You may interested in a career in accounting and trying to develop a good study plan. You may be already working and thinking about your future professional development in management accounting. In either case, you probably know something about the AAT Qualification as well as the CIMA Professional Qualification.

If you would like to start with AAT or you already have this qualification and would like to move on to CIMA, the question is, how long would that take?
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Short Answer

Well, the short of it is that it would take you, on average, around three years of full-time study to complete CIMA after you finish AAT.

That is, becoming an AAT member and then a CGMA member could take you as little as four years of academic study in total.

However, this will, of course, depend on a number of factors. In this article, we will get into some of the relevant details.
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AAT Structure

The Association of Accounting Technicians, generally known as AAT, is a professional body for accounting technicians with some 150,000 members.

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The AAT Qualification is considered a technician qualification in accounting. The full course is divided into three levels:

• The Foundation Level,
• The Advanced Level, and
• The Professional Level

These three levels correspond to and are referred to as Levels 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The Foundation Level, the AAT Certificate in Accounting, provides you with a solid foundation in the basics of accounting and is thus a good place to start if you have little or no experience.

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AAT - How Long Would It Take?

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Each of the three AAT levels takes 6 to 18 months to complete individually. However, you could potentially complete the entire AAT course in between 6 months and 1 year of study. You can find more details here on the official AAT Accounting Qualifications page.

Here is summary of the individual course details:

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Moving On To CIMA After AAT

Anyone can study CIMA with or without any accounting qualifications or formal accounting experience.

If you have not yet completed the entire AAT course but hold either an AAT Certificate in Accounting or an AAT Diploma in Accounting, that is, either Level 2 or 3, you could begin studying for CIMA.

In this case, you would begin at the Certificate Level. Your AAT studies will have prepared you well to pass your CIMA exams with relative ease and little additional study.

Without any previous qualifications, CIMA students normally take between 9 to 12 months to work through the different modules of the Certificate in Business Accounting.

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AAT Fast Track To CIMA

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The most important thing here is that if you have completed the AAT Professional Diploma in Accounting, you would be exempt from the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, and you could directly begin with the CIMA Professional Qualification.

This would mean getting an exemption for five exams. What a fast track towards this globally recognised accounting qualification!

This means you could become a fully qualified Chartered Global Management Accountant, or CGMA, in just three years after finishing AAT.

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CIMA Structure

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, known as CIMA, is a professional management accounting body with about 115,000 members.

The CIMA Qualification is considered a globally recognised qualification for financial accounting and strategic management. The full professional qualification is divided into four levels:

• The Certificate Level (mentioned above),
• The Operational Level,
• The Management Level and
• The Strategic Level

If you are an AAT member, or hold a similar qualification, such as an associate degree in accounting, you would be exempt from the Certificate Level and begin at the Operational Level.

Why CIMA?

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With CIMA you will deepen the insight and further develop the skills you gained with AAT in addition to new skills in financial analysis and project management.

After even just one year of study at the Operational Level, your CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting would allow you to work in the industry with greater confidence.

After completing the full course, your CGMA Designation would allow you to demonstrate your management skills and competencies on par with other successful management accountants in the industry.

In fact, having a CIMA Qualification has helped hundreds of AAT members successfully maintain a career with some of the top global employers. If you are seriously considering CIMA, have a look here at the article, ‘Why CIMA, and is CIMA Worth It’?

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CIMA - How Long Would It Take?

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Each of the individual levels would take you around 12 months to complete or up to 18 months if you have other obligations. Just like with AAT, you can take CIMA at your own pace.

Whether you would like to take your time or fast track your progress, something that helps is the multiple exam dates throughout the year. If you would like to know more have a look here at the current CIMA Exam Dates.

This means that as a qualified AAT member, it is possible to become a CIMA member in 3 years. Here is summary of the individual course details:

Benefits of CIMA over AAT

As can be seen from the points covered AAT is a Level 4 in terms of educational qualifications, whereas CIMA is a Level 7.

Around the world, CIMA members work in a variety of roles at management and executive levels. Some go on to become financial directors or even chief financial officers in their respective companies.

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Conclusion

Both AAT and CIMA are qualifications that are recognized worldwide. Deciding whether you would like to stick with AAT or aim for CIMA depends on what kind of accounting career you would like to enjoy.

Thankfully, for AAT students, CIMA has made it possible to gain exemptions and fast track your studies towards your final CGMA Designation.

As an AAT graduate, have a look at the CIMA courses and discounts available with VIVA Financial Tuition and take advantage of the opportunity to complete CIMA in as little as three years of full-time study or up to five years of part-time study.