MyCIMA

BPP versus local university

Posted: Tuesday 29 December 2009 by Graham P
Replies : 7
Keywords: first exam, studying, taught courses

I'm going to be sitting E1 Enterprise Operations this May, and am considering which taught course to choose from.  There are two options I am having trouble deciding between:

BPP Professional Education, Cambridge  www.bpp.com/cima
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield http://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/schools-of-study/business/cima/home.cfm

I'm trying to weigh up the options, but I'm having difficulty analysing them.  In terms of cost, there is little in it: BPP is slightly cheaper, but not if I include the optional exam practice day.

BPP's published resources have a mixed reputation, but their lecturers are reportedly excellent.  Their fees do include a large amount of published material, although Herts Uni's does include textbooks and revision materials too.

Herts Uni, of course, would give access to a fully-stocked university library, which BPP does not have.  Their lecturers would also be academically based, which may suit me later if I do pursue an academic career after becoming CIMA-qualified.

I am slightly hesitant about Herts Uni, but I'm really not sure why?  Perhaps someone else can spot something I've overlooked?

As an aside, I have decided against doing E1 and E2 together.  I will do E1 in May 2010, completing the operational level, and E2 in the Autumn completing the managerial.  I could have tried doing them together but I have enough on my plate trying to get into a better job where I can earn relevant work experience.

CIMA Tuition Providers

Posted by Beth on Tuesday 12 January 2010 13:32

Hi Graham,

CIMA has either listed or quality partners.

Quality partners are recommended by CIMA, as we have assessed them throughly and have found them to have met our quality partner criteria.

You can view the requirements for both listed and quality partners through the following link :

http://www1.cimaglobal.com/cps/rde/xchg/live/root.xsl/13992.htm

This may help you make your decision. BPP is a quality provider, however the University of Hertfordshire is a listed one.

I hope this helps

Kind Regards

Beth CIMAsphere moderator

BPP every time

Posted by MPM on Thursday 21 January 2010 06:10

For me personally, I always used BPP - it is what they do for a living and are totally focussed to passing your exams. I have studied through various routes with BPP both distance learning and classroom and have found them very successful.

 I would never ever go the university route personally...

BBP for me

Posted by Mal on Thursday 21 January 2010 10:05
Ask whose material the university will use. Probably BPP, FTC or CIMA's own. My experience (AAT) of uni or college courses is that they employ part time muppets to teach. BPP have very good tutors who are judged on pass rates. Look at prize winners or tutor or the year. They usually belong to FTC Kaplan or BPP. Personally I prefer Kaplan but BPP are a close second.

BPP as well for me

Posted by Jean-Philippe M... on Thursday 21 January 2010 10:17

I agree with posts above - for me, BPP every time. Because professional qualifications is such a big part of what they do, and because they do it in a big way, they have large resources and great experience. Good quality materials, plenty of practice, proven recipe for success.  

Your local university might be good, but even then, its likely to prepare fewer students to CIMA, on a much smaller scale, with less resources.

That said, this time around I decided to give Kaplan a go, but I have to admit I am not impressed by their textbooks compared to BPP.  

BPP vs University

Posted by Anastasia Ivanova on Friday 22 January 2010 22:51

I've had a very good experience with BPP in class and distance learning - materials are top notch, and I agree with Jean-Philippe above - the materials from BPP compared to Kaplan are, in my opinion, a lot better designed and structured. There are also fewer mistakes!

In my local area, we also have a University providing CIMA tuition, as well as BPP and Kaplan. It's not a popular option, and several of my colleagues have said that the quality of tuition is in many ways superior when specialist providers such as BPP are involved. An unusual and off-putting feature of the university option, (and one worth checking when considering other universities, since it may be commonplace!) is that for some reason, the university only offers courses tailored to the summer exam session (ACCA/CIMA) and not the winter session.  This means each paper is stretched out over a year and it's impossible to sit any exams in winter unless you are happy with completing half a course! Don't know if anyone else has encountered this at other universities?

While a university library initially seems like a great advantage, you quickly discover, especially when you already have 'a lot on your plate', that you hardly have time to study the textbooks/exam question banks/web articles/magazines etc etc, and keep up with work, never mind set foot in the library (much as it's tempting, particularly if you love reading and are interested in the academic side of things!) In my opinion a library alone (even if you managed to use it!) wouldn't compensate for potentially better tuition, access to tutors, materials and online resources that BPP and Kaplan can offer.

Good luck whatever you decide Graham! And as regards trying to find a more relevant job, it's not easy in the current climate, judging from experiences of several people I know..I hope it works out for you.

BPP

Posted by MPM on Saturday 23 January 2010 07:46
BPP train 50% of the prize winners globally - testament to their methods. I bet your univerisity would struggle to name one.

Replies

Posted by Graham P on Sunday 31 January 2010 20:37

Thank you all for the replies.  I have decided on BPP and will be starting E1 in Cambridge next Sunday.  Maybe I'll see some of you there!