Computer-based assessment
CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
The first step towards becoming a Chartered Management Accountant is the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting. The qualification is open access – meaning that no previous knowledge or experience is required. It provides the ideal foundation for further study, but is also recognised in its own right.
If you are studying for the Certificate in Business Accounting, you will be assessed by computer based assessment (CBA). CBA uses the computer to deliver questions and receive answers. Each of the five assessments can be taken flexibly when you are ready.
Computer based assessments can be taken at CBA accredited centres throughout the world. CIMA Learning accredited colleges offering tuition towards the Certificate in Business Accounting are often also centres where you can sit the examination. Ask at your local college offering CIMA or look at the CBA centre list for more information.
The CBA system can ensure that a wide range of the syllabus is assessed, as a pre-determined number of questions from each syllabus area (dependent upon the syllabus weighting for that particular area) are selected in each assessment. You can therefore be confident that you have a solid grounding in business and accounting in preparation for the Managerial Level subjects.
Assessment times
All assessments for the Certificate syllabus subjects are 2 hours.The pass mark for each subject is 50% and you will receive your results and Certificate of Achievement immediately after the assessment. If you are unsuccessful, you will receive some feedback on your performance in the assessment.
Types of questions
Computer based assessments use objective test questions. The most common type of these questions is ‘multiple choice’, where you have to choose the correct answer from a list of possible answers, but there are a variety of other objective question types that can be used within the system. These include true/false questions, matching pairs of text and graphic, sequencing and ranking, labelling diagrams and single and multiple numeric entry.
Candidates answer the questions by either pointing and clicking the mouse, moving objects around the screen, typing numbers, or a combination of these responses. Try our online demo to get a feel for how the technology will work.
