CIMA Opiniones 

CIMA - A cheap imitation of what it once was

I agree with all the recent reviews. CIMA has completely destroyed the value of their qualification by handing it out to any idiot under the “FLP”: this is just 3 pathetic exams and a load of mindless clicking through worthless unfailable online quizzes. They are doing this purely out of greed. Disgusting

Let’s be honest: the CIMA certificate is a complete joke now. Employers are constantly finding massive gaps in candidates' actual knowledge. CIMA has turned into a cheap diploma mill, mass-producing worthless pieces of paper for astronomical fees. Compared to CMA and ACCA, their academic standard is light years behind. They are literally handouts given to naive kids from Africa and Asia, brainwashing them with promises of 'mega careers' and 'prestige.'
The reality? Their case study exams don’t even require basic math. You just blabber about employee motivation, drop some generic buzzwords about scenario analysis, and you're done. The rest is just a mindless clicking exercise on their platform—anyone can check the past papers on their site to see this farce.
Wake up, CIMA. You are trapped in short-term greed. Your profits are soaring because you sell credentials for just three exams, but you are killing your own brand. Soon, this garbage qualification will be worth absolutely nothing. No one will trust you, and no one will hire your graduates. On top of that, regulators should investigate this scam for fraud and deceptive marketing. You love lecturing others about ethics, but your business model is a complete mockery of both ethics and ESG. That’s my opinion.

Unfortunately, this is a garbage certification now in my opinion, completely worthless. What they did with the FLP by cutting it down to just 3 exams is a massive shot in the foot. It’s no longer the prestigious qualification it used to be. Sadly, turning it into a mass-market product means this certificate is now totally devalued and dead in the water.On top of that, compared to ACCA, the standard is shockingly low. You don't even have to calculate anything during the Case Study exams—can you believe that? We are talking about management accounting, and there are literally zero calculations required on the main capstone exams! You don’t compute NPV, you don’t calculate option values, and you don’t even perform consolidation adjustments. Who on earth came up with this?"

Contacted CIMA on the 29th of May 2026 for a query which I had. I called and was advised that I can only contact them via their online portal and wait for a response.

I have since called CIMA again and submitted another online ticket to follow up on the 4th of June 2026.

I have still not yet received a response from them, and it is the 9th of June 2026.

Their stated turnaround time for replying is 72 hours, which is 3 days. It has currently been 8 working days, including today.

Whenever I have had to call CIMA, although they can be friendly on the phone, they are never very helpful due to their "systems".

It will be hard for me to justify paying my membership fees for another year, given the very little support from CIMA.

Disappointing experience with CIMA FLP. Expensive, unclear and not as practical as expected.

I joined CIMA’s Finance Leadership Program because I had exemptions from most of the exams and understood that FLP would be a flexible and efficient route to completion. Unfortunately, my overall experience has been disappointing, particularly in relation to value for money, transparency and the way the programme is structured.

To be clear, my feedback is not aimed at the live class tutors or mock exam support. The tutors were helpful, and the live sessions and mock exam preparation were well structured. My concerns are with the wider FLP model, the case study approach, and the lack of clear communication around progression, completed competencies and certification.

For the amount of money involved, I expected much clearer information about what happens if a student does not continue with the FLP subscription, does not pass a case study exam, or wants to move away from FLP. I completed competencies that were open and available to me on the platform for the next level but before my lower level case study exam results were released. It has not been made clear enough whether those completed competencies remain saved, recognised or evidenced if I do not renew FLP or if I do not pass the Management Case Study. This should be explained clearly or this option made disabled, before students commit to such an expensive route.

I also found parts of the case study approach unrealistic compared with how finance professionals communicate and operate in real workplace settings. The Management Case Study presents the role as a Financial Manager, but many of the responsibilities expected in the exam do not always align with realistic segregation of duties, role boundaries or organisational structures. For example, budget forecasting would often sit with FP&A, while advice to the Board would usually come from the Finance Director, Finance Leadership Team or senior management, rather than being positioned as a typical Financial Manager responsibility.

The exam approach is also repeatedly presented as “real-life”, but the required style often feels highly theoretical. Students are expected to discuss multiple possible options, such as different funding routes, before selecting and justifying one. I understand that examiners need to see technical knowledge, but in a real business environment a finance professional would normally give a clear, concise recommendation with relevant justification, rather than spend time listing every theoretical option and effectively educating their manager. This makes the exam feel more like an academic knowledge display than realistic workplace decision-making.

Overall, I found the FLP route expensive, unclear and not as practically aligned to my professional work as I expected. I regret choosing this route and feel students should be given much clearer information before committing financially, particularly around progression rules, recognition of completed competencies, certificates, subscription renewal and what happens if they decide not to continue with FLP.

Awful Annual membership process, the website has been terrible to use for over the last 10 years and prevents members renewing membership. Additionally it charges late fees for the system not working

the only thing they try to get in maximizing their profit. they change the boks evry year so you have to buy new. now they dont provide books, only online courses just to ensure they get all money. even if you have exams completed they will make you pay for subscription to get certificate. and they teach about ethics!!!??? its sickening

If this was a business it would be out of business
I have to renew my MIP, the online chat took 30 minutes resulting in a wrong link that did not take me to the right place, then a phone call to the MIP department turnes out not to be the MIP department as they refuse to take incoming calls and their email responses say they take 5 days to reply. I was asked earlier in teh year to pay my MIP fee along with my membership fee, this resulted in the web site not allowing me to complete the renewal steps and AML forms........I was then told because I had paid the fee I did not need to complete the MIP renewal process. This would leave me exposed to dicsiplinary for not doing my AML and other proceedures to renew. The website is also a joke, it is not logical and does not help find the right links. If I was training again I would choose a different body. If you are thinking of becoming an accountant I suggest choosing ACA or ACCA. Stay away from CIMA!

The worst mistake I ever made was registering with CIMA. Honestly, it feels like a complete scam.
Their website’s Exemption Calculator clearly showed that I was eligible for exemptions, so I paid the fee based on that.
But after paying, I realised none of those exemptions actually apply to me.

No matter how many times I emailed, all I got was template, copy-paste replies.
When I asked to cancel and get a refund, they didn’t even bother reviewing my case, they simply refused to return my money.
If this isn’t a scam, then what is it?

I have had such a horrendous experience with them since the 2023 migration (or lack thereof in my case) from hell that meant I missed out on the May SCS sitting leaving me only Aug for the course that my employers had paid for. Of course I managed to fail that by 1 mark!

It was entirely CIMAs fault that I only got one sitting for that preseen when I was banking on two shots at it just in case. I have had my PER approved and everything just missed out by 1 mark on this case study that I had months of stress to even get booked.
Now I can't afford a new course and obviously my employers aren't going to pay for another course. I couldn't access my account from April and was emailing them a couple of times a week for months with no resolution. In the end, as a last resort, I had to create a new account a few days before the August exam entry deadline otherwise I would have missed that sitting too. This new account does not show any of my history and I had to again go through many emails back and forth just to get my approved PER status updated.

CIMA would not accept any sort of responsibility and point blank said no to any form of compensation, a remark or special consideration given my unique circumstances which were ultimately a result of CIMAs own incompetence.
They have proven to me they could not give a shit about their students and we don't have any sort of complaints process or anything to back us up. It's just hand us your money and if we don't deliver tough just hand us more money.

I decided that I didn't want to be associated with them any longer nor give them any more of my time or money. I also feel like they've really cheapened the qualification with this new FLP route and the whole Americanisation of the institution.
I have actually now resigned my membership and am glad I don't have to deal with them any more but even that resignation process took a ridiculous amount of effort to do!

2 years later and I just logged into my account today to change some details and I noticed that it has still not been updated. No exam history or anything other than the one I booked using that new account. This is beyond ridiculous. All that money that they have had from me over so many years and I still cannot even see my exam history.

Absolute joke of an institution who loves to preach about a code of ethics it doesn't itself follow.

The worst website in modern history. Not user friendly, courses don't exist. Existing members can't renew. The FLP programme isnt accessible. What a poor show & an absolute shambles! They must be losing money hand over fist. You can't speak to anyone in the UK, the call handlers are apparently in the'USA' aka The Philippines call centre. I cannot believe how low this organisation has become. I have ZERO respect for CIMA. How much did you invest in this website? Not much I guess. Whoever decided to merge with the USA made a HUGE mistake!

their special considerations unnit is super slow in replying and has 0 empathy for students even when faced with all the evidence, what a joke of a company only focused on charging as much as possible on the students experience money grabbing corporate weasels the bunch of them

Agreed with most of the recent reviews on CIMA. I’ve been a member for over 15 years and have been paying an annual subscription. They charge a higher subscription compared to CFA, CIM and ACCA. In terms of quality of qualification it is way more inferior. Website is glitchy, content is outdated and worst of all I requested my exam transcripts and wrote 5 email and got absolutely no response. Called them up and a grumpy operator answered the phone and said they take 5 working days to send a digital transcript. This is a course that preaches efficiency while they embezzle money from CIMA members and preach ethics.
I’m doing the world a favour even at my own loss for being a member. Don’t study and waste your money and time here. Do a Bachelors or ACCA or CFA. It might be tougher, it might cost more, but won’t be a waste of time.

After all of these years studying to achieve the qualification rather than feeling elated I simply have regret. The qualification is being devalued by the introduction of FLP making it an easier access to the masses and those that cannot pass the exams, but to make matters worse the technical failures of the website and admin are causing a range of issues for most members, including the inability to renew membership and in my case apply for full membership. I am now stuck in limbo contacting customer support on repeat only to find nothing has been fixed. And rather than being accountable and acknowledging the issue publicly there has been no statement or correspondence from CIMA on the issues. I have completed everything to become a full member, but now due to CIMA's technological / admin failures I cannot submit my application... Dare I even ask if I will ever receive a certificate 🤷🏽‍♀️

Having qualified 51 years ago and gained fellowship some 35 years ago I was granted full remission for fees when I retired. For the past 6 years I’ve not been asked for any fees but recently a request for fees arrived by email. I queried this but the response received ignored my request for info and simply resigned my membership in a blunt email.
It seems to me that CIMA, under its present guise, has lost the way in dealing with members who in my case paid full fees for the best part of 40 years. I no longer understand what CIMA stands for as it seems to have lost it’s soul

Totally a waste of my time and money I had to fix it ticket had nothing to do with any of the education which I didn't even understand most of it terrible.
But the courts have to make their money so they can pay their bills

Really at the end of my tether with CIMA global, thought it was just me but then I see all these negative reviews.

Really not sure what has happened to their customer service - I have been a member since 2005 and not really had issues until a couple of years ago.

When the website merged with their partner I lost all my exam results and also it has me as a junior who needs to take exams! Shocking as I had did that many years ago.

I was made Terrible customer service and taking more than a year to resolve issues!

I looked myself up on the directory and I’m still there as an ACMA, FCMA and CGMA but my account tells me differently.

Gave them some time to sort out issue but a year slater it’s still the same so I called up. Customer services have no idea what’s going on - there’s no longer an email contact and no one ever answers the phone. I try the online chat but it keeps asking me to try later as they are busy.

Still trying to sort out issue another year later!

What has happened ? It never used to be bad.

To add salt into the wounds my FCMA certificate was delivered damaged. I asked for a replacement and no can do apparently! Seriously wouldn’t bother but need to as have to keep my membership up.

I would have voted as 0 stars if I could
Website and telephone services are absolutely beyond terrible - they haven't got a clue and its completely embarrassing
The annual subscription fees are ridiculous -I get absolutely nothing out of it, just get to keep my qualification/exams that I did 20 years ago
I would never join CIMA again and do the exams - Im trapped and that's the only reason I pay the subs

Terrible organisation, terrible service, just extracting money from people who are trapped who dont want to lose their qualification/exams - very american capitalist business model

I always like to write a review of CIMA around the time of my annual renewal.

Once again, the website and the telephone options for making subscription payments are not working due to 'unforeseen technical issues' and no one on the support team seems to know how to fix it.

This is particularly annoying given that CIMA have been sending me daily emails to remind me to renew. Clicking the link takes you into a website that has become a complete joke.

Once again, this should be very embarrassing for a so-called 'professional' organisation.