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Exam pass rates

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CIMA Pass Rates – What You Can Learn

Pass rates change and swing with each sitting. in this blog, we explore what you can learn from cima pass rates.

CIMA Pass Rates can lead you in the wrong direction, especially if you’re seeing subjects that get marks in the 70’s. With such high marks, there can be a tendency to think the exam for that subject must be easy. Pass rates change and swing with each sitting, so beware of focusing too much on one result. While they are useful, they don’t indicate that one exam is necessarily harder than the other. 

What it does indicate is the subjects that students struggle with. It also may be the CIMA pathway that’s causing issues for students such as the transition from OTs to case studies.

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Cima objective test exams, understanding the cima objective tests (ots) pass rate.

P1 generally has the lowest pass rate at 47% when looking at CIMA Objective Tests (OTs).

The Challenge of Level 1 Management Accounting

What’s interesting about it is that it’s a level 1 management accounting subject making it fundamental to everything you do. However, just because it’s the first level doesn’t mean it’s easy to pass. After all, half the people that sit it actually fail.

Misconceptions About Multiple-Choice Exams

Often, when it comes to multiple-choice exams, students have the impression that they’re easier to pass. One of the reasons P1 has the lowest CIMA pass rate is that most people do this exam first. Plus, with multiple-choice, there will be options in a calculation, for example, that, if you do it incorrectly, could add up to one of the choices on the paper that is, in fact, wrong.

The Importance of Preparation and Practice

The key is to remember that they are professional exams, and each OT exam requires a lot of work to pass. Multiple-choice tests require just as much practice and preparation as case studies from an exam technique perspective.

CIMA Pass Rates from the most recent sitting are:

Improvement in Pass Rates for P3 and F3

After P1, the pass rate results get somewhat better. When it gets to P3 and F3, it improves, but even then, the pass rates are still at 54% or 55%.

Understanding the Increase in Pass Rates

In our opinion, the reason for the increase is that people are getting used to objective tests. In addition, exemptions kick in at this level and people may be coming into the exams with more experience and knowledge, driving up the average CIMA pass rates.

The Advantage of the E Pillar

The E pillar definitely gets some of the higher marks. The subject matter in this pillar is a lot nicer as it’s less factual and involves more reading and understanding of concepts such as cybersecurity.

Relatability and Retention of Knowledge

It’s the knowledge that people may come across on a daily basis and is, therefore, more relatable and easier to retain or work through.

Key ways to succeed in your OT exams are:

• Get into the mindset of answering questions quickly
• Know how to approach each question
• Don’t spend too much time on questions you’re unsure of
• Complete the questions you know the answers to quickly and first
• Leave time at the end to revisit hard questions and review
• Practice a full exam before the real thing not just parts of an exam!
• Do mock exams for OTs – don’t just leave that for case studies!

Tip: When looking at your OTs, it’s important to have a look at the content of each one and pick the subject that you prefer first. After all, professional exams are about building confidence, so if you enjoy studying and pass the first one that will help set the scaffold for subsequent exams.   

CIMA Pass Rate – Case Studies

Many students have the perception that case studies are harder to pass and people struggle with them more. However, the pass rates don’t reflect that. Some of the CIMA pass rates for case studies are actually higher than those for the objective tests. For example, the operational case study has a pass rate of 57% which is the lowest of the case studies. Again, like the OTs, this can be put down to the fact that it’s the first case study exam that people do.

However, just a year ago the operation case study was at the 50% mark which proves things can change rapidly. This rise could be an improvement in the way CIMA is examining or the syllabus is being taught or that students are having a better approach. But it shows that you can never get too comfortable with a pass rate as it can change. What’s important for the operational case study is to understand the format of the exam and the way of assessment so you’re prepared for subsequent case studies.

CIMA Gateway Students

CIMA Gateway students are those who have completed a Masters program and joined the CIMA path. While the pass rate is 61% on average, when you look at it for Gateway students it’s actually 18% . That’s quite a gap! When students come from a Masters, they are coming from an education that gives them some freedom to take knowledge, understand it and take your own path. So if two people do a Masters they can take the same title for an assignment and end up doing something completely different.

This is a totally different environment for CIMA as it’s more opinion-based. Whereas with CIMA there’s a knack to it, a language that’s unique to the professional exam body and that needs to be learned over time. The key for Gateway students is to recognise that CIMA is a different environment. It’s about training the way you approach your study and the assessments to meet this new environment. Gateway students are probably at the biggest disadvantage due to the way you’ve been trained. The aim of a master’s is to make you more work-ready or strategic. To pass it’s key to:

• Understand how CIMA case studies are assessed
• How to approach a pre-seen
• How to do the exam in a different way to a Masters

The strategic case study has an average of 58% for pass rate. So, leaving out Gateway the case studies are all pretty similar in pass rates. We can take from that that there’s a trend of people getting the first case study right and succeeding in subsequent case studies. They’ve figured out the ‘CIMA way’ to succeed.

Conclusion CIMA Pass Rates

What’s apparent is that CIMA pass rates should come with a warning sign! It’s good to know what past students have got and what you should aim for, but make sure it doesn’t distract from the task at hand – studying and passing.

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CIMA Student Series: Management Case Study (MCS)

Here Louise McAndrew discusses the challenges she faced in passing her CIMA MCS exam, as well as offering some great advice to students yet to take the exam.

Louise McAndrew is a Strategic level CIMA student with just P3, F3 and the SCS left to study before becoming fully-qualified. Louise has mainly worked in not for profit organisations and is currently a Finance Officer for a charity in the social care sector (see her Linkedin profile here ). She is AAT-qualified but took a break from studying to have a family. Louise has two children, one of secondary school age and one of primary school age.

The Management Case Study had higher pass rates than the OCS and SCS in 2018. That doesn't mean it's an easy exam though. Here Louise McAndrew discusses the challenges she faced in passing her MCS exam, as well as offering some great advice to students yet to take the exam.

When did you take the MCS exam and how did you get on? Was it your first attempt?

I took the MCS in August 2018 and passed with a pass mark of 95. It was a huge relief as it was my third attempt having failed the first two times by just a couple of marks. The results came out on my birthday too so it was a great way to start the day!

I made my first attempt at the exam in November 2017 but due to a heavy workload in my office (new financial year budgeting), I couldn’t resit until May 2018 and then I passed the August 2018 case study.

How long did you spend preparing for the MCS paper (how many weeks/months and how many hours on average per week)?

As soon as the pre-seen material came out I started working through it. Prior to that I had started looking through past papers to get an idea of the kind of answers CIMA were looking for in the MCS. I hadn’t done this before for the previous two attempts and can honestly say that was probably what contributed to me failing.

I work full-time and have a family so I was squeezing revision in wherever possible. I was probably fitting in around 10-12 hours per week. I was actually on a family holiday the week before the exam so I brought my books with me to study on the beach!

Did you take a course or did you opt for self-study?

I self-studied as I find it difficult to commit to a course with work and family commitments. But I did purchase case study materials from Astranti and VIVA to help me with the revision.

Is it your intention to continue with self-study for the remainder of your studies? Would you recommend this approach to others?

I only have 3 exams left so I’ll carry on with self-study. I don’t really have an opinion in terms of recommending self-study. For me it’s the only viable option but for others they may prefer a classroom environment. I’m on a Facebook group called the CIMA UK Student Group which has a whole CIMA community in there so I’d recommend anyone studying to join as there’s lots of help and encouragement on there.

What (if anything), did you find especially difficult with the MCS in relation to your preparation? e.g. balancing personal life with study, balancing work with study, the material was dull etc?

This particular case study was pretty dull. It was about a camera company and there was quite a lot of unnecessary information about camera components. I needed to decipher what information was actually relevant to what might be asked.

What (if anything), did you find especially difficult with the MCS in relation to the exam day? e.g. time management, nerves etc?

I was incredibly nervous on the day as I didn’t want to fail again. Once the exam got going though, my nerves calmed and I was able to focus on answering the questions. I didn’t run out of time on any of the questions as I felt more prepared this time.

Was there an area of the Management syllabus that you liked more than others?

I preferred the E2 unit and found it was my strongest area. At operational level I preferred F1 but I studied operational level on the old written syllabus. Since it’s moved to computer based assessments I have preferred the Enterprise subjects as they’ve been easier to grasp.

Was there an area of the Management syllabus that you liked less than others?

I found the F2 and P2 units quite tough and when studying for the MCS those were the units I particularly needed to concentrate on. Whilst I was able to confidently calculate ratios, I needed to be able to explain how the ratios would be affected by changes in equity and debt etc.

Was there a particular area of either P2 or F2 you found tougher?

I couldn’t get my head around WACC calculations so it was my weakest area. Even when studying the case study I really needed to revise its meaning as I knew it was likely to be tested. It was a question on one of the case studies I failed and I don’t think I answered it very well.

Do you have any tips for other students about to sit the MCS?

I would definitely say look back on past papers. It gives you a really good idea of what CIMA are looking for in their answers. Also, if you’re not able to commit to a course then it’s definitely worth buying case study materials such as pre-seen analysis, strategic analysis, Key Issues and case study mock exams as they are always catered specifically for the case study being tested.

Have you used VIVA’s case study materials? If so, how did you find the materials?

I had been using Astranti but I found their mock exams to be too long-winded to follow. Other people recommended VIVA so I bought their Case Study materials and found them really helpful.

Do you have any final comments/recommendations/feelings/thoughts about your MCS experience?

The case studies are just as tough as the objective tests so I would say if you don’t pass first time then keep going. It will be worth it when you pass.

‍ You might want to explore and learn more about our CIMA MCS Course . You can also check out our free webinars for the MCS.

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The May 2023 CIMA case study exam pass rates are out, and it was a mixed bag of results.

The operational case study pass rate dipped 4 percentage points to 64% (when compared to February 2023). It hasn’t been this low since May 2022, when the pass rate was 62%.

The management case study pass rate also fell to 67% in May (it was 72% in February). We went back to February 2021 pass rates and this is the lowest it has been for over 10 exam sittings!

The good news was the Strategic case study, which saw the pass rate rise to 62%. The Strategic case study has the most volatile pass rates, which have been as high as 72% (February 2022) and as low as 56% (February 2023).

Stephen Flatman, Vice President, Examinations – Management Accounting, told PQ magazine: “I am delighted to extend my warmest congratulations to the candidates for their success in the May case study exams. They have demonstrated commitment to their professional development, dedication and hard work.

The business simulation exams are designed to be challenging. They test candidates on the application of business practice and a deep knowledge of all aspects of accounting and finance. That way, employers all around the world can be confident that prospective employees who have attained the prestigious Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation will be a great asset to their organisations.”

CIMA May 2023 Case Study exam pass rates: OCS 64%; MCS 67%; SCS 62%

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How to pass the Strategic Case Study

Remember at Operational Case Study (OCS) you are a finance assistant and at Management Case Study (MCS) you are a finance manager. At Strategic Case Study (SCS), however, you are one step higher to reflect the level of your studies. So you need to think strategically, as an advisor to the board. This article has been developed to set you up for CIMA's CGMA Strategic case study exam, so you can be in the best possible position to pass.

May 2024 Case Study Review

The May 2024 case study exams are now over. If you took the exam this sitting – good luck. It’s a big moment, and I hope it’s good news for you on results day.

In the meantime, it can be interesting to see how others found the exam. So in this post, I’m going to analyse the results of a recent survey by Astranti, as published on their Facebook study groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cimaoperationalstudygroup/posts/1662512457821064/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/cimamanagementstudygroup/posts/2394713367393177/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/cimastrategicstudygroup/posts/7451042674949973/

Over half of OCS candidates reported that their exam was more difficult (or much more difficult) than expected.

This is fairly typical. The essay-style format can be a shock to candidates who aren’t used to it, especially for working professionals who finished school or university years previously and haven’t had to write in this style since then. So don’t worry too much if you’re in this group as you’re not alone.

The results from the MCS and SCS are more positive.

MCS RESULTS:

SCS RESULTS:

Most MCS and SCS takers have already completed at least one case study and have a better idea of what it takes to pass. Just a third of candidates found these exams more challenging than they expected, though there’s no detail about whether this includes the Gateway or CFO route.

Technical Knowledge

This is where things get interesting.

At the OCS there’s a strong correlation between how difficult candidates found the exam and whether they’d have spent more time on theory.

Those who struggled with the exam are almost twice as likely to wish they’d spent more time revising technical knowledge as those who found the exam as expected.

The OCS is by far the most technically-oriented case study. Revisiting your knowledge from E1, P1 and F1 (or their FLP equivalents) is time well spent and means you’re much less likely to struggle in the exam.

Now let’s look at the MCS.

As you can see, the trend here is almost exactly reversed. Those who struggled with the exam were over twice as likely to wish they’d spent LESS time revising theory.

What’s going on here? Why is something that’s an advantage in the first exam suddenly a drawback in the next?

Making the Leap

When moving from the OCS to the MCS, the biggest difference is going beyond just knowing the theory.

Be prepared to make the leap from just understanding how a model fits a scenario, to analysing its impact. Think about how you’d apply it logically in the real-world, and what the consequences of your recommendations will be.

It’s still important to have a good technical understanding. Make sure you know your models and how they’re applied. But spend more time engaging with the pre-seen and understanding the business and its strategic goals and direction, and keep that context in mind as you write.

Now that the exam is over, there’s not much to do but wait for results day.

The next few weeks can be nerve-wracking and everyone has their own way of coping with the stress of waiting. That might mean making a start on your studies for your next objective test, going through your notes just in case you need to resit, or even taking a break altogether.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Find what works for you, and try not to worry too much.

As a reminder, CIMA don’t permit students to discuss any details about the exam. If you’re not sure whether you can share something – play it safe, and don’t share it. This includes things like specific bits of theory.

However, it’s okay to share your general feelings on the exam. So – how did you find the difficulty overall? Did you over- or under-revise the theory? Did you manage your time? Let me know in the comments.

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CIMA F2: The Ultimate Guide

Financing capital projects 15 Financial reporting standards 25 Group accounts 25 Integrated reporting 10 Analysing financial statements 25

Not most management accountant’s cup of tea! So probably not a set of subjects you’ll be rushing to study more, unless you happened to really love CIMA F1, which this subject flows directly on from. Think of it as F1 + + + !

Just in case you’re not familiar with the topics covered in the CIMA F2 syllabus, let’s take a quick look at what they entail:

Financing capital projects

This concerns how organisations acquire long-term funds. For example, you’ll learn how different types of debt and equity can be used to raise funds for an organisation.

Financial reporting standards

As you may be aware, there are A LOT of accounting regulations that financial reporting has to abide by! For CIMA F2, you’ll add to those you learned in F1 and be tested on a range of further International Financial Reporting Standards regulations, as well as International Accounting Standards. And, as you might expect, these are the harder ones!

Group accounts

This area deals with how groups (when one entity controls one or more other entities) create financial statements. You’ll learn all about the process behind creating consolidated statements (or group accounts) and the reporting standards they need to abide by.

Integrated reporting

An integrated report contains both financial statements and non-financial information, and are created to show how an organisation seeks to create value over time. In F2, you’ll learn about their purpose and what they should contain.

Working with financial statements

We’ve already covered creating financial statements in BA3 and F1, but for CIMA F2, you’ll also need to know how to interpret them, which is what this section is all about!

You’ll notice that each section of the CIMA F2 exam has a weighting attached to it. If this is your first exam (through having a CIMA exemption), or you’ve forgotten what the weighting means, here is a reminder!

For every OT exam, CIMA outlines the weighting for the key topics (the proportion of the exam devoted to each part of the syllabus). Therefore, when studying for CIMA F2, you might want to devote a little more time to revising ‘Financial reporting standards’ (25%) than ‘Financial capital projects’ (15%), for example.

But you must remember, ALL topics in the syllabus MUST be studied, as ALL areas WILL be examined, so don’t neglect an area just because it has a low percentage weighting! 

Start Your CIMA F2 Course

Our OnDemand course for CIMA F2 has everything you need in order to pass, including:

+ Tuition videos & study texts + Interactive presentations, slides & audio downloads + Revision notes & practice questions + 5x mock exams + 100 questions video series + Tutor & mentor support + Online discussion hub

All of this is available for just £545 or £98 a month for 6 months.

You must complete both practice exams and one of the mock exams and send them to your allocated marker by the deadlines set out in the course schedule.

 

You must not copy the mock exam solutions. If you do so this will invalidate your pass guarantee.

 

You must achieve an average mark of at least 30% in your submitted practice and mock exams. This is to ensure you are putting in enough effort.

 

You must attend or watch the recorded versions of the masterclasses and make notes on the pass guarantee form.

 

Use the pass guarantee form to document your key learning points throughout your studies, submit within 1 week of the final exam.

You must confirm that you have read and understood the pass guarantee terms.

View & Print:

1. Click the “View + Print” link to view the study text.

2.  Wait  for all of the pages to load , this can sometimes take a couple of minutes depending on the size of the document (scroll to the last page to ensure that every page loads).

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4.  Follow  the steps to print.

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If your document fails to load, try clearing your cache and browser history. If your documents still do not load it may be due to the network you are on. We suggest trying to print on a different network.

If you still cannot print your document we suggest using a different computer and/or printer in case you are experiencing a hardware issue.

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You must complete mock exams 1 to 3 and send them to your allocated marker by the deadlines set out in the course schedule.	You must not copy the mock exam solutions. If you do so this will invalidate your pass guarantee.
You must achieve an average mark of at least 40% in your full mock exams. This is to ensure you are putting in enough effort.	You must attend or watch the recorded versions of masterclasses 1 & 2 and make notes on the pass guarantee form.
Use the pass guarantee form to document your key learning points throughout your studies, submit within 1 week of the final exam.	You must confirm that you have read and understood the pass guarantee terms.