BPP Blog

Given the choice, most of us would not choose to put ourselves forward for more exams, but sometimes we need to take the long view, and in the case of the Investment Management Certificate (IMC), the benefits far outweigh the short term costs.

As a bit of background, the IMC is a two paper, computer based examination that covers many of the fundamental techniques and skills required for the financial services industry. The qualification is aimed at those in the asset management and investment advisory sector, but the wide syllabus means that it is recognised by, and useful for many other related fields such as investment banking, corporate finance, risk management, and retail financial advice. Above all, it schools you in the language of finance, meaning that if you are in a support role in a financial institution (e.g. compliance, IT or marketing) you can become much more valuable to the client facing teams by being able to understand the terminology and products.

If you are planning to undertake the IMC there are a few things you should think about

Your strengths

Where do your strengths lie? If you like learning rules and preferred less numerical subjects at school, you should study Unit 1 first. If you prefer logic and numbers, do Unit 2 first so that you understand why you are learning the rules in Unit 1.

Refresh your maths skills

If you are a bit rusty on the numbers side of things, set aside a bit of time to work through some basic maths refresher material. Our BPP courses have online maths modules included in the package, and we run regular 1 day Intro to Financial Maths courses to banish any concerns you might have about maths getting in the way.

Set aside time for question practice

The CFA UK Society sets the exams, and they advise you to spend around 100 study hours on each paper. This includes time spent practicing questions and doing mock exams, so make sure you set aside plenty of time for question practice

Pre-recorded online lectures available

Do you like the reassurance of being guided through the syllabus by someone who has sat the exam, or do you prefer to study at your own pace. The classroom courses are a very efficient way to learn as we explain everything from the bottom up, but some people prefer to work alone. Our courses have full online pre-recorded lectures so you can benefit from expert advice whichever way you choose

Allow yourself enough time

Have you studied economics, accounts and financial maths before? If so, speed up the process with one of our accelerated 3 day Unit 2 courses.

You should allow yourself a couple of months for each Unit, if you are fitting it in alongside a full time job (and social life). Ideally you should work through the recommended pre-course work, including maths refresher material, then come on a course, then allow 3 or 4 more weeks to work through the practice exams and revisit sticky areas. Once you can score 75% confidently on our sample exams, you are ready to take the exam!

View further details on studying IMC with BPP.