That case study will be quite different from T4 - here are the key differences:
- Computer based only
- Consists of a range of tasks (3-5) not one big report
- Once each task is complete you can not go back and work on that later on and you can not complete later tasks before earlier ones.
- No calculations - figures will appear in the questions but you'll be analysing them rather than doing the calculations themselves.
- Greater testing of E3, F3 and P3 knowledge - you'll need to know those syllabuses much better than you do for T4.
- There will be a new preseen every sitting (rather than one for every two).
So what does this mean for those of you currently taking T4. Simply put - you should aim to pass T4 by the end of this year. Why? Firstly it will save you having to refresh all your E3, F3 and P3 knowledge which is a greater part of the new case study. Secondly it's a completely different format which will be unfamiliar - better the devil you know! Finally - the preseen at T4 lasts for 2 sittings, so if you fail one you don't have to familiarise yourself with a new preseen!
CIMA are being bold in this change and I think it's a good thing. The days of paper based exams have finally come to an end and surely that's got be right given how little we physically write things now. Long live the digital age!