FAQS

The new 2010 CIMA syllabus papers

• Certificate in Business Accounting Level (5 papers)
• Operational Level (3 papers)
• Management Level (3 papers)
• Strategic Level (3 papers)
• Test of Professional Competence Level (1 paper)

CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting

If you are new to accounting, you normally must complete the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting before moving to the next stages of the CIMA qualification. Under the new 2010 syllabus, certificate level has remained unchanged.

Please click on the below subject links to view the full learning syllabus for each subject

• C01 - Fundamentals of Management Accounting
• C02 - Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
• C03 - Fundamentals of Business Mathematics
• C04 - Fundamentals of Business Economics
• C05 - Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law

CIMA Operational Level

Students are advised by CIMA to sit and pass the operational level subject examinations before sitting the management level subjects. However, examinations from these different learning pillars, at either operational or management level, may be sat concurrently.

Please click on the below subject links to view the full learning syllabus for each subject

• Paper P1 Performance Operations
• Paper E1 Enterprise Operations
• Paper F1 Financial Operations Management level

CIMA Management Level

Students are advised by CIMA to sit and pass the operational level subject examinations before sitting the management level subjects. However, examinations from these different learning pillars, at either operational or management level, may be sat concurrently.

Please click on the below subject links to view the full learning syllabus for each subject

• Paper P2 Performance Management
• Paper E2 Enterprise Management
• Paper F2 Financial Management

CIMA Strategic Level

To enter for Strategic level you need to have completed all 6 subjects at Operational and Managerial level. Students must pass all three strategic level subject examinations before attempting the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting.

Please click on the below subject links to view the full learning syllabus for each subject

• Paper P3 Performance Strategy
• Paper E3 Enterprise Strategy
• Paper F3 Financial Strategy

CIMA Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting

Students must pass all three strategic level subject examinations before attempting the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting.

You would be normally be exempt from the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting level and therefore will start to study at the CIMA Operational Level.

Advice for new syllabus transition arrangements

Registered CIMA students who have passed examinations (or been awarded exemptions from examinations) at the managerial, strategic or TOPCIMA level of the CIMA 2005 syllabus, will be given credits for subjects in the new CIMA 2010 syllabus, as shown in the table below. Under the new 2010 syllabus, certificate level has remained unchanged.

Under the new 2010 syllabus, certificate level has remained unchanged. All papers remain the same and examined by computer based assessment (CBA), which can be taken at anytime. The certificate level provides the underlying knowledge required before attempting the CIMA professional qualification.

At Acorn we provide very effective home study and online material as well as classroom courses

Our customers experience much success with our classroom and home study tuition and excellent 24/7 support service that we provide. At Acorn we work harder to ensure our customers have every chance of success to pass first time!

Computer based assessment

This has been done by CIMA to give direction for what exam papers they recommend should be completed before others. The operational level is designed to be a more junior stage to the management level. All operational level papers now have an associated advanced paper at the management level.

CIMA recommend that before any management level papers are taken the corresponding operational level paper should have been passed already by a student.

Students are advised by CIMA to sit and pass the operational level subject examinations before sitting the management level subjects. However, examinations from these different learning pillars, at either operational or management level, may be sat concurrently.

No. You can take exams in any order you wish and as many papers as you like when studying the operational and management level.

Students are advised by CIMA to sit and pass the operational level subject examinations before sitting the management level subjects. However, examinations from these different learning pillars, at either operational or management level, may be sat concurrently. Students are recommended to sit no more than three examinations at any single diet, in order to optimise the probability of success.

On successful completion of all operational level subjects, students are awarded the CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting. On successful completion of all management level subjects, students are awarded the CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting.

Students must pass all operational and management level subject examinations, in each learning pillar, before attempting the strategic level subjects.

At Acorn the only paper we strongly recommend that you do complete in a particular order is the operational level F1 Financial Operations paper before attempting the managerial level F2 Financial Management paper. It should be however stressed to students that operational papers should be sat before management papers (or concurrently) as examiners can call upon knowledge from operational level papers when examining management level paper exams.

Advice about choosing exam papers

On successful completion of the operational level you will be awarded by CIMA the CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting.

On successful completion of the operational level you will be awarded by CIMA the CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting.

Exam entry for the CIMA Professional Qualification takes place online:

• February to mid-March for May exams
• August to mid-September for November exams

Exams are paper based and you must register with CIMA to sit the exam at dedicated locations www.cimaglobal.com.

The pass mark for each of the operational and management level subject examinations is 50% and permanent credit is awarded for any paper in which the candidate scores 50% or more. Students must pass all operational and management level subject examinations, in each learning pillar, before attempting the strategic level subjects.

No. To enter for Strategic level exams you need to have completed all 6 subjects at Operational and Managerial level.

When attempting the strategic level subjects, students must sit all three examination papers (Papers E3, P3 and F3) together at the first sitting.

At any subsequent examination attempts, these papers may be taken in any order and combination. The pass mark for each of the strategic level subject examinations is 50% and permanent credit is awarded for any paper in which the candidate scores 50% or more. Students must pass all three strategic level subject examinations before attempting the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting.

There is overlap with the three strategic papers and students do benefit when studying all three at the same time.

Exam entry for the CIMA Professional Qualification takes place online:

• February to mid-March for May exams
• August to mid-September for November exams

Exams are paper based and you must register with CIMA to sit the exam at dedicated locations www.cimaglobal.com.

There will be pre-seen information released by CIMA in March 2010. This pre-seen information will be common to all 3 strategic papers. All 3 Strategic level exams will have tailored un-seen material and questions for each paper. CIMA are to introduce a second Pilot exam paper for all strategic level papers for the new 2010 syllabus with solutions by November 2009.

The pass mark for each Strategic level subject examination is 50% and permanent credit is awarded for any paper in which the candidate scores 50% or more. Students must pass all three strategic level subject examinations before attempting the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting.

The Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting now comprises two component parts that must both be achieved in order to complete the test.

Credits are used to measure success, rather than marks. To pass the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting, students must achieve an aggregated minimum of 75 credits – comprising a minimum of 50 credits for Part A (maximum 50 credits) and a minimum of 25 credits for Part B (maximum of 50 credits). Paper T4 part A is the necessary work experience required of you (that being 3 years) before being officially known as a qualified professional CIMA accountant.

Part A

Initial Professional Development – Work Based Practical Experience (maximum 50 credits) Students must prepare and submit a ‘CIMA Career Profile’ for assessment of their personal work based practical experience and skills development. An approved Career Profile is awarded 50 credits – the amount needed to meet the requirements for Part A of the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting.

Part B

Case Study Examination (maximum 50 credits).Students must sit and pass the Case Study Examination – a three hour assessment of competence, completed within a supervised examination environment. 25 credits must be awarded to meet the minimum requirements for Part B of the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting. On successful completion of the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting, students apply to be elected as members of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Students are advised to undertake Part A and Part B concurrently, although either can be taken in any order once all strategic level examinations have been completed. The overall result for the Test of Professional Competence in Management Accounting can only be given when both component parts have been completed.

For information on what experience is required please go to the CIMA website www.cimaglobal.com.

There are 2 case studies in one year and 2 exam sittings for each case study.

For each case study, there is one computer based exam and one paper based exam. At the beginning of the year the computer based exam is in March and the paper based exam in May. For the second half of the year the computer based exam is in September and the paper based exam in November.

Exam entry for the CIMA Professional Qualification (paper based exam) takes place online:

• February to mid-March for May exams
• August to mid-September for November exams

For paper based exams you must register with CIMA to sit the exam at dedicated locations www.cimaglobal.com.

A classroom taught course is directed tuition given to you by one of our expert tutors in a small classroom environment.

Our comprehensive classroom taught courses will cover all the key areas of the CIMA syllabus using course notes and exam focused examples created by our expert tutors.

You will be surprised just how quickly you can cover the CIMA syllabus by helping you make the most of your study time in class you can maximise your studying efforts outside class and quickly gain the confidence to tackle tough exam questions sooner.

You will also have access to 24/7 support with your subject tutor by email, mobile and home telephone.

Classroom dates and prices

Question based revision courses are not only complementary to a taught course but also essential for your examination success. Our revision courses focus on the core topics for examination success. Using past examination questions, the course guides you through sound examination techniques giving you a real edge over other candidates. All helping you to gain that crucial 50% or more pass in your examination. You will also have access to 24/7 support with your subject tutor by email, mobile and home telephone.

Classroom dates and prices

It is strongly recommend that both classroom taught and revision courses are taken to ensure that you are in the best position to pass your exam. Over 75% of customers who have taken both classroom taught and question based revision courses pass their exam first time.

You can book online and buy any classroom course or home study course using credit or debit card. You can book via e-mail by sending details of courses or products you wish to purchase, with an address and a contact telephone number to safina@AcornLive.com or simply call the Acorn office on 01480 355 325 to book over the phone.

Yes we will try to help you as much as possible to come up with an instalment plan that suits your needs. There is no further charges (no fees or interest charged) if you want to pay by instalments.

We offer a range of very effective home study material

• Dedicated Acorn study manuals specifically designed for the CIMA syllabus which are concise, comprehensive and with plenty of past exam questions and examples to practice.
• Live24tutor - Online courses the complete course delivered in full sound and animation using subscription based internet or CD ROM. Live24tutor can be used as a complete replacement to a classroom tuition course, with the tutor going through the entire syllabus for your exam in full sound and step by step animation. Live24tutor gives thorough explanations, guidance and tips on how to pass the exam.
• Exam kits include past exam questions, crucial for question practice to pass your exam paper.
• Home study guides give you invaluable advice, question practice guidance and questions to submit for marking to your tutor.
• Marking of scripts and feedback an invaluable service when purchasing any of our home study packages or classroom courses. You can submit unlimited questions to be marked at no further charge. We then provide you with constructive feedback on your performance. This is a crucial service we provide to ensure your exam success. This service is offered free of charge.
• 24/7 tutor support from the best tutor support providers in our industry. You are never alone when you study with Acorn, we give you contact details of your own dedicated tutor who you can call upon anytime and anywhere.

Home Study

Yes. There will be a standard charge for postage on all orders just to cover the postage and packaging costs, details of which will be given to you when you purchase home study packages. Our products are competitively priced and cheaper than most other tuition providers.

Our Live24tutor online courses are unique to any other on-line course provider, it provides in full sound and animation the full syllabus and solutions to past exam questions and examples, a complete replacement to a classroom course. Hence by just listening to our lectures online and practicing past exam questions you will be ready to sit your exam paper.

Live24tutor is a lifeline for customers who do not have access or cannot afford classroom tuition. The feedback from our customers using Live24tutor online tutorials has been phenomenal.

Live24Tutor Online Tutorials

Yes. We have had huge success with our Live24tutor online learning courses. Because they are a complete replacement to a classroom tuition course, you have the same benefits but with the added benefit of going back over areas your not sure about (which you can’t do in a classroom!), also you can study less intensively and at your own pace.

Live24tutor online learning courses come with 24/7 tutor support from the best tutor support providers in our industry. You are never alone when you study with Acorn, we give you contact details of your own dedicated tutor who you can call upon anytime and anywhere.

The CD is a permanent copy of our Live24tutor online course, which you insert into your PC to run. Internet subscription can be purchased for 6 or 12 months only and can be accessed any time on our website using any PC, it will expire after 6 or 12 months.

Both offer exactly the same Live24tutor online tuition.

Our team of highly qualified and experienced lecturers have developed Live24tutor online tutorials, so you’re guaranteed the best tuition, guidance and exam tips.

As soon as you subscribe you will have immediate access to Live24tutor online lectures – it’s that quick! The relevant module will immediately be put into your account that you create. All the instructions on how to use Live24tutor will be given when you purchase online subscription. If buying the CD ROM rather than subscription, normal delivery time is 48 hours within the UK.

Our dedicated notes are written by our own team of tutors who teach the relevant subject matter in the classroom environment. The authors are the tutors, they have a vast experience of exam questions and the CIMA syllabus, the manuals are concise and relevant and contain key revision summaries. They save time by cutting out the nonsense and concentrate on passing the paper. Our study manuals also contain past exam questions or exam standard examples to practice from, all with full solutions.

Home Study

Yes. There will be a standard charge for postage on all orders just to cover the postage and packaging costs, details of which will be given to you when you purchase home study packages. Our products are competitively priced and cheaper than most other tuition providers.

Yes. Marking of scripts and feedback is an invaluable service we provide to any customer, when purchasing any of our home study packages or classroom courses. You can submit unlimited questions to be marked at no further charge. We then provide you with constructive feedback on your performance. This is a crucial service we provide to ensure your exam success. This service is offered free of charge.

Acorn offer 24/7 tutor support from the best tutor support providers in our industry. You are never alone when you study with Acorn, we give you contact details of your own dedicated tutor who you can call upon anytime and anywhere.

You can submit as many questions as you like for marking. Please do ensure that you do them under timed conditions as this simulates a real exam situation, which means the feedback given will be more constructive. You can submit questions by e-mail (if you have a scanner) or by post (please make sure it has your name and address with your solutions).

Acorn offer 24/7 tutor support from the best tutor support providers in our industry. You are never alone when you study with Acorn, we give you contact details of your own dedicated tutor who you can call upon anytime and anywhere. Your own personal tutor can recommend questions and give you guidance whenever you are ready.

We recommend that as a minimum you should be spending at least 7 hours a week per paper learning and practicing questions. This is based on the assumption of starting to study in February for May examinations or starting to study in September for November examinations.

It’s important to ensure you have enough time to do all your learning and question practice and so planning your time is essential. Here are some tips on how to ensure that you do plan to pass!

• Buy an A4 diary.
• Cross out any days that you definitely cannot do any studying (e.g. working, weddings, evening out, on holiday).
• The days that you have left ensure that they are used evenly between the papers you are studying (e.g. if you are doing 2 papers then devote your time equally between both papers).
• Ensure that you have given each paper you are doing at least 7 hours of study time at home each week. This is based on the assumption of starting to study in February for May examinations or starting to study in September for November examinations.
• Fill into your diary slots what chapters or questions that have completed.
• It is exceptionally important to regularly review your diary at the beginning and end of the week to ensure your targets have been met.

Across all subjects over 75% of customers who have studied with Acorn Professional Tutors have passed first time!

Yes. We currently hold the highest level of accreditation CIMA can give to a tuition provider which is the LTP accreditation, which we have held since 2003. This means that CIMA regularly review and audit our colleges, tuition material and the quality of our tutors to ensure that they meet their high standards of excellence.

A computer based assessment (CBA) is an examination which is taken by students on a PC. For the Certificate Level of the CIMA qualification, CBA has replaced the traditional paper based exam for this level only. For each of the five exams at certificate level, there will be a computer-based assessment of 2 hours duration, comprising compulsory questions, each with one or more parts. A variety of objective test question types and styles will be used within the assessment.

Yes. We are fully accredited by CIMA to organise CBAs.

CBA dates and prices

CBAs can be taken at anytime subject to availability. We normally organise CBA’s for the weekend only as we have found this to be more convenient for our customers. We have 2 locations for CBA exams, our Hemel Hempstead and Cambridge venues. Both are easily accessible by car and there is plenty of free parking.

Acorn Study Centres

CBA dates and prices

No. We allow anyone to take a CBA with us. All you need to ensure is that you have registered as a student member with CIMA and have a valid membership number known as your CIMA ID contact number.

As soon as you know when and where you want to do your CBA simply call Tufal on 077 9090 4122 or email Tufal@AcornLive.com We will need your CIMA ID contact number in order to provide this service.

CBA dates and prices

Yes. There is no charge for cancellation as long as you give us 4 days notice by e-mail to Tufal@AcornLive.com or simply call Tufal on 077 9090 4122.

Payment can be made by credit or debit card when booking a CBA. We can invoice your employer, but the invoice must be paid before you sit your CBA.

Please ensure you bring your CIMA ID number and some form of photo ID such as a photo driving license or passport. In addition please ensure you bring pens, pencils, rulers and calculators as well. Paper for doing workings will be provided on the day. You should ensure that you are at your CBA exam at least 15 minutes before it is due to start.

Formulae sheets are provided for C01 Fundamentals of Management Accounting and C03 Fundamentals of Business Mathematics, these are the only two subjects where formulae sheets are required. The formulae sheets will be given to you before you start your CBA exam.

A score of 50% or more must be obtained to pass a CBA exam. Each exam is 2 hours in duration. If you terminate your CBA early (not recommended) or when 2 hours expire, you get your result straightaway and this result is then submitted to CIMA. If you pass you will be sent a copy of your certificate by post or by email.

No. You must complete all 5 certificate level exams before being allowed to sit any operational or management level exams.

Operational and management level exams are held in May and November of each year and if you want to be eligible to sit any of these exams you must have completed all 5 certificate level exams before the 1st March to be eligible to sit operational or management level exams in May or complete all certificate level exams before the 1st September to be eligible to sit operational or management level exams in November.