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CIMA® Exams

Take your CIMA® exams at your convenience!

You can take your online CIMA® exam(s) at your convenience any time 90 days after your registration in the CIMA® program is confirmed. You can book and schedule your CIMA® exam in advance from your myCIMA dashboard in any of the slots available in the four exam windows open during a year in the months of March, June, September and December. Digitally-proctored online CIMA® exams can be taken from anywhere individually by candidates once their computer systems are duly vetted as exam-ready by the CIMA® exam team.

Note: Offline exams are also conducted in select global locations but currently suspended for the calendar year 2023 and 2024. If your country qualifies for offline, pen-and-paper exams, please check your myCIMA dashboard for information on exam dates and venues.

Exam Overview

  • Mandated Number of Exams
  • Common Mode of Exam*
  • Exam Calendar
  • Duration of Exam
  • Number of Questions
  • Type of Exam Questions
  • Exam success trend
  • Exam Registration
  • Exam Scheduling
  • Exam Results
  • Exam Structure/Coverage
Standard Track
  • Two; Level 1 & Level 2. CIMA® Level 1 exam must be passed first before candidates can register for CIMA® Level 2
  • Online, remote-proctored
  • CIMA® Exam Windows open four times a year and can be taken anytime 90 days after the date of CIMA® registration in any of the available slots.
  • Level 1 Exam: 4 hours
    Level 2 Exam: 4 hours
  • Level 1 Exam: 150 questions
    Level 2 Exam: 150 questions
  • Each exam carries 150 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with one correct answer.
  • Average 62% passed 2021
    Level 1 Exam: 52.2% examinees pass annually
    Level 2 Exam: 74.4% examinees pass annually
  • From the myCIMA dashboard
  • From the myCIMA dashboard
  • 15 days after the exam
  • View here
Professional Pathway
  • One; single, unified Pathway exam
  • Online, remote-proctored
  • CIMA® Exam Windows open four times a year and can be taken anytime 90 days after the date of CIMA® registration in any of the available slots.
  • Pathway Exam: 4 hours
  • Pathway Exam: 150 questions

  • Each exam carries 150 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with one correct answer.
  • Average 71% examinees passed 2021


  • From the myCIMA dashboard
  • From the myCIMA dashboard
  • 15 days after the exam
  • View here

*Offline pen & paper exams are also held in some locations twice a year. Check the CIMA® website and the myCIMA candidate dashboard for details

Exam Calendar

Exam Mode

With effect from September 2021, all CIMA® exams worldwide have moved online. They are remote-proctored and delivered individually to candidates in exam windows open for 15-16 days once every quarter. Candidates are allowed to book their CIMA® exams in advance any time 90 days after the date of confirmation of their CIMA® registration. They can schedule their CIMA® exam from their myCIMA dashboard in any of the available slots in the four exam windows open in the months of March, June, September and December. CIMA® exams are conducted on a secure digital testing platform conforming to the most rigorous Question and Test Interoperability (QTI) norms and aligned to leading-edge Portable Custom Interaction best practices. Information on offline, pen-and-paper exams planned during a calendar year is announced and released a year in advance on all relevant platforms and candidates are notified about the same on their myCIMA dashboards as well.


Exam Coverage

Standard Track Exam

Candidates must qualify the Standard CIMA® Level 1 and Standard CIMA® Level 2 exams. CIMA® Level 1 exam is of 4 hours, carries 150 multiple choice questions covering the 10 knowledge areas and CIMA® Level 2 exam is also of 4 hours, carrying 150 multiple choice questions and covers the 10 knowledge areas.


Professional Pathway Exam

Candidates are required to qualify for only one, unified CIMA® Professional Pathway Exam of 4 hours carrying 150 multiple choice questions covering 13 knowledge areas. Here’s a glance at the CIMA® Professional Pathway exam coverage and weightage by knowledge areas:

Taking Online CIMA® Exams

Follow these simple steps to schedule your CIMA® exam(s):

Note: You can schedule your CIMA® exam only after you complete the registration by payment of program fees. Also, you will receive an email after you complete your registration.

  • Log into your myCIMA Account and access your myCIMA dashboard.
  • You can reschedule or cancel your scheduled CIMA® Exam(s) only before the exam rescheduling/Cancelation Deadline mentioned on your myCIMA dashboard. You will be charged for cancellation and/or rescheduling the exam in accordance to the policy.
  • If you are a Standard Track candidate, you will require to qualify the CIMA® Level 1 exam before you schedule the CIMA® Level 2 exam.
  • The re-sit attempts for each exam will be charged in accordance to the policy.
  • The analysis and result-report will arrive within 15 days of your exam date.

To check the complete details for both Online and Offline exam mode, please visit the CIMA® Examinations section of the Candidate Guide

Taking Online CIMA® Exams

Follow these simple steps to schedule your CIMA® exam(s):

Note: You can schedule your CIMA® exam only after you complete the registration by payment of program fees. Also, you will receive an email after you complete your registration.

  • Log into your myCIMA Account and access your myCIMA dashboard.
  • You can reschedule or cancel your scheduled CIMA® Exam(s) only before the exam rescheduling/Cancelation Deadline mentioned on your myCIMA dashboard. You will be charged for cancellation and/or rescheduling the exam in accordance to the policy.
  • If you are a Standard Track candidate, you will require to qualify the CIMA® Level 1 exam before you schedule the CIMA® Level 2 exam.
  • The re-sit attempts for each exam will be charged in accordance to the policy.
  • The analysis and result-report will arrive within 15 days of your exam date.

Important to Remember!

  • You will be able to schedule your exam(s) only within the windows and time slots available for you.
  • You can reschedule or cancel your scheduled CIMA® Exam(s) only before the exam rescheduling/Cancelation Deadline mentioned on your myCIMA dashboard. You will be charged for cancellation and/or rescheduling the exam in accordance to the policy.
  • If you are a Standard Track candidate, you will require to qualify the CIMA® Level 1 exam before you schedule the CIMA® Level 2 exam.
  • The re-sit attempts for each exam will be charged in accordance to the policy.
  • The analysis and result-report will arrive within 15 days of your exam date.

Save your exam appointment confirmation

Once your exam date is scheduled, you’ll receive a confirmation email with registration information. Make sure to store this information in a safe place.

  • Exam Results Declaration +

    The results for all CIMA® exams are available within 15 days of the exam date. Individual candidate results are never released to a third party and communicated only to the candidates. Lists of passing candidates are shared with professional associations of the CIMA Institute for membership purposes.

    Detailed exam scores and responses to exam questions are measurement information and part of a candidate's test record, both of which are owned solely by the CIMA Institute. This information is not given to candidates. After a candidate A’s exam event ends, the CIMA Institute conducts a thorough analysis of exam questions/ candidate performance in CIMA® exams taken by all CIMA® candidates in the 3 months preceding the date on the which candidate A took the CIMA® exam. This is done to identify the Threshold Passing Score (TPS) for the candidate A that represents benchmark-level knowledge in the subject matter. Rigorous quality control processes and data quality review steps are completed to ensure results are presented accurately to all tested candidates.

  • Exam Threshold Passing Score +

    After the conduct of each exam event (individual, on-demand, or offline, group assessment), a CIMA® system sets the threshold passing score (TPS) for each level. This approach ensures fairness to candidates taking CIMA® exams across time and space, as the difficulty of each exam is considered when setting the TPS. The CIMA Institute never releases or shares the TPS or individual candidate scores to candidates or to any other party at any point under any condition.

    The process for setting the TPS has been updated on October 20, 2021 to continue ensuring fair treatment of all candidates while reflecting the high standards of CIMA® charter-holders worldwide. The TPS setting process strives to maintain consistency over time in methodology and continuity in results while allowing for flexibility based on evolving circumstances. The CIMA Institute engages the best possible expertise and deploys best testing practices, in addition to counting on the wisdom and judgment of independent experts in the CIMA® exam committee. The CIMA Institute is especially particular about maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of CIMA® exam system and candidate information.

Exam Policies

CIMA® Examination system and administration process conforms to leading edge global standards in exam design and management, and ensure maximum reliability of assessment. Our policies protect the integrity of the CIMA® program, ensuring the exam process is fair for all candidates. It is your responsibility to read and understand all policies set forth by the CIMA Institute

CIMA® conducts on-demand online exams individually for examinees. You can schedule your exam on the testing windows any time 90 days after the date of confirmed registration in CIMA® program. CIMA® Level 1 exam has to be passed minimum 90 days before taking the CIMA® Level 2 exam. Both CIMA® levels must be passed by Standard Track candidates within 3 years of the date of confirmed CIMA® registration. Professional Pathway candidates get 2 years to qualify their single unified Pathway exam from the date of confirmed CIMA® registration.

Learn More

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