CIMA Exam Dates
If you're coming from ACCA, or looking for a "CIMA exam dates 2026" table to match ACCA's four fixed sittings, CIMA doesn't work that way for the papers on this site. There's no quarterly timetable to book around for E1 through F3. Here's how CIMA scheduling actually works, sourced from AICPA & CIMA's own exam timetable page.
- Objective Tests (E1–F3) are on-demand, computer-based, and bookable any day of the year
- No fixed sittings, no entry deadlines, no results-day wait. You book a slot at a Pearson VUE centre (or remotely, where available) whenever you're ready.
- Case Study exams, one at the end of each level, testing all three papers together, run in four fixed windows: February, May, August, November, each open for three days (Wednesday to Friday)
- GoQualified covers the nine Objective Test papers, not the Case Study exams, so the fixed windows above are context rather than something you need to plan around here
What this means for your study plan
No deadline pressure, but no external pacing either
Without ACCA's quarterly entry deadlines forcing a decision, it's easy to let an Objective Test drift without a firm date. The upside is real flexibility: you can sit a paper the moment you feel ready rather than waiting months for the next window. The downside is that "ready" becomes a decision you have to make deliberately, because nothing external will make it for you.
Book with enough runway, not right before you want to sit
Pearson VUE centre availability varies by location and fills up in busy periods. Book your slot a few weeks ahead of when you actually want to sit rather than assuming next-day availability everywhere.
The Case Study windows are the one fixed constraint
Even though the three Objective Tests at each level (Operational: E1, P1, F1; Management: E2, P2, F2; Strategic: E3, P3, F3) can be sat whenever you like, you can't attempt that level's Case Study exam until all three are passed, and the Case Study itself only runs in the four windows above. If you're working toward a specific Case Study window, work backwards from it to make sure all three Objective Tests are cleared in time.
Whenever you're ready to book an Objective Test, every CIMA paper on GoQualified has 150 free practice questions with worked, content-based explanations. Free, no login, no fixed sitting to wait for.
Sourced from AICPA & CIMA's official exam timetable page (aicpa-cima.com/resources/landing/exam-timetable), checked July 2026. CIMA scheduling, centre availability and Case Study windows can change, so always confirm current details directly with AICPA & CIMA before booking. GoQualified is not affiliated with CIMA.