CIMA Professional Operational (Diploma in Management Accounting)

You’ll need to have completed CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, AAT Professional Diploma (Level 4), or have an accountancy or finance degree.

By the end of CIMA Operational you should have come to grips with managing finance , costs and analysis used in production, and financial reporting.

The level is made up of three Objective Tests and a Case Study.

Case Study courses will be available for the August exam sitting onwards.

Objective Test subjects:

E1 Managing Finance in a Digital World

You’ll learn about the role of finance in organisations, as well as the technology landscape and its impact on organisations and the finance function.

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.

P1 Management Accounting

You’ll learn about the importance of costs in the production, analysis and use of information for decision-making in companies.

Course content:

• Cost accounting systems
• Budget and budgetary control
• Short term decision making
• Dealing with uncertainty in the short term.

F1 Financial Reporting

You’ll learn about the regulation and preparation of financial statements, giving you the skills to produce basic financial statements. You’ll also learn about working capital and business tax.

Course content:

• Regulatory Environment
• Financial Statements
• Principles of taxation
• Managing Working Capital.

As well as the Objective Tests, you’ll do a Case Study. This is where you’ll put your learning to the test with a real-life scenario. Using the skills gained during the level, you’ll resolve issues that a management accountant may come across at work.

Each subject is assessed by an objective test, and the level as a whole is assessed by a final Case Study.

The Objective Tests are computer-based and are 90 minutes each. The exams can be sat at any time of the year, and can be taken in any order. All assessments are marked by computer and you will be given a provisional result at the end of the exam. This will then be confirmed on your MY CIMA account within 48 hours.

The Case Study exam is 3 hours long and is computer-based. These exams are held in four exam sittings throughout the year. You must have passed all three Objective Tests before you can register to sit your Case Study exam. The exam is based on pre-seen material that will be released approximately 7 weeks before the exam window. These exams are human marked and your result will be released approximately 5 weeks after the exam window closes. Find out more information about the exam dates and deadlines launch.

Grading

For the Objective Tests you need to get a scaled score of 100, with 150 being the maximum available.

For the Case Study exam you need to get a scaled score of 80, with 150 being the maximum available. You also need to be competent in all of the core activities at this level.

Resits

If you are unsuccessful in your first attempt, don’t worry you can resit your exam. For Objective Test subjects as these exams are on demand you can sit this as soon as you feel ready, for Case Study you will need to wait for the next quarterly exam sitting.

Booking your exams

Log in your My CIMA account and select ‘schedule your exam’. This will transfer you to the Pearson VUE website where you can select your exam, date and time and complete your booking.

Case Study courses will be available for the August exam sitting onwards.

Book an exam on the CIMA website launch

• We’re always on hand when you need us
• You’re fully supported with access to expert tutors, 7 days a week responding via email within 4 working hours
• You’ll also be assigned a mentor to help and guide you through the order of subjects to study in and check that the level you’re starting at is right for you. You can also contact them wherever you need to throughout your course and get a response within 24 hours Monday to Friday
• For full details on Academic and Mentor support opening hours, please visit the contact us page.

Partnering with the best, you’ll always have access to market leading CIMA online content powered by Kaplan and online materials from Kaplan Publishing, via Osborne books. All day, every day for as long as you subscribe.

After completing this level, you could go into roles such as a financial analyst or management accountant, and earn up to £33,000 a year. You could also continue your studies and move onto the CIMA Management level.

You will need to register with CIMA as a student and pay a registration and annual student membership fee, as well as exam fees. These fees are in addition to your course fees. Find out more about these fees on the CIMA website launch.