CIMA study plan
CIMA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Fundamentals
Define time value of money, risk–return trade-off, and utility in writing without notes
Compute present value, future value, annuity, NPV, and IRR across 15 practice problems
Distinguish required, expected, and realized return using 5 worked examples
Build a 20-term fundamentals glossary with one formula or example per term
Your checkpoint
Closed-book 25-question Domain 1 quiz scored ≥80%, with a written error log listing the concept behind every missed item
Investments
Classify equity, fixed income, real assets, and alternatives by return driver, liquidity, and volatility
Calculate bond price, modified duration, and convexity for 10 problems and interpret each result
Apply dividend discount and relative-multiple valuation to 8 equity cases
State the three forms of market efficiency and predict what each implies for active management
Your checkpoint
One-page asset-class comparison matrix (6 asset classes × return driver, risk, liquidity, typical benchmark) plus a 25-question Domain 2 quiz scored ≥75%
Behavioral Finance, Portfolio Theory & Construction
Explain at least 10 behavioral biases and give one portfolio decision each could distort
Derive and interpret the efficient frontier, capital market line, and CAPM for 8 numerical problems
Compute expected return and risk for a two-asset portfolio at three correlation levels
Contrast behavioral and traditional assumptions in 3 short written arguments
Your checkpoint
A single formula-and-bias sheet (15 formulas, 10 biases) reproduced from memory in under 20 minutes, scored ≥80% on a 25-question Domain 3 quiz
Performance Analysis
Compute holding period, time-weighted, and money-weighted returns and explain when each applies
Calculate Sharpe, Treynor, Sortino, information ratio, and Jensen's alpha for 10 return series
Perform a simple attribution breakdown into allocation and selection effects
Set a benchmark and justify the choice against a stated IPS objective
Your checkpoint
Three-asset performance spreadsheet computing all five risk-adjusted metrics plus attribution for a sample 12-month series, checked against a 25-question Domain 4 quiz scored ≥75%
Portfolio Implementation and Consulting Process
Draft a full IPS with return objective, risk tolerance, and all five constraints for two client profiles
Sequence the consulting process from discovery through monitoring and rebalancing
Identify suitability, fiduciary, and conflict-of-interest issues in 5 short scenarios
Write rebalancing and monitoring policy rules with explicit thresholds
Your checkpoint
Two completed one-page IPS documents for contrasting clients (accumulator vs. retiree), each with objective, constraints, and a monitoring rule
Fundamentals & Investments
Re-test every Domain 1 and Domain 2 item missed in weeks 1–2 and confirm each is now correct without notes
Solve 10 cross-domain problems linking valuation inputs to required return and risk
Condense Domains 1 and 2 into a 2-page summary you can rebuild from memory
Rank your five weakest topics across all domains by measured quiz score
Your checkpoint
A ranked weakness list with a one-paragraph remediation plan per weak topic, plus a re-attempt of the week 1 and week 2 quizzes at ≥85%
Behavioral Finance, Portfolio Theory & Construction & Performance Analysis & Portfolio Implementation and Consulting Process
Complete two timed 40-question mixed mock exams under exam conditions with no notes
Review every mock error and tag it to a domain, topic, and cause (knowledge, calculation, or misread)
Recompute all performance and portfolio-theory formulas from memory in a 30-minute drill
Rewrite one IPS and one attribution answer to full-marks standard within time limits
Your checkpoint
Two scored mocks with a completed error-analysis table; the second mock score must exceed the first by at least 5 percentage points
Fundamentals & Investments & Behavioral Finance, Portfolio Theory & Construction & Performance Analysis & Portfolio Implementation and Consulting Process
Complete one final full-length timed mock and score it against the target threshold
Drill only the top five residual weak topics identified in week 7
Recite all key formulas and bias definitions from memory in a 45-minute spaced-repetition pass
Finalise exam-day logistics: timing plan, question-skipping rule, and calculator check
Your checkpoint
Final mock scored ≥75% overall with no single domain below 65%, plus a one-page exam-day timing and triage plan
Milestones
Week 2: Domains 1 and 2 both quizzed at ≥75% and the asset-class matrix complete; if either is below 75%, reclaim 2 hours from week 3 for re-drilling
Week 4: A halfway mixed quiz across Domains 1–4 scored ≥70%, with every performance metric and portfolio-theory formula reproducible from memory
Week 6: Every domain quiz previously taken is re-scored at ≥85% and a ranked weakness list exists with a remediation plan per topic
Week 8: Final full-length mock ≥75% overall and ≥65% in every domain, with the second-to-last mock improved on the first by ≥5 percentage points