Rules and legislation
Rules and regulations
Please read the exam rules & regulations (PDF 58KB) which provide the rules you are required to abide by when sitting CIMA exams.When you enter CIMA exams you are accepting these rules. Rules may change between exam sittings each year, so it is important to read them each time you enter exams.
Useful documents
This information is provided to assist you in your preparation for the exams and when sitting the exams.
- Instructions for exam entry (PDF 91KB)
- Examinable legislation (PDF 50KB) - you need to read this as it forms part of your exam material. Candidates for P8 Financial Analysis and P7 Financial Accounting and Tax Principles should also read the notes in the Study Resources area.
- Guidance on calculators (PDF 28KB) will help you select a calculator that, under CIMA exam rules, you will be able to take into the exam with you.
- Guidance on making an appeal for special consideration (PDF 20KB)
- The May 2008 exam paper formats (PDF 39KB) document provides a breakdown of the assessment format for each paper.
- Attestation form (PDF 89KB) for candidates sitting exams in Sri Lanka.
Changes to Managerial level - May 2007
Find out about assessment changes to some of the Managerial level examination papers from the May 2007 diet.
Managerial level candidates - answering Section A
All Managerial level candidates are reminded that the answers to all questions must be written in your answer book. This includes all Section A objective test sub-questions. If candidates draft responses in the question paper then these should be transferred to the answer book before the end of the exam. It is assumed that all writings in the question paper are candidates' notes and therefore are not to be considered by the marker. Read this article (PDF 173KB) and find out how we recommend you answer section A questions in your exam answer book.
Additional reading time for all Professional qualification exams
To help your chances of success in the exams, 20 minutes of reading time are added to the normal exam time for all 10 professional exam papers (all of the Managerial level papers, the Strategic level papers and the TOPCIMA exam).
During the 20 minutes you can:
- read the question paper
- annotate or highlight the question paper.
However you will not be allowed to:
- write in the answer book
- use calculators.
The written component for each exam remains three hours.
For further guidance on how to use your additional 20 minutes reading time, read this article (PDF 85KB) by Martin Taylor, published in the May 2005 issue of Financial Management.
