Cima past papers

Rachey

Does anyone have a link? I'm almost ripping my hair out here!!!

Cheers Guys

Rachey

Found them!!!

taskey

can you share the link please

Tracy

Rachey

taskey wrote: »

can you share the link please

Tracy

Well, the reason it took me forever is because they're very well hidden!! You need to go STUDENTS - 2010 PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION - THEN SELECT LEVEL EG OPERATIONAL LEVEL - E1 STUDY RESOURCES (OR WHATEVER PAPER NOT JUST E1) - EXAM PAPERS

There isn't a section that just says 'Exam papers here' with a big arrow lol.

A link for one here

http://www.cimaglobal.com/en-gb/Students/2010-professional-qualification/Operational-level/E1-study-resources/

taskey

fab thanks, are you a member there yet?

Esme

How are you both finding CIMA so far? I'm up to chapter 5 in my book and not a lot has gone in so far

Are the exams seriously multiple choice? I just typed in past exam papers to the search box on the CIMA website to find the papers.

Rinske

Esme, as far as I know, only part of the exams are multiple choice. At least in F1, part A is multiple choice, part B is written questions and small calculations and part C is financial statements and such. (I haven't looked at any of the others yet, so not sure about those)

I started on F1 and planning to sit E1 and F1 in May, but so far, I need to get myself back into gear and get that bum kicked, cause I seem to have lost focus and spent two days on statements of cash flow and trying to get it right.

I need to sign up for the exams, but if I don't get a grip soon, I might be better off just signing up for F1 rather than F1 and E1.

slackda

Spot on Rinske,

for the first 3 Exams you get a Rough Split of
Section A -20 Marks - Generally 10 Multiple choice each worth 2marks (no Marks for Calcs), but can feature 4 mark short for calc's/written answers (marks for Calcs)
Section B -30 Marks - 6 Short Form Questions- 5 Marks Each with Marks for Calcs and Written aspects
Section C- 50 Marks Two 25 Mark Questions, F1 generally consolidated BS/IS, and a Cash flow question, E1 was a budget based question on expected future values i think and a question of performance management , ratios etc.

Depending on how you found AAT i think that you will find F1 a breeze i found even after a two year gap that the knowledge base was very similar.

when you get to the managerial level (f2,e2,p2) they drop the multiple choice.

Rinske

slackda wrote: »

Depending on how you found AAT i think that you will find F1 a breeze i found even after a two year gap that the knowledge base was very similar.

That's what I expected when I started studying with just the books for F1. It's silly, but I rushed through the F1 book to get to the questions, thinking it wouldn't be that difficult having just finished DFS in June, and then when I started on the questions, I couldn't even remember how to do the most easy stuff. I think the way the question was asked threw me, so I went back to the questions per chapter, see where I went wrong and reading up on that, but I wasted so much time being frustrated with myself.

I think I've been overanalysing the questions too much, with the whole focus on the verbs used and what kind of answer you need to give depending on it, especially with the written questions.

So my advice:
If you start on the questions, don't do it in the way I did. Look at the verbs used a few times and the expectations, but more important look at the question and find that answer that fits in when you write it!

slackda

Rinske wrote: »

I think the way the question was asked threw me,

That was my biggest issue with the jump form AAT to CIMA, was understanding how to answer the questions in a CIMA way. the Knowledge and understanding is basically same but the way they ask questions and expect the answers is very different. once you can nail that your on to a winner.

taskey

i have not started yet, 2 more aat sims to do then straight into e1, f1 and p1, not sure which to do first. ideally would like to do 2 at a time, but not got any further than looking at the past papers.

who are people favouring to study with? i am thinking BPP or are people just buying the books and booking the exam? the costs for the course with bpp is quite expensive and i wonder how much tutor support i will get (very little at AAT stage)

Any ideas?

Thanks

Tracy

Esme

Rinske, I'm feeling the same as you.

It's all seems like complete nonsense at the moment. I'm going to make my way throught the book, then do the CD rom I've been given and then start going through the questions because at the moment I can't answer any of them

I'm doing in with Premier Training but they are different books to what we had for AAT and the language is harder to absorb. I am going to see how much as sunk in by the end of Feb for P1 and then maybe also give E1 a go as was meant to be doing both exams, but if I'm struggling then I'll just do P1.

I'm going to look into another course provider for the next exams as I need some sort of tuition I think. However, even local revision courses are about £400+ and CIMA don't seem to hold any themselves.

Rinske

I've got the course basics plus package from BPP as my employer pays, but I started with buying the Kaplan book at first on F1 as it seemed to take a very long time before I got anything from work. (And once you officially started already, they won't fund it anymore, because they didn't have a say in it).

I like the BPP books a lot better than the Kaplan books in the way they explain things. Although that is probably down to personal preference. Kaplan really just shows you what you need to know for the exam and without further explanation, while BPP takes a lot more words to explain things, but I do find them clearer.

The recommended route from the BPP is E1 and F1, then P1 and E2, then P2 and F2. Apparently F1 is leaning slightly on E1 and P1 is leaning on F1 and E1, so it made sense to do those two first.

Not sure if I will go P1 and F2 instead (All assuming I pass of course).

Slackda, I'm so glad it's not just me in that, I really was feeling disheartened about that and was starting to get the feeling I totally forgot everything I learned in DFS, but it's actually quite nice to read that the questions and answers should just be different! Thanks for cheering me up on that!

Rinske

Hi Esme,

The online courses from BPP seem quite good to me as well, but I tried to push work that way, but they prefer the cheaper options. I haven't even suggested Premier training to them, because I heard Premier was using the Elsevier books and reading up on the CIMA forums, those appear worse than any other book.

I haven't found any local courses at all, other than online. The nearest one is in Southampton from BPP as my local college doesn't offer it. I was thinking of next time getting the online course and just paying the difference myself (if my work agrees to it).

taskey

oh my goodness, how useless is the BPP website, just looked for e1 and f1, is there added to basket - blank AARRGGHH. looking on amazon and they do the elsevier books - but if they are no good, not even going to look at them. i am hoping to sit the exams in november, so still some time yet.

did you get you exemptions? and how easy was it to apply for them?

Tracy

Esme

I think they are the books I am using and yes they're awful, also have the BPP disc though so hoping that will help. Defo won't be using Premier Training for the rest of it.

Rinske, I don't know how far away Chichester is from you but Sandy Hood does a course there and he was really good for AAT.

Exemptions are easy to apply for, just mention it when you apply and they'll tell you what to do.

Rinske

I know, I'm trying to get Sandy to move down here, so I can take the course!
Unfortunately it's too far away. As I live at the south coast.

Taskey, I agree with Esme, it was really easy to apply for exemptions and to get them. All I did was scan all the AAT stuff in and email it to them. You just need to pay them within a certain time of getting them or they assume you don't want them.

Claire321

I am hoping to enter the CIMA exams in November (probably E1 & F1), and I recently purchased the Kaplan CIMA certificate books from UKpaperbackshop via the Amazon website. I will get exemptions when I can finally get Unit 10 done and dusted, but I wanted read through the books over the summer as it's been quite a while since I completed some of the AAT units.

However I was going to purchase them from premier training online as they are normally cheaper (but weren't released when I wanted to order them a while ago):

http://premiertrainingstore.co.uk/acatalog/BPP_Study_Text_For_CIMA_Students.html

In any case I used the Premier Training website to obtain the ISBN number to search on Amazon, which was really useful, if this helps anyone.

Claire

slackda

CIMA exemptions are easy enough, better info on the CIMA site, there are 5 Certificate Exams that your exempt from however the nice people at cima charge you around £45 per exemption.......

As for training providers i have been lucky enough to go on BPP taught courses, and i highly recomend although very expensive, if you can afford to go on the revision course it is worth it wieght, as its not about the material so much but more on the techinique, which with CIMA is very important. As for the materials the BPP books are well worth the expense they are soooooo much better that the offical CIMA books. and the course notes that they provide are very good.

However im not going with BPP for my May sittings as First intuition have just set up an office in reading they are all ex bpp staff with basically BPP texts, and about £100-200 per course cheaper.

they do an online course for £295.
www.firstintuition.co.uk

taskey

how freaky, just got an email from cima advising their revision guides are available to download onto my ipod touch - just visit the app store and type in cima revision - there are quite a few, priced at 5.99. how cool

Tracy

Rinske

Have you looked at them yet or are you waiting ?

For that money, it's actually worth buying one, just to see how they are.

I've got the Acorn free download pdfs on my ebook, but those are just summaries, and I wasn't too fond of the size, so think I will give it another try in converting them.

Esme

Has anyone had experience of First intuition? They do a two day revision course nearish to me which is aobut £300, I'm going to see if my work will put any towards it and I'll pay the rest.

Also might buy the BPP ebook which is £21 to see how much better it is than this Elsevier thing.

taskey

i am waiting, but they do look good, i think they are the elvesier revision aids that are on amazon.

http://www.acornlive.com/cima-classroom-tuition/free-exam-resources/ are they the free ones you have?

slackda

Esme wrote: »

Has anyone had experience of First intuition? They do a two day revision course nearish to me which is aobut £300, I'm going to see if my work will put any towards it and I'll pay the rest.

Also might buy the BPP ebook which is £21 to see how much better it is than this Elsevier thing.

popped in to see them, and they seem very professional, as i said before they are all ex BPP staff and use rebranded BPP materials....so should be pretty good

Esme

Thanks Slackda, think I'll give them a go.

Rinske

taskey wrote: »

i am waiting, but they do look good, i think they are the elvesier revision aids that are on amazon.

http://www.acornlive.com/cima-classroom-tuition/free-exam-resources/ are they the free ones you have?

Yes, those are the ones I meant (I think).

I love them on my e-reader for those unexpected bus journeys home, where I normally would have gotten a lift.

They are also nice for that unexpected gap in waiting on my colleague or something similar.

I didn't get the email from CIMA by the looks of my emails. I'll have a look on Amazon if I can find the ones you suggested there!

Rinske

Right, I just signed myself up for E1 and F1, so I best get started on E1 as well!

I've got the books and the study support from BPP only till the May exams, so it does make sense and it just means I have to work really hard for the next few months. But isn't that what study is about?

Esme

You'll be fine Rinske... what you put in, you'll get out!

taskey

ok, so i have managed to find the BPP book and ebooks for e1 and f1 but they say they are only valid for exams upto may 2011. will they be useless after may 2011 or will i just havee to look at updates for them?

(who needs a seperate part of the forum, we have a little cima gathering going on here already lol )

Rinske

taskey wrote: »

ok, so i have managed to find the BPP book and ebooks for e1 and f1 but they say they are only valid for exams upto may 2011. will they be useless after may 2011 or will i just havee to look at updates for them?

(who needs a seperate part of the forum, we have a little cima gathering going on here already lol )

Yes, it took ages for those books to be released as well, they were only available end of December. Before that they wouldn't release the course or books, as they were still being updated, so I'm a bit confused that they say they are valid for November 2010, but hey, what can you do!

Kaplan had them available earlier or at least, I got them earlier, but not sure if I just got the books for the November exams or the updated books for May.

I've got no clue how to get around it, but I noticed a post on the CIMA forums yesterday that they won't make any changes to the syllabus for another 5 years or so and the books you get now should be valid, but just have less examples and exercises from the exams in it. It seems a bit odd to me with the financial papers and I am not sure if this is true or not, as it was posted by another student, but maybe you could start on the E1 that way at least?

Its enterprise operations and although it has a lot of economic stuff in it, I don't think there are big changes in the books from year to year.

taskey

excellent, thank you very much, puts my mind at ease, can order them now and make a start

Tracy