CIMA® program is usually completed within a year by most candidates through self-study. The typical completion time is between 12 - 18 months though, with Professional Pathway, candidates earn it well within 9 - 12 months.
The CIMA Institute provides a comprehensive study and exam preparation guide to all enrolled candidates. Also included are four mock exams for Standard Track and two mock exams for Professional Pathway on the myCIMA candidate dashboard. Though the CIMA Institute does not provide exam preparation material or any training, independent content providers and official CIMA® educators and partners in some countries do offer self-study material for CIMA® exams as printed material or on online portals. For more guidance and assistance, registered CIMA® program candidates can contact us.
On average, candidates on the Standard Track take between 500-600 hours to complete their studies in the 20 prescribed knowledge areas. Professional Pathway applicants, however, can complete their preparation in just about half the time as their exam covers only 13 of the 20 knowledge areas. All CIMA® exams carry 150 multiple-choice questions and are timed for 4 hours each. Read the CIMA® Exams page for details.
Standard Track candidates must qualify the CIMA® Level 1 and CIMA® Level 2 exams. Standard CIMA® exams cover 20 knowledge areas – 10 in each level. The Professional pathway candidates are required to qualify only one, unified Professional Pathway Exam covering 13 knowledge areas only.
| Investment & Management Accounting - Foundational Principles & Concept Frameworks | For Standard Track Applicants (in Hours) | For Professional Pathway Applicants (in Hours) | |
| CS-11 | Accounting for Investment & Managerial Decision-Making | 10 to 15 | 10 to 15 |
| CS-12 | Business, Strategy & International Competitiveness | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-13 | Analyzing Financial Statements for Business Decisions | 25 to 30 | |
| CS-14 | Managing & Accounting Risks in Business | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-15 | Cost Structuring, Product Costing & Activity Based Costing | 20 to 25 | |
| CS-16 | Investment Accounting Framework & Concepts | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-17 | Financial Markets, Instruments & Derivatives | 20 to 25 | |
| CS-18 | Techniques of Managing Investment Portfolios | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-19 | Capital Investments and Capital Budgeting | 20 to 25 | |
| CS-20 | Management Accounting & Enterprise Performance Analysis | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| ESTIMATED STUDY EFFORT for Level 1 (in Hours) | 250 - 300 | 140 - 160 | |
| Investment & Management Accounting - Application Principles & Practice Frameworks | For Standard Track Applicants (in Hours) | For Professional Pathway Applicants (in Hours) | |
| CS-21 | Techniques of Pricing Financial Assets | 15 to 20 | 15 to 20 |
| CS-22 | Techniques & Practices of Valuing Businesses | 15 to 20 | 15 to 20 |
| CS-23 | Practices in International Financial Reporting | 25 to 30 | |
| CS-24 | Techniques of Currency Risk Management | 15 to 20 | 15 to 20 |
| CS-25 | Accounting Tax In Global Investments and Business | 25 to 30 | |
| CS-26 | Accounting Transfer Pricing In Global Business | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-27 | Investment Accounting Techniques & Practices | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-28 | Investment Audit Techniques & Practices | 25 to 30 | |
| CS-29 | Corporate Governance & Ethics in Global Organizations | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| CS-30 | Technology & Analytics in Accounting | 25 to 30 | 25 to 30 |
| ESTIMATED STUDY EFFORT for LEVEL 2 (in Hours) | 250 - 300 | 145 - 180 | |
