How do I plan my CGMA Qualification?
You can use this guide as a base for you to create your own study plan. This will also help you to identify how you will progress through your studies towards CIMA’s CGMA qualification.
Essentially, the CGMA qualification has four levels. This guide will give you information on the specifics of each CGMA level:
Certificate in Business Accounting
The Certificate in Business Accounting level is made up of four papers:
- BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics
- BA2 Fundamentals of Management Accounting
- BA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
- BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Corporate Business Law
The modules at Certificate level can be sat at any time (the exams are “on-demand”) and in any order.
The most common approach for students at this level is to study for these modules one at a time.
At Certificate level, each module will require between 35 – 50 hours of study. This would include attending tuition sessions if you study via a classroom, FI Online or Online Live course and, as such, many students find that planning to study each paper over 6-8 weeks is a reasonable target.
On this basis, many students complete the Certificate level over 6-9 months which allows for plenty of time to study and also a few well-earned breaks, for example:
Operational, Management and Strategic levels
The following three levels each contain four modules. Each level contains three Objective Test (OT) modules and a case study exam.
The OT modules can be sat at any time and can be completed in any order; however, you must have completed all of the OT modules within a given level before you can sit the case study exam. The case study exam can be sat at one of four sittings a year (February, May, August, November). Many students find it helpful to identify when they would like to sit the case study for the level they are studying and then work backwards from there to create their study plan.
Each OT module will need between 45 – 60 hours of study (this would include attending tuition sessions if you study via a classroom or Online Live course) and so people tend to take 8-10 weeks to complete each OT module.
With that in mind, many students find that completing a level within 9 – 12 months is a sensible timeframe to aim for. This allows for steady progression whilst also being able to balance your other commitments outside of your studies.
We have created a high level timeline below that looks at how a student starting their Operational level in January and working towards the November Case Study sitting, may plan their studies:
How to get started with your CIMA studies
If you’re completely new to CIMA’s CGMA qualification, follow the link above for tips and tricks on how to get started.
Once you have a plan, you can begin your studies. With Online, Online Live and Classroom courses we will always have a course available.
If you are ready to get going with your CIMA studies, you can see our CIMA timetable and online course dates here or find your local CIMA study centre. For more help or support please contact us today.
