The CIMA Thread

julyjane

I have 2 children and did strategic through home study. Nowhere near Dublin either, I know if I'd signed up for classes I'd have ended up missing half of them because my other half's working hours are all over the place. I did all 3 strategic in November 2006 when pregnant on my 2nd and failed them all but the advantage to this was I could re-sit them one by one. I sat out 2007 and 8 but did Financial Strategy in May 2009 and Risk in November 09. I only marginally passed them but still a pass is a pass. I passed E3 in November 2010 and haven't sat an exam since. I have registered for T4B for May 2013 but haven't had a lot of time to study so far, working FT and being pregnant on #3 isn't making it any easier!

The only thing that worked for me was knuckling down. When the kids were in bed it was easy to sit in front of the TV or do housework but both were still there after the exams.

Practising answer-planning questions were what really got me over the fence between passing and failing and this was a skill I learned at various free seminars run by CIMA. I did occasionally travel to Dublin or Cork for these but when it was a once-off and free I didn't mind too much. There were a few times coming up to exams when I left the house and spent a few hours in an empty house owned by my parents with no TV or internet and I got an awful lot done just because I had time to myself with no distractions.

Geraldo

Thanks julyjane. Gives some hope for success so! It's tough with kids. That's why I got bogged down with CPA and gave up. Have to stick with these though. There's nowhere to go in finance if you're not qualified.

Here Precious2

imo CPA is easier than CIMA, you get more exemptions etc, why didn't you stick with CPA?

statss

murra wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for all the info on this thread , It's absolutely fantastic.

I'm in my final year of a Finance degree from NUI Maynooth . I plan to complete a professional diploma in accounting from DCU next year and then hopefully find an employer where I can undertake the Cima qualification.

Does anyone have a database on real employers for graduates or any particular companies they came across that are highering? I know there is the Job search on the Cima website but most of them aren't employing anybody never mind graduates.

Any info is much appreciated.
Cheers

This is a big issue I feel. It's very hard to find CIMA graduate jobs. I would love if the CIMA website had a similar section to ACA's student vacancies website page.

From my limited experience I know AIB and Deloitte send a good number of graduates to do CIMA.

Geraldo

Here Precious2 wrote: »

imo CPA is easier than CIMA, you get more exemptions etc, why didn't you stick with CPA?

I considered it but had gotten quite down about the exams before is topped previously so decided on a fresh start. Plus, CPA doesn't appear to be as well thought of generally. Not that I agree with that though. They're all basically the same.

kilburn

Anyone got E2 books for sale

julyjane

Someone told me recently that all accounting qualifications will be the same by 2017, anybody else hear this?

I find not many jobs available seem to be specifically CIMA but in interviews it comes up and people seem impressed by it.

mr_edge_to_you

Certainly in industry roles there's a lot of companies looking for CIMA/ACCA/ACA.

Although i have noticed a number of roles looking for CIMA specifically - FMCG and manufacturing companies. Kerry Group and CocaCola are big into CIMA.

I think the problem for recruiters is that there is a shortage of younger CIMA members with good experience so as a result they have to consider ACA/ACCA.

CIMA numbers fell right off during the 00s and are only now beginning to rise again. I graduated from AIT in 2003
(when AIT was a an accountancy studying hub) and as far as I am aware I'm the only CIMA member 10 years on. So there is a gap in the market at present.

I've worked in a few companies where the directors and finance managers are all ACMA/FCMA but none of the accounting team were studying CIMA.

This is changing at the moment.

murra

statss wrote: »

This is a big issue I feel. It's very hard to find CIMA graduate jobs. I would love if the CIMA website had a similar section to ACA's student vacancies website page.

From my limited experience I know AIB and Deloitte send a good number of graduates to do CIMA.

Ye I think we may be a bit late tho. There was probably a lot more back around October .
Have a look on UK graduate sites,seems to be a lot more companies taking on graduates over there . Pay is a lot better aswell . I'm so excited to start CIMA just need to find an employer to support me 😔

JQ25

Hi All,

I've just registered with CIMA and got exempt from C01-05 and E1, P1 and F1.
I'm working in Sydney where (to my knowledge) there's no formal face to face CIMA classes in the city.

I'm looking at doing one exam to start me off through home study/distance learning.
Can anyone recommend a good learning provider whether in Ireland/Australia?

Also I'm thinking of doing E2 first, it seems like it's a lot of theory which you'd probably have to learn yourself
and wouldn't gain as much as you would by attending lectures for the likes of P2 or F2? Would that be fair to say?

I know none are easier than others, but what would you recommend in my situation?
I think I could give P2 a good shot either but reckon F2 would be very tough through homestudy?

Thanks in advance

JQ25

Hi All,

I've just registered with CIMA and got exempt from C01-05 and E1, P1 and F1.
I'm working in Sydney where (to my knowledge) there's no formal face to face CIMA classes in the city.

I'm looking at doing one exam to start me off through home study/distance learning.
Can anyone recommend a good learning provider whether in Ireland/Australia?

Also I'm thinking of doing E2 first, it seems like it's a lot of theory which you'd probably have to learn yourself
and wouldn't gain as much as you would by attending lectures for the likes of P2 or F2? Would that be fair to say?

I know none are easier than others, but what would you recommend in my situation?
I think I could give P2 a good shot either but reckon F2 would be very tough through homestudy?

Thanks in advance

Ciaranisco

Hi JQ,

I sat the C01-C05 in Sept last year and the three Operational exams in November, doing E2, P2 and F2 in May.

I can't speak to the Oz options, but if you're in Dublin i'd recommend IC-BF (International College of Business and Finance) for lectures. They're on Fitzwilliam Square in Dublin 2 and have very small classes (using the old BPP lecturers and BPP materials).

For me, homestudy was never an option, I can't trust myself to sit down early enough to cover the course in time. With the lectures route, you keep ticking over for 4 months before the exams and find yourself in a much better position in my opinion.

In terms of which to do first, E2 is probably the exam which suits homestudy more than the others, but I'd strongly recommend leveraging the Post Exam Guides supplied on the CIMA site. E2 has the highest failure rate on average of the three Management Level exams, generally because people fail to answer the question they are asked. A solid review of the course materials and models combined with really understanding how the questions should be answered is crucial. It's very easy to write non-stop in the E-type exams and fail to pick up marks. The PEGs will help you spot errors in how you might think about approaching the questions.

JQ25

Hi Ciaransico,

Thanks for getting back to me. Yea i was looking at the E2 syllabus outline, it seems like the most interesting and doable for homestudy.
I'm like yourself would much rather have classes rather than do it this way but the only other option here is a class over Skype with a gold standard provider here. Its about E700 so think ill give it a miss...

I've been looking through the CIMA site and most seem to prefer the Kaplan books/notes than BPP. Does anyone have any experience with doing a distance course with either. Essentially I'd be looking for a lecturer to give some structure to the course, homework, and guidance on how to answer the questions.

masalbeagdubh

Has anyone any experience of the CIMA blended learning and is it worthwhile?

statss

Has anyone ever appealed a rejected exemption request and got it overturned? I have a masters in strategy but they wont exempt me from E1 as my course is not accredited, despite the fact the Ba Hons version of the course in the same college is and grants the E1 exemption! So frustrating....

Meursault

masalbeagdubh wrote: »

Has anyone any experience of the CIMA blended learning and is it worthwhile?

I found the online course a total waste of money to be honest. I attended the revision class in the CIT and they were okay in fairness

Meursault

Can anyone recommend online tuition aside from the Kaplan masterclasses (which I found very helpful by the way). Are there any CIMA equivalents for example?

Ceriousone

statss wrote: »

Has anyone ever appealed a rejected exemption request and got it overturned? I have a masters in strategy but they wont exempt me from E1 as my course is not accredited, despite the fact the Ba Hons version of the course in the same college is and grants the E1 exemption! So frustrating....

I tried to appeal an exemption for the certificate level with no joy. They asked me to send the details in an email which I did, they got back to me with a very polite email, but they would not change their mind.

Meursault

statss wrote: »

Has anyone ever appealed a rejected exemption request and got it overturned? I have a masters in strategy but they wont exempt me from E1 as my course is not accredited, despite the fact the Ba Hons version of the course in the same college is and grants the E1 exemption! So frustrating....

Had the same issue with E1. Was fully certain my Masters would exempt me, but all they said was they would look in to it and get back to me. Meanwhile I was close to the deadline for applying for the exam so j just sat it in the end. Very frustrating alright

kilburn

Anyone sitting exams next week?

Doing E2 and F2 myself.

statss

Doing F1 and P1. I've done a good bit of work so I expect / hope to pass them, fingers crossed.

Beau

E1 tomorrow and F1 on Thursday! Nervous!!

Best of luck everyone.

DwightShrute

Best of luck to everyone in the throes of their exams this week.

I'm planning on starting CIMA shortly and intend on doing at least one exam in November (I should have exemptions from Certificate level). Studying via Kaplan/BPP etc. is probably not an option due to the cost - for those who have self-studied at Operational Level, what material would you recommend?
The main textbooks are about 750 pages long(!). With work commitments I'm guessing most people rely on the training courses like Kaplan to condense that but if you're studying by yourself I imagine it's somewhat trickier.

CIMAstudy and Acorn seem to offer much cheaper options - are these recommendable? The official study kit books seem to give the barest of summaries to each chapter followed by lots of practice questions but without a full understanding of the theory I doubt I can jump straight in there.

Any advice appreciated.

Also, those who sought exemptions - did you have to get your degree certificate translated (those of you whose parchments are in Latin) or were the exam transcripts and a copy of the original degree cert sufficient?

Thanks.

Crybabygeeks

I did e1 today - thought it was ok, few tricky questions but overall happy enough. P1 tomorrow!! Best of luck to everyone !!

Beau

Crybabygeeks wrote: »

I did e1 today - thought it was ok, few tricky questions but overall happy enough.

Yeh me too! Happy enough, was able to answer all questions. I was worried about not knowing all the theories but it turned out I needn't have worried.

kilburn

where did you guys sit the exams I heard there was problems with the Galway center.

statss

In UCD. What happened in Galway?

Did P1 today. Section A was a nightmare but the big 25 markers in Section C were okay so should be fine fingers crossed.

kilburn

One of those rooms that can be seperated by a pull across partition, on the other side there was a Supermacs training and team building day. Shouting, roaring, clapping, cursing you name it during the exams. The exam supervisor complained but nothing was done about it

statss

kilburn wrote: »

One of those rooms that can be seperated by a pull across partition, on the other side there was a Supermacs training and team building day. Shouting, roaring, clapping, cursing you name it during the exams. The exam supervisor complained but nothing was done about it

jaysus....i would have went mental...poor people

Crybabygeeks

I sat P1 today too - found it tough to be honest!!!

julyjane

T4B tomorrow, dreading it I had way too much going on between work and family life and am totally unprepared as a result so I'm looking at it as good practice for the resit - which will probably be next year at the earliest as I'm 5 months pregnant now and just can't imagine trying to study with a small one at home - although with the older ones in school and me on maternity leave it might be doable. I'll be relieved when tomorrow is over

Good luck to everyone else doing exams

kilburn

julyjane wrote: »

T4B tomorrow, dreading it I had way too much going on between work and family life and am totally unprepared as a result so I'm looking at it as good practice for the resit - which will probably be next year at the earliest as I'm 5 months pregnant now and just can't imagine trying to study with a small one at home - although with the older ones in school and me on maternity leave it might be doable. I'll be relieved when tomorrow is over

Good luck to everyone else doing exams

I feel your pain we have a 6 month old and it has been very hard to study, but head down, to be fair was totally unprepared for this sitting and had put a lot of time in

grange mac

kilburn wrote: »

I feel your pain we have a 6 month old and it has been very hard to study, but head down, to be fair was totally unprepared for this sitting and had put a lot of time in

Ye prob know this already but only way to pass t4b is by doing mocks to time.best luck to ye!!

julyjane

grange mac wrote: »

Ye prob know this already but only way to pass t4b is by doing mocks to time.best luck to ye!!

I'll remember that for future reference I gave it my best shot anyway, it went a bit better than I expected but the insufficient preparation is bound to go against me. Still I'd be pleased with anything over 40 marks as I know the drill now and will have read the post exam guides etc. by then

statss

anyone know when they usually publish the exam answers?

mr_edge_to_you

statss wrote: »

anyone know when they usually publish the exam answers?

they're available now it seems.

Carnegie

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

they're available now it seems.

no they're not

kilburn

exam papers are up but not the answers yet

mr_edge_to_you

Carnegie wrote: »

no they're not

sorry, my mistake.

a very cool kid

Woohoo! Passed the Strategic Level first time!

statss

Passed F1 and P1

I've put my books, exam kits and revision cards on adverts.ie if anyone's interested.

http://www.adverts.ie/school-college-books/cima-f1-p1-kaplan-textbook-exam-kit-and-revision-cards/3388151

Shaque attack

congrats guys, I just logged on to the my cima section but in the my exams section it just says I've to wait till July 11 to get my results.

Not cool

Edit; but then checked my emails!

E1 and P1 passed... wohoo!!

cimastudent

WANTED:
E3 Enterprise Operations, F3 Financial Operations and P3 Performance Operations
Official CIMA Kaplan 2013 Textbooks, Exam Kits and Revision cards

cimastudent

Well done , are you interested in selling your manuals etc?

cimastudent

a very cool kid wrote: »

Woohoo! Passed the Strategic Level first time!

well done cool kid , are you interested in selling your manuals etc

kilburn

Anyone sitting any exams during the repeats?

Meursault

kilburn wrote: »

Anyone sitting any exams during the repeats?

Failed P2, but I'm going to wait until Nov.

If anyone needs The F2 text book let me know. I got a second copy for free, so it is brand new. I'll sell it for a very reasonable price

nasned26

Hey. All very useful information in this thread - thanks.

Starting from scratch with Operational in Nov-13, thinking about trying E1, E2 and F1 through homestudy initially.

Anybody have any advice on this? Best material providers, etc?

Also, wondering whether anyone has any info on course providers in Cork?

Meursault

Hi nasned

Unfortunately the only option available in Cork is the blended learning in the CIT, which i did not find helpful at all.

you basically go through the courses yourself online, and then there is 2 1 day revisions courses, where they fly through as many topics as possible, without really explaining anything. They also claim that you can email them with any queries, but i found them to be really slow in responding, to be honest

what you may find useful is some of the Online class room courses that are available. if you log on to Kaplan's website you will find free tutorials for each level. i found these very helpful and i have actually signed up for the F2 online course with them this coming August. it works out at about 600 EUR, which is slightly cheaper than the courses provided by Griffith for ACCA. I believe BPP and Insaf also provide online courses. if you log on to the CIMA website and go to the CIMS sphere online discussion forums, you will see plenty of discussions on the pros and cons of each, which you may find informative.

I am based in Cork myself, so if you are looking for Operational or management level textbooks let me know, and i will sell them on to you for half price. they are all in perfect condition

the best of luck with whatever you choose

mimcca

I have Official CIMA Kaplan 2013 Textbooks, Exam Kits and Revision cards for E1 Enterprise Operations, F1 Financial Operations and P1 Performance Operations for sale at http://www.adverts.ie/3467443

The exam kit alone will ensure you pass first time once you put the work in and going the self study route without going to classroom based tuition.