The CIMA Thread

Thanks for the replies. I was a bit concerned I'd be undertaking something that could take a couple of years!

CHLuke

Hi,
Just wondering is it possible to complete the above and also the other subjects via the online CIMA learning facility? i.e
is there an Irish variant of F1 or is it all the same.

Im thinking of doing the professional CIMA qualification via online study along with the relevant material available on their website.

thanks for your help.

i am considering bpp online classroom. Anybody used before? Thanks for any suggestions.

Hi all,

I'm sure there's plenty of folks out there who have experienced doing the pre-CIMA CBA exams and maybe had a similar experience. Aside from there being a limited number of locations in Dublin where you can sit the 2 hour Computer exams, most operate very restrictive time tables. I needed to pass 3 exams in the space of the last 2 weeks (before Sept 12th cutoff to register for November's Operational level exams). So just to give people an idea of how to approach this, here's what I found:

CIMA HQ off Harcourt St; They have one computer and are open 5 days a week. They have a morning and afternoon slot and charge 80 euros a pop, which is the cheapest available, but the slots fill up very, very quickly, when I called a month ago they had 5 available slots before Sept 12th all bunched together.

BPP: Had one day where they were hosting exams, a morning and afternoon session, but could host multiple people, but it was Sept 6th, I had 3 exams to sit. Also, it was 100 for BPP members and 125 for non members.

Liffey College: This is where I sat my 3 exams and I would strongly recommend it to others. I got to sit the exams at the time of my choosing during the day and it was even possible to sit them after work (which I did twice). I think they do weekends too. The price was 99 euro which is well worth the money for the convenience of it. The college is just off Francis St, near Christchurch. (Don't wear a jacket though, it can be a bit warm in the comp room).

I think Tallagh host the exams but like BPP, they're very infrequent.

Anywho, in summary, I would suggest if you are doing or are looking to do CIMA CBA exams, go Liffey College, the flexibility saved me a massive amount of stress and I got through 3 exams in the last week and a half without missing work and before the cut-off date where I needed the exemptions. Also the guys in the office are extremely friendly and are genuinely rooting for you to pass. I think they're getting involved in lectures in 2013 for CIMA too, or at least they mentioned it when I was there.

Now onwards to try and sit + pass 3 operational level exams in November... If something painful is worth doing, it's worth doing fast!

Hi julyjane

I did mine online in July, no problem. I had it reviewed prior to submission by an assessor who said it was an excellently prepared detailed cv. They said it was "in line with what CIMA require".

I know a few people who have attended face to face assessment and all found it a straight forward process.

The key thing is to have it reviewed first and make sure it's right. It's more difficult if your application is refused initially and you have to reapply - more intense scrutiny. Clearly you've done the hard work already and had it reviewed so you should be fine.

Best of luck with it!

Btw. I have to commend the staff in the Dublin office who were of enormous help with the process. Great people to deal with.

Gar Mulvey is running his F1 Revision course through International College in Dublin (on the corner of Fitzwilliam Sq) this Friday 19/10/12, Saturday and Sunday from 9.30-5.00 each day. I think they're charging 220 for the revision course. If you have Friday and the weekend free, I can't think of anything better for preparing for F1. It's a small class too. (5 people or so).

Am I to old to carve our a successful career in this field?

Certainly not. I know many people who are still doing exams at that age. You will also find that there will be many people who are older than you in the classes.

What route should I take after completing the cert in business accounting? (should I for example try and get experience at this stage and combine with study to progress further or should I try and pass more exams before trying to get experience?)

I would suggest looking at the various colleges (DBS, BPP - I think Independent are getting on board with CIMA - not sure). See what timetables suit you. Just get stuck in to the exams. No point putting off the exams regardless of what role you're in.

At what stage would I be considered a part qualified accountant?

Technically your part qualifed once you have registered as a student and sucessfully apply for exemptions or pass your first exam.

How difficult would it be to get practical work place experience?

Hard to say. You will get the experience eventually but the problem is you may have to take a step down to move into a more direct finance/accounting role. If you have a young family you need to consider the financial implications in the short/medium term.

You're sales background may be more suited a commercial accountant/ business analyst role. This would probably be a good move.

The hardest part is juggling CIMA exams and classes with an existing hectic job and home life.

If you are going for it just working on the exams and start applying for a more relevant role.

Best of luck.

Well done Mr_edge

Were you at the membership session in Dublin last week? I was there and my experience was approved but I still have T4B to do so I'm aiming for May now. I would have done it sooner but until reccently I thought I wouldn't get T4A for a long time yet.

@mickeymax I don't think 40 is too old by any means. I am 30 and there were people older than me there last week, and at exam seminars I've been to. (I've always done home study so don't know about classes) If anything 40 is a better age to be than 20, I find the older I'm getting the more I can focus on goals. 5 years ago my goal was having a good time with the good wages I was on. At 40 you still have a good 20-30+ years working life ahead of you.

Re: getting a job with experience, current salaries are not too far above the floor. I was unemployed for 18 months until this time last year, my current contract is nearly up and there doesn't seem to be much else around, although I'm not in Dublin so if you are there are more opportunities. Having worked in Sales I'm sure you've made a lot of contacts already and know a lot about a lot of industries so that is a big selling point for you. If you're not already on linkedin then set up an account and make a few connections

I was going to study some of the operational CIMA subjects online. I was wondering has anyone experience of studying CIMA online and if they had any reccomendations which provider would be best.