Your Guide to CIMA Practical Experience Requirements

Passing the CIMA exams is only part of becoming a fully qualified management accountant — you also need to complete the Practical Experience Requirement (PER). Understanding what the PER involves early on helps you plan and record your experience as you go, rather than scrambling at the very end. This guide explains what the CIMA PER is, what it requires, and how to approach it — in clear, plain language. (Always check the current requirements on the CIMA website, as details are updated from time to time.) It's part of our support for CIMA students.

What is the CIMA PER?

The Practical Experience Requirement (PER) is the work-experience element of the CIMA qualification. To become a CIMA member (and use the CGMA designation), you must complete the exams and demonstrate that you've applied your knowledge and skills in a real workplace. The PER typically requires around three years (36 months) of relevant practical experience. It exists to ensure CIMA members aren't just exam-passers, but capable professionals who can do the job.

What the PER requires

The PER is about demonstrating competence across a range of skills, not just clocking up time. CIMA's experience requirements are based on its competency framework, which spans:

• Technical skills — the core accounting and finance capabilities.
• Business skills — understanding and contributing to the wider business.
• People skills — communicating, influencing and working with others.
• Leadership skills — managing and leading as you progress.

Underpinning all of these is a strong emphasis on ethics, integrity and professionalism. You evidence your experience against these areas, showing how your role has developed your competence.

What counts as qualifying experience

A common question is what kind of role "counts". The good news is that relevant experience can come from a wide range of finance and finance-related roles — not only jobs with "management accountant" in the title. Roles in financial accounting, management accounting, financial analysis, business partnering, audit, tax, treasury, and many finance-adjacent positions can all provide qualifying experience, provided they let you develop and demonstrate the required competencies. What matters is the substance of what you do — the skills you build and apply — rather than the job title. If you're unsure whether your role qualifies, it's worth mapping your day-to-day responsibilities against the competency areas, and checking the current CIMA guidance.

How it works in practice

In practice, completing the PER involves gaining relevant experience in a finance or finance-related role, and recording it — describing what you've done and the skills you've demonstrated. Your experience usually needs to be verified (for example, by a manager or mentor who can confirm it). Importantly, practical experience can be gained before, during or after your exams — many students accumulate it alongside studying — so it's worth keeping records as you go rather than trying to reconstruct years of experience later. Once you've completed both the exams and the PER, you can apply for CIMA membership.

Tips for managing your PER

A few habits make the PER far easier. Start recording early — keep notes on your responsibilities and achievements as they happen, while they're fresh, rather than trying to remember them years later. Understand the competency areas so you can recognise (and seek out) experience that develops them. Look for breadth — try to gain experience across the different skill areas, not just the technical ones. Engage a mentor or manager who can guide and verify your experience. And review your progress periodically against the requirements, so you know what's still needed. Treating the PER as something you build steadily, rather than a last-minute task, makes the whole process much smoother and less stressful, and means membership follows naturally once your exams are done.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CIMA PER?

The Practical Experience Requirement — the work-experience element of the CIMA qualification, typically requiring around three years of relevant practical experience, which you complete alongside the exams in order to become a member.

How long does the PER take?

Typically around three years (36 months) of relevant experience — though it's about demonstrating competence across the required skill areas, not just time served. Check the current CIMA requirements.

Can I gain experience before passing the exams?

Yes — practical experience can be gained before, during or after your exams. Many students accumulate it while studying, so it's worth recording it as you go.

What skills does the PER cover?

Technical, business, people and leadership skills — based on CIMA's competency framework — underpinned by a strong emphasis on ethics and professionalism.

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