What the Management Case Study tests
The Management Case Study (MCS) completes CIMA's Management level. It brings together E2 Managing Performance, P2 Advanced Management Accounting and F2 Advanced Financial Reporting in one scenario. You act as a finance professional advising managers in a fictional organisation, evaluating options, interpreting results and recommending what to do.
The MCS exam format
MCS is a 3-hour computer-based exam.
- Pre-seen: CIMA releases material about the organisation several weeks before the exam window.
- Timed tasks: the exam is split into tasks with their own time limits, each bringing new information. Once a task's time ends, you move on and cannot go back.
- Marking: answers are marked by examiners against CIMA's competencies. Results are on a scale up to 150, and you need 80 to pass.
Case studies are sat in four windows a year: February, May, August and November.
Where students lose marks
- Theory without application. Naming a model earns little unless you use it on the organisation in front of you.
- No recommendation. Many tasks ask what management should do. A clear, justified recommendation is expected.
- Unbalanced answers. Every part of a task carries marks, so spending all your time on one part is costly.
How TutorPOD teaches MCS
Classes are led by Paul William, founder of TutorPOD, who holds CIMA, ACCA and CA Singapore qualifications. MCS lessons analyse the pre-seen together, then practise timed tasks and full mock exams, with personalised feedback on your written answers.
Classes run live online and in person in Singapore, in small groups or 1-to-1.
Before and after the MCS
You need to pass E2, P2 and F2 first. The next step is Strategic level, ending with the Strategic Case Study.