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Management AccountantsChartered Institute ofManagement AccountantsChartered Institute ofManagement AccountantsBA1An overview of the 2017 Certificate in Business Accounting (Cert BA)2Introducing the BA1 syllabus3Understanding the BA1 syllabus4What has changed in the 2017 BA1 syllabus?6How will you study for your BA1 assessment?7Understanding the BA1 objective test assessment9BA1 exam question practice11Improving your exam technique12Booking your assessment13Your assessment day14What next?15BA1STUDY AND EXAM GUIDE Fundamentals of Business Economics
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guide‘Congratulations – you are at thestart of an exciting, challengingand rewarding career in businessfinance. You will develop skillsand knowledge recognised byemployers worldwide and yourcareer opportunities will beenhanced as you progressthrough the CIMA qualification.Read this guide for:1. A better understanding of the BA1 syllabus2. Advice on your study options and planningyour studies3. Guidance on your BA1 assessment includingexam techniques4. Information on booking your assessment,your exam day and your resultsGood preparation is key tosuccess in CIMA exams –you will reap rewards for beingfocused and studying hard.This ‘Study and Exam Guide’has been written by expertsinvolved in the developmentof the syllabus and assessmentand it is, therefore, invaluablereading to help you get yourstudies started.Good luck with your futureCIMA assessments’.Peter StewartDirector of Learning, CIMA1
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideAn overview of the 2017 Certificate in Business Accounting (Cert BA)The 2017 Certificate in BusinessAccounting will provide youwith the skills that employersare looking for, now and inthe future.The 2017 Certificate in BusinessAccounting is made up offour subjects:1.2.3.4.BA1 Fundamentals of Business EconomicsBA2 Fundamentals of Management AccountingBA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, CorporateGovernance and Business LawYou can study for these subjects, and take theassessments, in any order. You can study for themone at a time or you can study a combinationof the subjects at the same time.The Certificate in Business Accounting is a standalone qualification and you will be awardedthe designatory letters ‘CIMA Cert BA’ uponcompletion of it.The qualification is also an entry route to CIMA’sProfessional Qualification - the skills and knowledgethat you acquire will prepare you for this next levelof assessments.2
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideIntroducing the BA1 syllabusThis subject primarily covers theeconomic and operating contextof business and how the factors ofcompetition, the behavior of financialmarkets and government economicpolicy can influence an organisation.It also deals with the informationavailable to assist managementin evaluating and forecasting thebehaviour of consumers, marketsand the economy in general.The BA1 syllabus comprisesthe following topic areas:A. M acroeconomic and institutionalcontext of business (25%)B. Microeconomic and organizationalcontext of business (30%)C. Informational context of business (20%)D. Financial context of business (25%)The percentage weighting shown againsteach topic area is the syllabus weighting.It is important to study all areas, as allsyllabus topics will be examined.The focus of this syllabus is to provide you withan understanding of the areas of economic activityrelevant to an organisation’s decisions, and withinthis context, the numerical techniques to supportsuch decisions.3
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideUnderstanding the BA1 syllabusThe syllabus is made up of lead learning outcomes, related component learningoutcomes and indicative syllabus content.The four syllabus topic areas contain one,or more, lead learning outcomes.For example:Syllabus topic A. Macroeconomicand institutional context of businessIt is important that you have a good understandingof all of the syllabus topic areas and componentlearning outcomes as any area of the syllabusmay be examined.Read the full BA1 syllabus.Contains the following lead learning outcome:Explain the principal factors that affect thelevel of a country’s national income and theimpact of changing economic growth ratesand prices on business’Each lead learning outcome is made up of one ormore component learning outcomes. So one ofthe component learning outcomes related tothe lead learning outcome above is:‘ Explain determination of macroeconomicphenomena, including equilibrium nationalincome, growth in national income, priceinflation, unemployment, and trade deficitsand surpluses.’And the indicative syllabus content is:‘ The causes of changes to the equilibrium levelof national income using an aggregate demandand supply analysis and the elements in thecircular flow of income.’4
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideUnderstanding the BA1 syllabus (continued)The verb hierarchyEach verb used in the learning outcomes relatesto a specific learning objective.For example, the verb ‘explain’ (in the learning outcome given above)is a Level 2 learning objective under ‘Comprehension’.The following table lists the three learning objectives that relate tothe Certificate in Business Accounting subjects, and the verbs thatmay appear in the syllabus learning outcomes.Consider the verbs that are used in the BA1 syllabus learning outcomesand where they sit in the verb hierarchy table – the verb used willhelp you understand the level of learning required.LEARNING OBJECTIVEAPPLICATIONHow you are expectedto apply your knowledgeLEARNING OBJECTIVECOMPREHENSIONWhat you are expectedto understandLEARNING OBJECTIVEKNOWLEDGEWhat you are expectedto know5
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideWhat has changed in the 2017 BA1 syllabus?If you were studying under the previous 2011 Certificate in Business Accountingsyllabus you will find it useful to know where syllabus content has been moved,added or remains the same in the BA1 syllabus. We have produced a transitionguide to identify these changes for you.Read our BA1 transition guide for full details.Mathematics is an essential underpinning knowledge for the Certificate subjects.Our free online maths modules will help ensure that your maths skills areup to speed – have a look at them as part of your preparation.Access our free mathematics modules.6
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideHow will you study for your BA1 assessment?You can choose how to study for yourBA1 assessment - think about whatwill suit your needs and lifestyle.1.2.3.4.Where and when can you study?How many other commitments do you have?What kind of learner are you?When do you want to take your assessment?Visit the CIMA Study Shop to find all of theCIMA approved study materials, tools and coursesavailable for BA1.CIMAconnect has a range of free study resourcesto help you prepare for your assessment includingarticles, blogs, videos and webinars. You can alsochat online with fellow students worldwide.Join the BA1 CIMAconnect study group.You can:1. F ollow a taught course with aCIMA accredited tuition provider2. Self study with our officialCIMA study material3. Study online with cimastudy.com4. Use a combination of the above5. Use the CIMA Self Study guide for BA1.7
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideHow will you study for your BA1 assessment? (continued)Planning your BA1 studiesGood preparation is key to passing the exam soonce you have decided how you will study youneed to produce a study plan.Tips for producing a good study plan:Use the self-study guide as a starting pointfor creating your own personal study plan.Check out our videos on preparing forCert BA exams on CIMAconnect.1. B e realistic about how much you need to coverand the time available – set achievable targets.2. Be committed and stick to your study plan.3. Be protective of your allocated study time4. F ind somewhere quiet to study(at home, at work, at the local library)5. B reak your study time into shorter sessionsand give yourself short breaks6. A dd variety into your study sessions – read achapter of your text book, try some samplequestions, read a related article on CIMAconnect7. R eview your last study session and be honestabout your strengths and weaknesses8
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideUnderstanding the BA1 objective test assessmentYour BA1 assessment will be two hours long.It is a computer based assessment that comprises60 compulsory objective test questions.Objective test questionsA range of objective test questions may be used in the exam.Examples of the different styles are multiple-choice,multiple-response, number entry, hotspot and drag and drop.Your results and feedbackYou will be given a provisional pass or fail grade when leavingthe test center. Your final grade (pass, marginal fail or fail)including an indicative guide to your performance againsteach syllabus section will be published to MY CIMA within48 hours of sitting the exam.Find out more about your exam results and feedbackfrom our exam results area on CIMAconnect.9
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideUnderstanding the BA1 objective test assessment (continued)CalculatorsYou are allowed to take a non-programmablecalculator from a pre-approved list into yourassessment. The exam administrator will checkthat your calculator matches a model from thepre-approved list and they will re-set it beforeyour assessment.You do not have to take your own calculator.A computer based calculator will also beavailable as part of your assessment.Read our calculator guidance document.Familiarising yourself with the assessment softwareBefore your assessment, it is useful to know what theassessment will look like, the types of questions youwill see and how the functionality works.The ‘CIMA Question Tutorials’ will give you a walkthrough demonstration of the assessment technologyand functionality so you can be familiar with howthe online system works.Download the Pearson VUE testing tutorial andpractice exam to learn how to navigate your waythrough the computer-based assessments and usethe practice exam to become familiar with theoperations of computer-based testing.Maths tables and formulaeThe following tables and formulae will be providedin your BA1 objective test exam:1. Present Value2. Cumulative Present Value3. Internal Rate of Return formula4. Pearson Correlation Coefficient formula5. Spearman’s Rank Correlation formula6. Least square’s regression A and B10
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideBA1 exam question practiceExam question practice is essential and is key to success.We have produced sample BA1 questionsto help you understand how each syllabus topic couldbe examined. These questions are to be used to familariseyourself with the types of questions you’re likely to getin the exam, but should not be used for practice.You can get exam question practice through: C IMA Aptitude – an online question bank thatsimulates the objective test assessments CIMA’s official BA1 Study Text and Exam Practice KitVisit the CIMA Study Shop for more information.11
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideImproving your exam techniqueGood exam technique can be the difference between a pass and a failon your assessment day.You need to have a strategy for how you will approach the 60 questionsand how best to use your two hour assessment time.Watch our two part video on Cert BA exam technique and timemanagement, available on CIMAconnect.12
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideBooking your assessmentYou will take your assessment at a Pearson Vue test centre.There are over 5,000 Pearson VUE test centres in 178countries. You can take your assessment at a timeand place that suits you.Find your closest Pearson VUE centre.To book your assessment follow these four easy steps:1. Log into your MY CIMA account2. M ake sure your details are up-to-date and settleany outstanding payments on MY CIMAYou won’t be able to schedule an exam if you haveany outstanding payments. Choose to pay for yourexam now, or choose to pay for it later.3. S elect ‘Schedule your exam’ on MY CIMAYou’ll then be transferred to the Pearson VUE website –you won’t need to log on again.4. S chedule your exam(s)Choose the exam(s) you want to sit and go throughthe payment process (unless you have chosen to pay later).Once this has been processed you’ll be transferred back to MY CIMA.Read this blog and see if you are ready to take your assessment.13
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideYour assessment dayGetting thereGive yourself plenty of time to get to your PearsonVue test centre. Plan your journey in advance, if youaren’t sure how to get there then it is a good ideato do a practice run before assessment day.IdentificationYou will need to show two forms of identificationat the test centre.A current valid passport is recommended as yourprimary form of identification. Alternatively, youmay use one of the following documents: Photocard driving licence Government-issued identification cardPlease note that in order for either of the aboveto be accepted, these documents must have beenissued in the country where you are being assessed.For example a UK photocard driving licence willonly be considered to be a valid form of identificationif your test centre is located in the UK and agovernment issued ID card can only be usedin the country it was issued in.You will also be required to present a second formof identification with your full name and signature.For example a signed debit or credit card.No other forms of identification are acceptable.Watch our video for more guidance on whatto expect when you take your assessment.14
BA1Fundamentals of Business Economics Study and exam guideWhat next?Make this guide easily accessible and use it as a reference point as it containsa wealth of useful information and links to important resources.Look out for more communication from CIMA via direct emails and new blogs,discussions and study resources on the BA1 CIMAconnect group.Good luck with your BA1 studies!15
Management AccountantsChartered Institute ofManagement AccountantsChartered Institute ofManagement AccountantsChartered Institute ofManagement AccountantsThe Helicon, One South PlaceLondon, EC2M 2RBUnited Kingdomcima.contact@cimaglobal.comTel: 44 (0)20 7663 5441 2016, The Chartered Institute ofManagement Accountants
The 2017 Certificate in Business Accounting is made up of four subjects: 1. BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics 2. BA2 Fundamentals of Management Accounting 3. BA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting 4. BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law You can study for these subjects, and take the assessments, in any order.
