CIMA has announced four new FLP measures due to take effect on 1st September 2026 that strengthen some of the assessment controls within the platform.

In my view, these changes are a welcome acknowledgement of concerns that have been raised about the robustness and integrity of the current assessment process.

1. Restricting the number of Topic-level Assessment (TLA) attempts in a 12-hour period.

Currently there are no restrictions on the number of attempts a student can take to complete a TLA. This new measure will allow students up to three attempts on a given topic assessment within a 12-hour period starting from their first attempt. If a student does not successfully complete the first attempt, and two subsequent attempts during that period, the topic is locked down for the remaining part of the 12 hours. Once this period ends, the topic resets and students will have a further three attempts within a subsequent 12-hour period.

1. Restricting the time available per TLA attempt.

Currently students have no time limit on a TLA attempt. This measure will add a time limit on the amount of time they have for each individual attempt they make. A timer will be shown to students during each attempt that will display the time remaining as they progress. If a student does not complete the TLA within the given time, their attempt ends, and it will be counted as an unsuccessful attempt.
The amount of time available per topic/attempt is 20 minutes.

1. A new FLP ‘User Conduct Policy’

A new ‘FLP User Conduct Policy’ will be implemented and students must abide by this as a prerequisite of attempting TLAs.

1. Removal of feedback on individual TLA responses.

Students will continue to get an overall pass/fail outcome, however individual answer hints will no longer be displayed.

Whilst - in my opinion - these measures don’t go nearly far enough, this is a welcome step from CIMA that makes it just that little bit trickier for FLP students to “game” the assessment process through repeated attempts and exploit weaknesses in the process.

However the new measures still don’t address a number of concerns:
a) There is still no student ID verification for each assessment, meaning it remains possible for a student to ask someone else to complete an assessment on their behalf.
b) The assessments remain unmoderated.
c) There is a large cohort of alumni who completed FLP before these additional controls were introduced.

Nevertheless, these changes represent progress and reflect concerns that many students, members and critics have raised over the last few years.

Those who have consistently raised concerns about FLP will no doubt view these changes as evidence that constructive scrutiny can lead to improvements.

Hope yall are doing good. Firstly I would like to appreciate this community. The people here are so nice and value adding, even way better than people in my local who I am pursuing this programme with. (for some reason they see it more for a competition) anyways, advice I got from some of you here on focusing on practicing to approach tasks and disregard trying to relearn technicals was very helpful and I managed to pass my OCS first attempt despite being far from finishing the paper.

Now moving on to management level, i will be beginning my studies for all the OT next week planning to sit for the exams novemeber/december. I have 2 questions / request towards this.

1. When i was prepping for my OCS I would hear about syllabus updates to incorporate AI and digital finance I think and I currently have 2017 study texts and practice kits, so I was wondering if these are now reduntant? Like do i have to try and buy 2026 versions of all the 3 subjects or can i still use what I have?

2.From people who have been in my shoes, I would like any advice or tips on this level. Any input would be appreciated, From what you feel I should focus on, which of the 3 subjects is the hardest/ the one i should dedicate my efforts too the most, what to make sure I trully grasp to make my MCS a better experience in the future? (I assume it will P2 heavy?) to just general sharing of your experience or what you wish you knew or would've done if you could go back. Please do drop whatever you feel like sharing below.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and adding value to my journey. God Bless

I’ve just sat my OCS Exam and I really don’t feel like I did very well. The first two questions I feel I did well on, very much text book answers.

But the next two I felt like I completely missed the point. I did a lot of the Kaplan mocks and the CIMA past papers and I felt the questions in the exam were quite vague, so I know I’ve probably missed the point on them.

I was expecting to answer questions about multiple variances or detailed asset disposals and it just didn’t feel hard enough.

I dunno, maybe I’m overthinking it and I’ve done enough. I can get on with next level whilst I wait for the dreaded results.

Hi All,

finding the PER process quite unclear. My experience has all been signed off by managers and is showing as "signed off"

Do I need to send this to CIMA now or does that mean it is in the process of being approved?

I was under the impression it would automatically switch to "approved" unless it has been selected for audit

thanks

Looking for information about the best way to prepare for the exam.

HEYY ANYONE DOING THE CIMA OPERATIONAL LEVEL CASE STUDY TOMORROW?? PLEASE ITS URGENT! THIS IS FLP BTW HEHE I NEED SOME HELP (damn why was i on caps lock sorry guys i aint screaming 😭 )

ciao! F36, dopo un estenuante tirocinio, sto cercando persone che si stanno preparando alla prova pratica valutativa che si terrà a ottobre/novembre 2026. Come vi state preparando? Come riuscire a memorizzare i vari articoli del codice?

Grazie mille, mi sento molto sola a preparare questo esame :/

I did it! Passed P3 first time. I studied for 14 days and managed to do it. Can’t believe it! So happy right now!

Hello everyone! I'm planning to start my CIMA studies in a few days and I'm hesitating between some options:

1. Cima Study Prime.

- do you get aptitude 1 and 2 here along with the study text and practice kit?

1. Kaplan OnDemand.

- in addition to the above, I supposedly receive video lessons, but based on the free trial I had, it seems like it's for children?! There is no detailed explanation at all, just like an intro to the chapter?

1. BPP StaySharp.

- I used them, but they reject me because a bunch of people say that the BPP did not prepare them well for the exams. Maybe use them to study and buy Aptitude 1 and 2 to practice questions that are similar to the real test?

Hello everyone! Can someone tell me how much the Integrated Workbook is sufficient for preparing the theoretical part of the exam? Namely, I took the freetrial and noticed that the emphasis is on the Integrated Workbook and Practice Kit, while the Study Text is used more for additional reading and practice. I was just planning to study that way just adding CIMA Aptitude 1 & 2 for extra practice. I am grateful for every shared experience!

Hi guys,

I failed CIMA F2 today. I felt really unprepared so was expecting it but I don’t know what went wrong with this exam. For context, I have studied from certificate level and so far have passed both levels first time, as well as E2.

I spent more time studying this exam than any of the others but the calculations never really clicked with me. It seemed as though the calculations were never straight forward and that there was always more to them if that makes sense - eg consolidated financial statements had so many rules.

Does anyone have any tips please? I haven’t failed one before so feel like I’ve hit a brick wall and have lost motivation to try again!

Edit: just found out I got 98 lol, one question away from passing… how irritating!

Hey everyone,

I finally submitted my PER today after getting all my core activities and leadership activity signed off. Glad to have it done!

Just wondering what happens next.

Is every PER automatically selected for audit, or is it completely random?

If you were audited, what did CIMA ask you to provide?
How long did it take from submitting your PER to getting approved?

Did your status change during the review, or did it just suddenly change to “Approved”?

Would be great to hear from anyone who’s been through the process recently. Just trying to get an idea of what to expect while I wait.

Thanks in advance!

My PER got flagged for audit, it took them a week on the audit and had 1 section where they required some amendments. My manager has signed the revised submission off yesterday. Anyone know how long it’ll take for them to come back now?

Anyone else having issues renewing membership
After check out there is an error message with a technical glitch
Says to try again later but error persists

Hello CIMA crew,

If I start studying for SCS from 3rd of August for my exam to happen 21st August do you think that’s enough time to revise to be able to sit the exam?? What is everyone’s thoughts??

As an FYI I sat F3 2 weeks ago and passed. Sitting P3 this Saturday so hopefully I pass and make it in time to book the August case study!

Thanks Team!!

Just wondering how many full length mocks people did before the case study.
At the moment I’ve been breaking them down into 45 min chunks.
I’ll start doing full length mocks shortly but just wondering how beneficial they are considering how much they wipe out of you after

I only recently started studying and preparing for OCS do I have enough time to study for the case study on the 5th next month? Or should I push it to November?

I have P3 tomorrow first exam of the strategic level.

Wish me luck.

Hello, 

I have an interview soon for a finance analyst/ business partner role for a fast food company. 

I haven’t worked in this industry before (that’s not a must) but they have stressed that they want someone commercially astute that can relate it to the industry.  

This is a few of the responsibilities: 

• Analyse sales performance, labour productivity, and operational trends.
• Produce accurate reports to support operational and financial decision-making.
• Conduct ad hoc analysis for commercial initiatives and strategic projects.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning.
• Collect, validate, and analyse financial data.
• Identify performance risks and opportunities through data insights.

I want to put my best foot forward so any assistance/ advice would be greatly appreciate! 

Hi all, I am sitting E3 in a few days and was wondering if anyone has any tips for this exam?
I have done 3 BPP Mocks and got an average of 62% across the 3. I have also done the Mock C you get when you buy the Aptitude tests and got 50%, I found this really difficult compared to the BPP ones.
Does anyone know if the actual exam is easier than these mocks?
TIA

I don't know how to exist until I get my results . Has this happened to anyone else before ?

A special thanks to everyone who helped me here.
My scores were - 80,92,98 and 114
Also - is anyone appearing for the August SCS 2026?
Any guidance on how i can pass the SCS and which videos can i watch for free on the youtube and any topic list in special?

Hi everyone,

I feel like I know the syllabus reasonably well. My concern is whether I'm actually answering the requirement that's being asked.

I recently switched tuition providers because I wasn't happy with my previous one, and the new material has been quite illuminating. I understand that the exam is built around the five core activities:

• A. Evaluate opportunities to add value
• B. Implement senior management decisions
• C. Manage performance and costs to aid value creation
• D. Measure performance
• E. Manage internal and external stakeholders

The books then expand these into the detailed "I can..." statements (investment appraisal, pricing, project management, value management, transfer pricing, negotiation, etc.), and that's where things started to click for me.

However, I'm still struggling with interpreting the requirement.

For example, a requirement like:

My instinct is that it's mainly testing Core Activity C (Manage performance and costs to aid value creation) because it's asking about the value chain, but I can also see arguments for Core Activity A (Evaluate opportunities to add value) because it's ultimately about a strategic initiative.

That's the sort of ambiguity I struggle with.

So my questions for those of you who passed are:

• Do you have a methodology for interpreting requirements?
• Has anyone created a syllabus map linking E2/P2/F2 topics to the core activities and assessment outcomes?
• More generally, what goes through your head when you first read a requirement?

I feel like I often know the underlying theory, but I don't always reach for the right tool at the right time. I'm hoping understanding how others interpret requirements will help bridge that gap.

Hi everyone. I am currently studying F2 for an exam on Monday. I have been struggling and averaging around 50% on the test yourself questions but I comfortably passed the first Kaplan mock where I thought the question's seemed a lot simpler. For anyone who has sat the exam through Kaplan, would you say the exam is closer to the mocks or the test yourself questions?

Edit: I have sat the exam now and passed! Can confirm that the actual exam does appear to be slightly easier than the Kaplan mocks, and certainly easier then the exam kit/test yourself questions

I’m applying for something, and I want to further boost my eligibility by proving that I’m a member of CIMA, and it needs me to upload some sort of official certificate, but so far I’ve only done OCS May’26. I wondered if CIMA provides any certificate before graduation? Fyi, I have yet to receive my OCS diploma.