Computer Based Assessment (CBA)
Important: Syllabus Changeover. CIMA revised the syllabus for the Certificate in Business Accounting in 2011.
The updated syllabus reflects significant emerging issues facing the business and financial communities like the 2008 banking crisis and credit crunch. It also uses a new format which links the lead aims, learning outcomes and syllabus content more explicitly.
Examinations based on the 2006 syllabus will be only available until 30 June 2012. After that point all students must attempt the 2011 syllabus exams.
Examinations based on the new 2011 syllabus became available from October 2011 and will be available until CIMA next decide to change the syllabus.
Be sure to advise your exam centre which exam syllabus you wish to attempt.
Duration
A maximum of 2 hours is allotted for a CBA. You should arrive at the exam location 30
minutes before the actual exam start time, and allow 15 minutes after your exam before you leave. If you arrive any later then you may not be allowed to enter the exam room.
Questions
Each paper has a set number of questions, with each question having numerous marks available:
- C01: 50 questions
- C02: 50 questions
- C03: 45 questions
- C04: 75 questions
- C05: 75 questions
Randomly selected questions will be downloaded for your exam which will total between 90 and 150 marks. This will be converted to a percentage with a pass mark of 50%. Please note that Kaplan has no control over which questions appear in any exam.
The questions will be a mix:
- Multiple choice (A B C or D; A B or C; A or B)
- True or false
- Select 2 options which match the criteria requested
- Single and multiple numerical entries
What to take with you into the exam room
A form of ID*
You are allowed to take into the exam room: pens, pencils, rulers and calculators (without printout facility or programmable function). Note: Kaplan does not provide the above stationery – it is your responsibility to bring it with you.
You are NOT permitted to take in the exam room with you: mobile phone, pencil case, books/notes or any other papers/notebooks.
There will be a place made available for you to leave any personal belongings (Kaplan
Financial is not responsible for these belongings).
You may wish to take a watch too – although there is a timer on the CBA screen.
*Drivers Licence or Passport accepted.
What you will be given in your exam
You will be given paper to do your rough workings on. This must be left in the exam room. You will be provided instructions on the CBA process on the screen before you start the exam. If you are sitting paper C01 or C03, you will also be given a CIMA formula sheet.
What you should do when you enter the exam room
Remain silent from when you enter, as you are then under exam conditions. Sit at the desk allocated and ensure you are comfortable, adjusting your chair, the monitor position, keyboard and mouse placement, until you are happy with the set up. Read through the CIMA official instructions on the screen when instructed to do so.
Listen to the invigilator’s instructions. Ask the invigilator any questions you have, prior to the commencement of the exam. Raise your hand to ask a question. Remember, there may be other students taking the exam at the same time, so you should be considerate throughout.
At the start of the exam
You will need to follow the instructions on screen. This will include entering your CIMA registration number and date of birth. Your name and the name of the exam will appear on screen – ensure that this is the correct exam that you are planning to sit. Inform the invigilator immediately if any of the information is incorrect.
Do not start the exam until you are given permission to do so.
During the exam
A timer is shown on your screen that will count down your allotted 2 hours.
You don’t have to answer each question in turn – you can return to the question later. You can move between questions and review which questions you have or have not answered. There are also arrows to help you navigate.
Don’t leave any multiple choice question unanswered – if you don’t know which answer is correct, exclude those which you know are wrong and make an educated guess.
Provided you have time, review each question/answer at least twice.
At the end of the exam
The CBA will automatically end after your 2 hours are up.
You can finish early if you are certain that you have completed every question to the best of your ability, by clicking on the ‘Exit’ icon. Don’t feel pressured to finish early simply because some other students may have done so.
A summary of your exam performance will appear – this will show the marks gained in each main topic area and an overall mark. This is out of 100%. You are required to achieve 50% or more in order to pass.
Raise your hand and the invigilator will come over and note your result.
When instructed to do so, click on print twice – this will print a copy of your provisional results (one for you, one for Kaplan Financial).
You will then be given permission to leave – please be quiet in case other students are still working.
What next?
If you have passed, your result will automatically be uploaded onto the myCIMA section of the CIMA website – this can take up to a week.
If you were unsuccessful, you will need to arrange a resit. Contact Kaplan and we’ll help you.
Progressing to the professional qualification – deadlines to complete CBAs
Depending on if/when you would like to move on to the main CIMA Professional exams, there are certain deadlines as to when you have to complete the Certificate level.
You will need to complete all your CBAs:
- Before 1st March to be eligible to sit a Professional paper in May of that year
- Before 1st September to be eligible to sit a Professional paper in November of that year
Where and when can I take my CBA?
Locations
Kaplan Centres have been accredited by CIMA to hold CBAs. They are available in the following locations. Click on the centre name to contact your local centre:
How to approach your CBA:
Key Topics
The whole of the syllabus is examinable therefore you should have practiced and be confident in all syllabus areas.
Practice
You should aim to work through as many practice questions as possible. With lots of practice you will recognise familiar patterns and formats and this will make it easier in the real exam.
You should also practice questions on www.EN-gage.co.uk. Working through questions on a computer screen is different to attempting a paper exam; therefore we suggest that is it essential for you to practice answering computer-based questions.
Read the question carefully. This sounds obvious, but many students try and find the question that they are familiar with instead of reading the actual requirement. The requirement is usually at the end of the question. So, read the requirement, think about what type of information is needed to answer the question, and then look for the information.
Don’t spend time making your workings perfect – no one will see them.
Make sure you are familiar with your calculator – do not buy a new one the day before your exam! You should know how to use all the relevant functions and for example, the most efficient way of working out a percentage. You may wish to consider purchasing a second identical calculator as a spare too.
All question practice should be attempted under exam conditions and to exam time.
Timing
As different exams have different numbers of questions you will find that on average you have the following amount of time per question in the exam:
- C01: 2.4 minutes
- C02: 2.4 minutes
- C03: 2.6 minutes
- C04: 1.6 minutes
- C05: 1.6 minutes
Please be aware that some questions may require more time than others, so you should be looking at average timing.
It is recommended that you answer questions in batches of 10 and aim to do 10 questions in a specific period. For example, for C01 you should do 10 questions in 24 minutes; for C05 this should take 16 minutes. Practice your timing in batches and work out which type of questions will take longer to answer, so you don’t panic if you go over your timing on an individual question.
Getting help
If you find that there is a particular topic that you are struggling with review your tuition notes before attempting more questions. Do not waste time writing out revision notes, the best revision is question practice. You can contact your tutor for assistance too.
If possible, try and think of fun ways to practice – perhaps hold a quiz with colleagues who are also studying.
Mock CBA
On the CIMA website (see link below) there is a CBA mock exam. It is ESSENTIAL that you attempt this before the real exam. You will become familiar with how to move around the CBA screens and the way that questions are formatted.