FAQ: CIMA Designatory Letters

Do I qualify for designatory letters?

If you have passed all the exams at a level, you may qualify for designatory letters.

To be precise:

  • If you sat and passed all exams at certificate level (C01, C02, C03, C04, and C05) under the 2000 syllabus, you are eligible for the letters CIMA Cert BA
  • If you sat and passed all exams at operational level (E1, P1, F1) under the 2010 syllabus or (P1, P4, P7) under the 2005 syllabus, you are eligible for the letters CIMA Dip MA
  • If you sat and passed all exams at management level (E2, P2, F2) under the 2010 syllabus or (P2, P5, P8) under the 2005 syllabus, you are eligible for the letters CIMA Adv Dip MA

Additionally, if you have completed a CIMA recognised equivalent, you may qualify for designatory letters.

This means:

  • If you completed a level of exams (Certificate, Operational, or Management) through a mixture of exemptions and exam passes
  • If the exams which you passed at that level were under one of the relevant syllabuses:
    - Certificate: 2000 or later
    - Operational: 2005 or later
    - Management: 2005 or later

NB: If you have been exempted from a level and have sat no exams at that level, you will not qualify for designatory letters for that level.

The following conditions also need to be met:

  • You need to be an active student, i.e. be current in your student subscriptions and thus able to access all student areas on the website.
  • You need to commit to keeping yourself up to date professionally. When you subscribe as a CIMA student you are agreeing in principle to undertake ongoing CPD, as stated in the CIMA Code of Ethics.

You can do this in one of two ways:

  • either you have sat an exam in the past 12 months or are signed up to sit an exam
  • or you are undertaking CPD, i.e. planning, completing and recording CPD activities

If you meet these criteria, you can use the designatory letters after your name on business cards and in email signatures, and include them on your CV to indicate to employers and recruiters that you have reached a recognised level of understanding of management accounting and are keeping up to date in your knowledge.

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What do the designatory letters stand for?

  • CIMA Cert BA - CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
  • CIMA Dip MA - CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting
  • CIMA Adv Dip MA - CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting

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I have completed Certificate level and Operational level – can I use both sets of designatory letters?

No, each time you complete a level, the designatory letters at that level replace the previous set. So the letters you would use are “CIMA Dip MA”. You would not use “CIMA Dip MA, CIMA Cert BA”.

Similarly, when a student completes the qualification and is elected to membership and may use the letters ACMA, these letters replace the previous set of letters, so in no circumstance would a member use “CIMA Adv Dip MA” or similar after his or her name in addition to ACMA.

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What is the CPD requirement to use the letters?

To use the letters, you must be able to demonstrate that your CPD (continuous professional development) needs have been met from our vast array of support, and that you are up to date in your knowledge.

Students who have sat an exam in the past 12 months are exempted from any additional CPD, as by studying for your exam you are demonstrating that you are up to date in your knowledge. If you are currently signed up to sit an exam, you are exempted from any additional CPD requirement, for the same reason. If you have not sat an exam in the past 12 months and are not signed up to sit an exam, you will need to undertake CPD to demonstrate you are up to date in your knowledge.

For CPD, you assess your development goals and needs, select the most appropriate activities and design your CPD programme accordingly.

CIMA doesn't prescribe numbers of hours or units. You do as much as you need to remain professionally competent and advance your career. CPD includes activities such as reading, networking, research, on the job training and so on.

The output based approach takes into account your individual learning style and preferences. It encourages you to reflect on and evaluate gains from an activity and apply what you've learned. It also helps you to focus on activities that are relevant to you and future roles that interest you. Remember to plan, record, and reflect on your CPD.

Our CPD requirements can be met with new resources which will be available to you in MY CIMA, such as Harvard ManageMentor, and existing resources such as FM magazine, Insight, relevant discussions on CIMAsphere and other personal resources. You can also choose to do additional CPD elsewhere. One example of

CPD that you may find useful in the UK is CIMA mastercourses.

Whichever way you decide to meet your CPD, we aim to provide helpful resources. If you think of something you would like to see on the website, send us your suggestion.

We will be providing additional CPD resources in MY CIMA, and reserve the right to audit CPD of those using designatory letters at any time.

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Can I use designatory letters as a student who is not paying a subscription to CIMA and who cannot access the CPD resources available in MY CIMA, but who has completed a level?

Since CIMA cannot verify the quality of the CPD resources you will be accessing, you cannot use designatory letters.

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I sat my exam in May of last year, and I have not yet paid my subscription for this year. Can I use designatory letters?

You can use designatory letters until 12 months from when you sat your exam. At that point, if you have not paid your subscription and can no longer access the CPD resources in MY CIMA, you can no longer use the designatory letters.

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When will CIMA audit my CPD and what will CIMA be looking for?

CIMA will audit your CPD at our discretion. You will not need to submit a record of professional development unless we request it. We will look for a record of relevant development activities, which you have planned, done, and reflected on.

Consider the following:

  • What have you learned from each activity?
  • How are you applying your learning in your job?
  • What are you now able to do that you were not able to do before?
  • How has each one of these activities affected your career development?

You can keep this information in a document on your computer. You may also find it helpful to look back on it when you prepare your membership application (T4 Part A).

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If you have further questions about using the CIMA designatory letters please contact cima.contact@cimaglobal.com