ABSTRACT
The assignment and examination routes to the Professional Diploma in Marketing are intended
to ensure that candidates have attained the same set of learning outcomes. The details of this
are set out by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Summarising this into a brief format they are
that: candidates have knowledge and understanding of a range of topics and theory (as given in
the syllabus), have read a little around the subject to gain more insight and can apply this
knowledge and understanding in an integrated way to a variety of marketing situations
(e.g. FMCG, SME, B2B not-for-profit, etc.). The balance of knowledge and application changes
through the various levels of the CIM qualification. Figure A3.1 gives a schematic outline of this.
For the Professional Diploma in Marketing a balance of theory, application and evaluation is
required. Simple knowledge of the theory without application will not gain a pass at this
postgraduate level. This implies more than reading textbooks is required. To apply theory
requires the development of skills (e.g. problem-solving). Skills are developed not by reading
but by practising. In this section, a framework is proposed to help you develop the mix of
skills and knowledge to pass this exam successfully. The outline of this process is shown in
Figure A3.2.
