus your Kaplan to give their employees the best
time on the areas you need to improve. learning experience.

*Top 10 UK accountancy firms taken from Accountancy Age 2018 Top 50+50 survey. All students have purchased a course within the last 6 months as of May 2019.

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Your CI A checklist
We know that starting CIMA can be overwhelming, so we have put together a
handy checklist below to guide you through the process from start to finish.
Follow these steps and you’ll be CIMA qualified in no time!

1 Choose your qualification

Make sure CIMA is right for you, and find out which level you should start with.

2
Choose your study method
Flexible or structured, in class or at home? Pick the study method that will give
you the best chance of success.

3
Choose your training provider
That’s where we come in! Decide who you would like to study with based on
factors such as tutor support and course content

4
Check your funding options
You might be surprised at what is available to you. And always ask your employer
if they are willing to help fund your studies.

5
Register with CIMA
Separate to your training provider, you also need to register as a CIMA student
with the institute itself. Otherwise you can’t take your exams!

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Start studying
You should now have everything in place to be able to start your training
– now hit those books and schedule your first exam when you feel ready!

Contact us
If you have any questions at all about starting CIMA with Kaplan,
please feel free to get in touch:
[email protected] 0161 259 7400