CIMA's Professional Operational Level

Study methods available for this level

Live Online

The benefits of a traditional classroom but with the flexibility of an online environment. Live interactive classes at a scheduled time delivered by expert lecturers following the same exam focused material and structure as traditional classroom courses.

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Try CIMA Objective Test for FREE

Try CIMA Case Study for FREE

OnDemand

OnDemand gives you the flexibility to study when and where you want, with unique online resources designed to give you structure, keep you motivated, and cement your understanding of the subject.

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CIMA's Operational level is made up of three Objective Test subjects and one Case Study. You must pass all three Objective Tests before moving onto the Case Study, which tests what you’ve learned overall in the level. You need to pass all exams to be able to progress to the Management level.

The Objective Tests are computer-based and are 90 minutes each. The exams can be sat at any time of the year, and can be taken in any order. All exams are marked by computer. At the end of the exam you will be given a provisional pass/fail result which will then be confirmed on your MY CIMA account within 48 hours.

The Case Study exam is 3 hours long, is computer-based, and available to take in four windows throughout the year (February, May, August, November). The exam is based on a pre-seen that will be released approximately 7 weeks before the exam window. The pre-seen will be valid for two sittings, one pre-seen for May and August and another for November and February. It is marked by a human, and results are available 5 weeks after the close of the exam window. It will test your research and analysis skills, how you present information, and your persuasion and communication skills.

Study materials vary based on the study method you choose, and whether you're studying an Objective Test or Case Study course.

Our Study Text and Exam Kit are now provided as interactive digital resources that will support you with your studies and feature tools designed to complement your learning. Not only will you be able to highlight, note-take and search in seconds, but complicated terms will be simply explained with a dictionary at your fingertips, these digital resources are accessible anywhere, anytime, and on any device through BibliU.

play_circle_filled Find out more about our CIMA resources

We are CIMA's only official publisher so you can be sure that our materials include everything you need to know.

The following material is included with the Objective Test courses:

Digital Study Text powered by BibliU

A fully interactive digital textbook covering the full subject syllabus with worked examples and activities.

Integrated Workbook

A key resource for your studies, it guides you through the syllabus and details when to use your other study resources. Includes space to add handwritten notes.

Live Online courses: a printed version and a standard digital PDF version

OnDemand courses: a standard digital PDF version

Application modules

These modules help you to deepen your knowledge of key topics, see how what you have studied can fit together and how it could be applied to practical scenarios.

Study modules

Engaging, online modules including bite-sized tutor led lectures taking you step by step through the whole syllabus.

Study programme

Outlines the course structure, providing support on what to do and when to do it.

For Live Online your study programme is accessed on MyKaplan and is integrated into your course.

For OnDemand, the study programme outlines the recommended weekly pace, however, there is a customisable version available if you wish to study at your own pace.

Revision Cards

These are brief notes on the essential topics from the syllabus and being pocket sized, they are handy for taking out and about with you.

Live Online courses: a printed version and a standard digital PDF version

OnDemand courses: a standard digital PDF version

Digital Exam Kit powered by BibliU

The Interactive digital exam kit gives you plenty of exam-style questions and answers to test your knowledge and practice.

The following material is included with the Case Study courses:

Digital Study Text powered by BibliU

CIMA’s official digital textbook covering Integrated Case Study Exam preparation with worked examples and activities.

Familiarisation and Practice Workbook

An examination preparation tool, based on the case study, including ethical considerations, key issues, how to prioritise, and plan your answer. The workbook includes 10-12 case specific tasks including a familiarisation quiz and exercises. This is printed for Live Online students and an online PDF only for OnDemand students, however you can download it and print it out.

Case analysis video

Via video, a tutor will walk you through the pre-seen material on the live case study. They will highlight the key points and potential examinable topics.

Technical recap modules and notes

Recordings and notes that will help you to recap the key syllabus areas from the underpinning subjects. They will also introduce you to ways that they could be examined in the Case Study exam.

OnDemand learners will have access to digital PDF materials, and will have the option to buy hard copy materials.

To buy the materials separately

You can buy CIMA's official books for each subject on this level.

Buy CIMA books

Delivery costs

How much it costs to deliver your study materials and how long it takes depends on where in the world you live.

Delivery fees are as follows:
Malaysia - RM60
Rest of Asia/America - $47
All other countries - €40

Please note that due to varying interpretations of the post-Brexit EU/UK trading agreement, some EU countries are imposing import duty on the value of the goods received from the UK. It is payable by the end consumer via the delivery company and your delivery may be withheld until paid. This may vary from country to country and be up to a value of 20% of the value of the study material.

Our standard delivery times are:
Malaysia - 3 to 5 working days*
EU – 5 to 7 working days*
Rest of the World – 7 to 10 working days*
*Subject to availability

Delivery charges apply to all OnDemand and Live Online courses which include printed materials. If delivery charges are applicable for your course, they will be shown during the online checkout process, before you complete your payment details.

We’ll support you every step of the way throughout your learning experience with us. You can contact a tutor and get the help you need quickly and easily.

Provided by our Academic Support team (our dedicated team of expert tutors):

• LiveChat (instant feedback)
• Email (we'll get back to you within 4 hrs)
• Discussion Forum and online community (we’ll get back to you within 4 hrs)

As part of your course you will get access to various tests and mocks on MyKaplan which will help you to prepare for your exams.

For the Objective Test, all study options come with the following:

Knowledge checks

As you go along, knowledge checks help assess your understanding of a topic before you move onto the next one.

Consolidation test

Each course has a consolidation test approximately two thirds of the way through the knowledge/application phase. It has the same look and feel as the real exam but is a little shorter, with 40 questions. It'll test how you are doing and allow you to identify and address problem areas early on in the course so they don't become 'big problems'.

Progress test

Check your understanding with this exam standard test. It has the same look and feel as the real exam so is a great start to your revision. It will help pinpoint your weaker areas to help you focus your exam preparation on the topics that need most attention.

Test yourself

An online question bank made up of hundreds of questions, so you can build your own tests to target weak areas, or to check your overall knowledge.

Two mock exams

Practice your exam technique and check your progress with two mock exams. The mocks have the same look and feel as the actual exam.

Case Study

The Case Study is a difficult exam, testing your overall knowledge across the level. You are tested with a written exam, based on a business scenario. We support you with resources that match the feel of the real Case Study:

3 mock exams based on the live case

All marked with personalised feedback.

Recorded debrief of all 3 mocks

To help you understand the approach you should have taken and some common mistakes that were made.

play_circle_filled Watch our video explaining MyKaplan (1:26)

MyKaplan is an online learning portal with practical resources to help you prepare for your exams.

Online features

• View your online materials in one place and access your content in a few clicks
• Contact a tutor directly using live chat or email
• Complete tests and get instant feedback (Objective Tests)
• Take part in forum discussions with students and tutors and find answers to common questions
• See instantly when your assessments have been marked (Case Study)
• Access on mobile, tablet, computer or through the dedicated mobile app

Access duration

Your chosen study method determines how long you can access your content for. All extensions are for existing content and do not include any updated content.

Live Online

Three months from last lesson date, with one three month free extension on request.

OnDemand

As long as the subscription is active, content will be made available.

For the Case Study, access durations are all six months after the selected exam sitting.