Ryuh Hiramoto

Ryuh Hiramoto is only 15 years old but he has successfully completed the five Cert BA exams between August and November 2015.

After completing Form 2 at SMK Sri Sentosa, Ryuh stopped attending school due to health reasons and has instead chosen private tuition and home study. He obtained the LCCI Level 3 Diploma in Business Studies at age 14 and his recent success at the certificate level of the CIMA Professional Qualification has placed him on a firm footing to complete the professional level over the next few years.

Ryuh is an avid reader, with Ayn Rand and George Orwell being his favourite authors and he likes books that have withstood the test of time. What’s more - he also reads books in the Mandarin and Japanese languages! He said that his love for reading was ingrained in him from a young age where his parents would take him to the book stores every week. He would spend hours there and often go home with bags of books. In the current Internet age, naturally he spends a lot of time surfing for information and his favourite bookmarks are the websites of CIMA, CIMA FM, CGMA, AICPA and CPA Letter Daily.

Why did you choose to pursue CIMA instead of other professional accounting qualifications? 

I must say I was greatly influenced by my mother who is a CIMA member. She told me that I was ‘brought’ to the CIMA exam hall in University Malaya for two exam sittings during her pregnancy. Naturally I have been brought up to observe CIMA, visualise CIMA, and finally target CIMA for my future career.

You have passed the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting (Cert BA) exam in four months. How did you prepare for the exams in such a short time?

While I was waiting for my Primary School UPSR results, my parents threw me a book on basic book keeping and a calculator, and that was my first encounter with accounting. I also began my LCCI studies at age 12. Therefore I should modestly say I did not pass the Cert BA exam in such a short period. It has actually been a journey.

Are the Cert BA exams difficult? What should students look out for?

Certainly I would not say the exams are easy, especially with the slight limitation in my age. I occasionally find it rather hard to comprehend certain topics. I am too young to give advice, but for sharing purposes, I would say a strong command of the English Language seems to be the most fundamental requirement; no short cuts at all and doing mock exams is a must.

After the Cert BA, you will be sitting for the CIMA professional level exams. What is your target time frame to complete the whole CIMA qualification?

Ideally I plan to complete all the exams in four years, although my parents are hoping that I would complete them earlier.

What do you aspire to be in the future?

Upon acquiring the CIMA qualification, I want to have a career in the field of finance and preferably work in different countries throughout my working life. 

How do you think CIMA will help you in your future career?

From my observation of my mother and her other associates who hold the CIMA qualification and the way they manage their organisations, business ventures and financial planning, I think it is the management accounting expertise that make them different from the norm.