You can take your CIMA® exam(s) at your convenience any time 90 days after your registration in the CIMA® program is confirmed. You can schedule a CIMA® exam in advance from your myCIMA dashboard. 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 conducted twice a year in select global locations. If your country qualifies for offline, pen-and-paper exams, please check your myCIMA dashboard for information on exam dates and venues.
*Offline pen & paper exams are also held in some locations twice a year. Check the CIMA® website and the myCIMA candidate dashboard for details
Registrations for all Offline CIMA® Exams in February 2022 and May 2022 for all locations are closed now. Applicants are strongly encouraged to plan for taking their CIMA® exams online.
Candidates must qualify the Standard CIMA Level 1 and Standard CIMA® Level 2 exams. Level 1 exam is of 4 hours, carries 150 multiple choice questions covering the 10 modules in CIMA® Level 1. The Level 2 exam is of also of 4 hours, carries 150 multiple choice questions and covers the 10 modules in CIMA® Level 2. Please expand the boxes below to read the Standard route exam coverage.
Accounting for Investment & Managerial Decision-Making
8%Business, Strategy & International Competitiveness
8%Analyzing Financial Statements for Business Decisions
12%Managing & Accounting Risks in Business
12%Cost Structuring, Product Costing & Activity Based Costing
10%Investment Accounting Framework & Concepts
10%Financial Markets, Instruments & Derivatives
10%Techniques of Managing Investment Portfolios
10%Capital Investments and Capital Budgeting
10%Management Accounting & Enterprise Performance Analysis
10%Techniques of Pricing Financial Assets
10%Techniques & Practices of Valuing Businesses
12%Practices in International Financial Reporting
10%Techniques of Currency Risk Management
10%Accounting Tax In Global Investments and Business
7%Accounting Transfer Pricing In Global Business
10%Investment Accounting Techniques & Practices
15%Investment Audit Techniques & Practices
10%Corporate Governance & Ethics in Global Organizations
8%Technology & Analytics in Accounting
8%Candidates are required to qualify only one, unified Professional Pathway Exam of 4 hours carrying 150 multiple choice questions. This exam covers 13 knowledge areas – 6 from Level 1, and 7 from Level 2. Please click the boxes below to read the Professional Pathway exam coverage.
Accounting for Investment & Managerial Decision-Making
15%Business, Strategy & International Competitiveness
15%Managing & Accounting Risks in Business
20%Investment Accounting Framework & Concepts
15%Techniques of Managing Investment Portfolios
15%Management Accounting & Enterprise Performance Analysis
20%Techniques of Pricing Financial Assets
15%Techniques & Practices of Valuing Businesses
15%Techniques of Currency Risk Management
15%Accounting Transfer Pricing In Global Business
15%Investment Accounting Techniques & Practices
15%Corporate Governance & Ethics in Global Organizations
10%Technology & Analytics in Accounting
15%To check the complete details for both Online and Offline exam mode, please visit the CIMA® Examinations section of the Candidate Guide
Follow these simple steps to plan and take your CIMA® exam(s).
CIMA® exam system is rigorous and securely controlled, ensuring reliability of assessment and candidate-convenience. Conforming to the most rigorous Question and Test Interoperability (QTI) norms aligned to leading edge Portable Custom Interaction Best Practices, CIMA® exams in most countries are delivered online, with digital proctoring. In some countries, offline exams are also conducted in the pen-and-paper mode. CIMA® online exams can be taken anytime at any location after scheduling them the myCIMA dashboard. Offline exams can be taken in some countries during the two windows opened every year in the months of February and August. Details are shared on the candidate dashboards.
Read more on CIMA® Exams in the CIMA® Program Candidate Guide
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.
On an annual average, more than half of CIMA® examinees have been passing their exams in the first attempt in the last ten years. More than 95% of CIMA® exams are conducted on-demand, online on the most stringent of the global online assessment standards.
A typical CIMA® exam result card includes a mention of "pass" or "fail" decision and a summary of module-level performance in the CIMA® exams candidates have taken. The CIMA® exam result cards are released within two weeks of the conduct of exam events. The CIMA Exam Results Interpreter available on the MyCIMA dashboard guides candidates in comprehending their results reports. CIMA® candidates who are unable to pass their exam must analyze their exam result card to guide their studies and to re-take the exam at a later date. Candidates can take as much time as they need before registering for the next exam.
Below are the CIMA Program Level 1, Level 2 and Pathway exam pass trends in the last ten years. The figures are the annual mean percentage pass rates of CIMA® candidates taking exams through the years.
The results for all CIMA® exams are available within 15 days of the exam date. Individual candidate results are never are never released to a third party and communicated only to the candidates. At times, lists of passing candidates are shared with professional associations 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 her 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.
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.