What is TOPCIMA?

TOPCIMA (code name T4) stands for 'Test Of Professional Competence In Management Accounting'. This is the fifth and the final stage of the CIMA professional qualification offered by CIMA UK. 

To reach the TOPCIMA stage one had to come through four other stages, namely, Foundation Level, Operational Level, Managerial Level and Strategic Level. 

The Pre-seen 

TOPCIMA consists of one paper based on a pre-seen and an unseen case scenario. The pre-seen will be issued a few months before the standard exam dates (May and November). The pre-seen will consist of a fabricated business scenario, developed through real world and real business implications and situations. Usually the pre-seen will cover a wide array of the business and the industry in which the business operates. 

The pre-seen will start from usually the incorporation of the business or at least will give a few details about the incorporation, if the focus is on other aspects. Then the pre-seen will provide the background to some specific areas of the business, of which the unseen issues can be developed later. Such areas are, 

1. Issues with the incorporation
2. Issues with the management/BOD
3. Issues with the business performance
4. Issues with the business financials
5. Issues in relation to HR of the business
6. Issues in relation to technology of the business
7. Issues in relation to competition of the business
8. Issues in relation to new investments/divestment
9. Issues in relation to undertaking new projects
10. Issues in relation to expansion of the business
11. Issues in relation to business takeovers, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions
12. Issues in relation to opportunities and threats of the external environment
13. Issues in relation to business closure/liquidation.

Only a basic background story for such issues will be given in the pre-seen. Mostly they do provide some financial information relating to the current/past/future years in preparation to the unseen issues they will raise.

So it is highly advised that a student facing for the TOPCIMA exam has a thorough understanding of the operational, strategic and financial situation of the specific business and the industry given in the unseen. It will help to remember some critical information out of the pre-seen so that the student does not have to refer to the pre-seen again and again and waste time at the exam. 

The Unseen 

The unseen will be given at the exam and will have specific issues that have developed within the time. Usually 5 issues under five different topics/segments will be given in the unseen and they will not necessarily appear in any order of significance. 

The student is expected to prioritize (order the issues in a logical basis) the issues when they are presented in the report. Unlike Strategic level case study, TOPCIMA case study will require a great degree of integration between the pre-seen and the unseen. The student should be able to draw out information form the pre-seen to support the issues/recommendations for issues given in the unseen.

A 20 minute time slot will be allocated for reading the unseen and another 3 hours to write the full report. 

The unseen will usually focus on a maximum of three calculation based issues and an ethical issue. The financial analysis based issues should be supported by proper calculations shown in the separate booklet give, named 'Supplementary Booklet'.