Requirements
What are the practical experience requirements?
The practical experience requirements describe the range of work experience you need to gain to become a CIMA member. They are broken down into three areas to show the wide range of functions carried out by management accountants:
You can view the basic, core and supplementary requirements by using the links provided above or you can download a copy of the practical experience requirements brochure (PDF 318KB).
Are the requirements the same for students working in different employment sectors?
Yes. The practical experience requirements are the same for everyone regardless of the area in which they work. The requirements have been designed to be applicable across the broad range of business sectors, geographic and cultural environments. This should enable most management accounting students, whatever their training situation, to obtain experience which meets the requirements.
If some, or all, of the experience you wish to submit is in an academic environment, or is in audit, please read the guides provided. The academic (PDF 48KB), internal audit (PDF 33KB) and external audit (PDF 33KB) guidelines explain whether the experience you have gained in these areas can be used as part of your application. If you are working in practice please refer to the training in practice guidelines.
If you are not working, please refer to the careers section.
How much experience do I need?
You will need a minimum of three years relevant practical experience, some or all of which may have been gained before registering as a CIMA student.
You are not expected to have covered every single aspect of the practical experience requirements. However, you do need to have a good spread of experience across the three areas including at least 18 months in the core area.
Passed finalists who have a minimum of three years’ senior/strategic experience, in addition to the three years' relevant experience required for associate membership, can apply for direct entry to fellowship.
