CIMA Pass Rates
CIMA publishes Objective Test pass rates on a different rhythm to ACCA: an annual rollup covering a twelve-month period, rather than a fresh figure after every sitting. The table below reflects CIMA's most recently reported figures, covering the year to November 2025.
- The pass mark is a scaled score of 100 out of 150 on every Objective Test, calibrated per paper using Item Response Theory, not a simple raw percentage of questions correct
- Pass rates are reported annually, covering roughly a twelve-month rolling period, not per individual sitting
- Enterprise pillar papers (E1, E2, E3) consistently score highest, since the content is more conceptual and less calculation-heavy
- Performance pillar papers (P1, P2) are consistently the hardest, driven by calculation depth under time pressure
Most recently reported (year to November 2025)
| Paper | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| E1 — Managing Finance in a Digital World | 82% |
| F1 — Financial Reporting | 76% |
| P3 — Risk Management | 63% |
| F3 — Financial Strategy | 56% |
| P1 — Management Accounting | 54% |
| E2 — Managing Performance | ~81% (prior period) |
| E3 — Strategic Management | ~76% (prior period) |
| P2 — Advanced Management Accounting | ~44% (prior period) |
| F2 — Advanced Financial Reporting | Rose from 47% (exact new figure not yet confirmed) |
Being upfront about the gaps above: CIMA's release confirmed that P1 rose to 54%, P3 held at 63%, and F1 and F3 both fell two points to 76% and 56%. Those five are this period's confirmed figures. E2, E3 and P2 aren't confirmed as changed in the same release, so we've shown the prior period's figure rather than imply a precision we don't have. F2 is confirmed to have risen but we don't yet have the exact new number. We'll update this table once the fuller figures are confirmed rather than round or estimate to fill the gaps.
What the numbers mean
P1 is the classic first hurdle
Most students sit P1 early, often as their first CIMA Objective Test, and its pass rate has sat in the low-to-mid 50s for several years running. Its technical depth catches people out: mix and yield variances, planning versus operational variances. Students expecting a "first level" paper to be lighter are usually surprised.
The Enterprise pillar rewards a different kind of preparation
E1, E2 and E3 consistently score 75%+ because the content leans conceptual rather than calculation-heavy, covering organisational behaviour, digital strategy and ethics. If you're building early momentum, an Enterprise paper is often a sensible place to start.
CIMA's reporting rhythm is different from ACCA's, not a smaller version of it
ACCA publishes a fresh number after each of its four sittings; CIMA rolls a year of on-demand sittings into one annual figure. That's how CIMA's on-demand model works rather than a gap in transparency, but it does mean you can't compare "this September's CIMA P1 rate" the way you can for an ACCA paper, because CIMA doesn't report at that granularity.
Whichever paper you're preparing for, every CIMA paper on GoQualified has 150 free practice questions with worked, content-based explanations. Free, no login.
CIMA's most recently published Objective Test pass rates, as reported by PQ Magazine (a trade publication covering ACCA and CIMA students) directly quoting AICPA & CIMA's Vice President of Examinations, checked July 2026. AICPA & CIMA also publish pass-rate data on their own site at aicpa-cima.com/resources/landing/exam-pass-rates. Figures are annual rollups and can change with each new release, so always confirm the current numbers directly with AICPA & CIMA before relying on them. GoQualified is not affiliated with CIMA.