Apply for CIMA® Standard

Examination Policies

  • Online Exam Scheduling Policy +

    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.

  • Offline Exam Scheduling Policy +

    CIMA® offline exams are planned in some countries and can be taken on specific dates only as declared or notified on the CIMA® Exam website page. You can choose the most convenient exam date and schedule your exam from your myCIMA dashboard. You can take both the Standard Track CIMA® Level 1 and 2 exams within three years of your CIMA® program registration confirmation. If you are a Professional Pathway candidate, you must schedule your single unified Pathway exam latest within two years of your CIMA® program registration confirmation.

  • Exam Resit/ Reappear Policy +

    Candidates failing in any of the CIMA® exam attempts, can appear for their uncleared exam again by paying US$ 250 for each new attempt. They can schedule a resit of a CIMA® exam from their myCIMA dashboard. Please note that examinees can apply for a resit in the applicable CIMA® exam only after the payment is made. A no-show on a scheduled exam date will be counted as an exam attempt and will have to pay for the resit.

  • Exam Reapply Policy +

    Examinees who voluntarily cancel their scheduled examination appointment can reschedule their exam appointment within the same testing window by paying a fee of US$ 100. If the exam is rescheduled in any other testing windows, then the rescheduling exam fee is US$150. The cancellation and rescheduling of exam are allowed only before the exam cancellation and rescheduling deadline mentioned on the candidates myCIMA dashboard.

  • Exam Cancellation and Reschedule Policy +

    Examinees who voluntarily cancel their scheduled examination appointments can reschedule their exam appointment within the same testing window by paying a fee of US $ 100. If the exam is rescheduled in any other testing windows then the rescheduling exam fee is US $150. The cancellation and rescheduling of exam is allowed only before the exam cancellation and rescheduling deadline mentioned on the candidates myCIMA dashboard.

  • Examinee Conduct Policy for All Candidates +

    We have a ‘zero–tolerance’ policy for misconduct or adoption of unfair means. During Exam, the test manager (or proctor) has all rights to dismiss an Examinee from the exam session. The following regulations apply to candidates sitting for offline pen and paper-based exam(s) as well as for online exam(s):

    • Causing any disturbance during the exam session
    • Giving or taking any assistance to or from anybody
    • Using digital assistants, notes, books, wristwatch calculators, electronic dictionaries, or other aids/devices
    • Using electronic devices, such as mobile phones
    • Trying to remove any type of scratch paper during the Exam
    • Trying to mess with the computer
    • Trying to relocate during the Exam from allotted computer/ system
    • Trying to remove questions (in any format) during the Exam
    • Not obeying the directions given by the test manager (or proctor) or remote-proctor.
    • Sharing the content of the exam with others
    • You (irrespective of if you are a licensed weapon holder) are not allowed to attend your exam with a weapon. If you are found to have a weapon in your possession you will be excluded from the exam without any reimbursement
    • If you are sitting for the offline pen and paper-based examinations, you are not permitted to remove either your candidate answer booklet(s) or your question paper from the exam room. All candidate answer booklets remain the property of CIMA Institute
    • Candidates must not conduct themselves in an inappropriate way (including conducting themselves in vulgar, offensive, abusive, or any illegal activity)

    Please be informed that CIMA Institute will take legal action against anybody who violates copyright laws such as reproducing and distributing examination content or materials. The data bank of questions, the exam form and all exam-related materials have copyrights and are the legal property of CIMA Institute.

    Any communication – be it verbal, written or electronic, is strictly prohibited. Any such act will be punishable by law.

    Please note that, if any examinee is caught in any of the above forms of misconduct, there will be no evaluation of their exam and no refund of their fees. Also, there will be a six-month bar to retake the exam. Furthermore, CIMA Institute shall review the acts of misconduct, which may lead to:

    • The cancelation of the examinee's prior or present exam scores
    • The revocation of the examinee's award
  • CIMA® Threshold Scores & Qualification Award Policy +

    In order to qualify for being considered for the award of the CIMA® qualification, CIMA® candidates require to score at least the Threshold Passing Score (TPS) in each exam applicable for them. The TPS is a dynamic score fixed for a candidate after considering exam information of other CIMA® examinees who have taken the same CIMA® exam in the three months preceding the date of a candidate's CIMA® exam event. The CIMA Institute never releases or discloses the threshold passing score to any CIMA® candidate or individual or party under any circumstance. Those obtaining the threshold score are generally awarded the CIMA® designation and qualification, though the final decision always vests with the CIMA Institute, which may decide to alter the threshold scores for certain batches of examinees from certain locations during extraordinary circumstances.

  • Calculator Policy +

    Small battery- or solar-powered electronic calculators restricted to a maximum of six functions— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square root, and percentage—are allowed. The calculator must not be programmable and must not use any type of tape. Candidates can also use Texas Instruments’ BA II Plus, HP 10bII+, HP 12c, or HP 12c Platinum calculators when taking the exams. The Hewlett-Packard 10BII is valid, but no longer available for purchase. Candidates will not be allowed to use calculators that do not comply with these restrictions.

  • Examinee ID Policy +

    The candidate must have:

    • Valid, signed, non-expired government-issued passport.
    • Or
    • Two original forms of non-expired identification, one primary ID with photo and signature and one secondary ID with signature. See list of acceptable forms of ID below.
    • Or
    • A government-issued National country ID card with a photograph (with or without a signature), and another acceptable valid form of ID with a signature. See list of acceptable forms of ID below.

    Acceptable forms of ID include:

    Primary ID

    The primary ID must be an original and valid ID, containing both, the examinee’s photo, and signature.

    • Government issued driver’s license
    • Passport
    • Military ID
    • State/Country ID card
    • Employee/School ID
    • Aadhar card – Candidates who present the Aadhar card must also present a valid form of ID with a signature in order to be admitted.
    Secondary ID

    The secondary ID must be an original and valid ID, containing the examinee’s name and signature, or the examinee’s name and a recent photo.


    Note: All IDs required must be issued by the country in which the candidate is testing. If the candidate does not have a qualifying primary ID issued from the country they are testing in, an International Travel Passport from their country of citizenship is required, along with a secondary ID.

    The first and last name that the candidate uses to register must match exactly with the first and last name on both of the IDs that are presented on exam day.

    You will not be permitted to take the exam(s) without proper identification.

Administrative policies

  • Change of Name on the Certificate +

    If you want to change your name on the certificate, you will need to write to us at [email protected] and attach the required supporting documents. A fee of US$ 50 will have to be paid for the processing of your request. You will also have to pay US$ 100 for an additional certificate with the new name on.

  • Issue of a Duplicate Certificate for All Candidates +

    In case you lose your certificate and require a duplicate certificate a service request needs to be generated from your myCIMA dashboard. An additional fee of US$ 100 will have to be incurred by you.

  • Refund Policy +

    The full fee paid by an applicant minus US$ 250 is refunded if the withdrawal application arrives within 72 business hours from payment. For withdrawal requests beyond 72 business hours, no part of the fee paid will be refunded.

  • Appeals Policy for All Candidates +

    Appealing In Case of No-Show

    Emergencies
    Examinees missing a scheduled exam because of emergencies, should directly contact us to report matter. The following reasons for missing out on, or not showing up for a scheduled CIMA® certification Exam have been defined as acceptably genuine, and deemed as justified for grant of Retake permissions if requested:

    • If examinees themselves or any of their immediate family members (like Spouse, Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, and Children) meet a serious accident, or develop a sudden medical condition demanding serious attention
    • If there is a bereavement in the family (like Spouse, Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, and Children)
    • If examinees are summoned by courts, or are drafted on juries, or are required for some urgent national duty.

    Examinees forced to miss out on their scheduled CIMA® exam for any of the above-mentioned reasons are required to contact us and request for a Retake by submitting a doctor’s or hospital certificates etc., as proofs of the emergency encountered.

    For cases/ scenarios of no-shows not listed under our no-show policies or exhausting three free resit attempts (details below), an additional US$ 250.00 will be charged as exam-reapplication fee. This reapplication exam can be scheduled from the myCIMA dashboard after 7 calendar days of the date of missing the original CIMA® exam appointment.

    Please note: Candidates registering in any of the three CIMA® registration tracks get three attempts to clear each required CIMA® exam. The following events will be counted as a resit, and will deduct one free resit attempt:

    • A no-show on a scheduled exam date
    • Canceling the scheduled exam
    • Failing the scheduled exam
  • Audit Policy +

    The submission of an application indicates your agreement to comply with the terms of the audit process. All applications are subject to an audit, although only a percentage of applications are selected for audit. The selection of an application for audit is random. You may be required to submit documents of the required professional work experience and/or educational degrees officially. The electronic audit notification provides detailed information on how to comply with the terms of the audit.

Don’t miss out!

Stay updated with the latest in Investment and Management Accounting with our Newsletter.

Subscribe Now