CIPS LEVEL 4 DIPLOMA IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY
CIPS Level 4 Study Resources: Where to Start, How to Revise and Which Exams to Take
If you’re new to CIPS and not sure where to start, you’re in the right place. Here are the things I wish I’d known when I started Level 4 — from choosing your exam order to finding revision materials and working out whether you’re actually ready for the exam.
CIPS Level 4 at a glance
- 8 compulsory modules: L4M1–L4M8. You need to pass all eight to complete the Level 4 Diploma.
- 6 Objective Response (OR) exams: L4M2–L4M7. These involve selecting answers from the options provided.
- 2 Constructed Response (CR) exams: L4M1 and L4M8. These require you to write your own essay-style or case-study answers.
- Pass marks: 70% for OR and 50% for CR.
- Exam sittings: CIPS runs exam series throughout the year; January and September are OR-only in the currently published schedule.
For the full qualification structure, see the official CIPS Level 4 Diploma page. For specific sitting dates and booking deadlines, check the CIPS exam schedule.
Starting at CIPS Level 4
Level 4 is the highest entry point into the CIPS qualifications, and the usual starting point for people working towards MCIPS through the Diploma route. You don’t have to complete CIPS Level 3 first, although Level 4 is aimed at people with some relevant business experience. You’ll need to complete Level 4 before progressing to Level 5.
There are eight modules and they’re all mandatory. Modules 1 and 8 are the bigger ones, assessed by Constructed Response (CR) exams. Modules 2–7 are shorter Objective Response (OR) exams.
Should you take the Level 4 exams in module order?
Personally, I wouldn’t start with L4M1.
Module 1 introduces lots of the concepts you’ll see again throughout Modules 2–7. And there are a LOT of concepts. It’s an introduction module, but the amount of information you’re expected to remember can make it feel overwhelming when you’re new to CIPS.
From my own experience, and from helping students since, I find it easier to come back to L4M1 after completing M2–M7. You’re more confident, you know the material better and you’ve already sat multiple-choice exams on the topics before you have to start writing essays about them. I think that sets you up for success.
That’s my suggested approach, rather than an official CIPS rule. The best order will depend on your background, confidence and exam timetable.
How to organise your Level 4 exams
How many exams you sit, and when, is a personal choice. Some people want to get through them as quickly as possible. Others are working full-time and have an actual life on the side, so they’d rather spread their studying out. Neither approach is right or wrong.
Many students I’ve worked with choose one or two exams per sitting. I do know someone who sat six in a week and passed all six. So it can be done, but I wouldn’t particularly recommend it for your stress levels. Or your bank account.
Which Level 4 modules pair well together?
If you’re thinking about sitting two exams at a time, this is the pairing I’d suggest:
- L4M2 + L4M7: Defining Business Need + Whole Life Asset Management
- L4M4 + L4M6: Ethical and Responsible Sourcing + Supplier Relationships
- L4M3 + L4M5: Commercial Contracting + Commercial Negotiation
- Then L4M1 and L4M8: take them separately, or together if you feel ready for two substantial written exams.
I’ve grouped the OR modules like this because I find there’s some overlap in the subject matter. It’s a suggested study plan, not the only sensible way to do it.
CIPS currently lists exam series in January, March, May, July, September and November, but remember: January and September are OR-only in the published timetable. That matters if you’re hoping to sit L4M1 or L4M8. Always check the latest booking dates rather than assuming every module is offered at every sitting.
Where to start with your Level 4 revision
1. Get the official CIPS study guide
Different exam styles need slightly different approaches, but for every module I’d start with the official CIPS Study Guide and the syllabus. The guide is available as a printed book or eBook, and it gives you the core material to work through for the relevant learning outcomes.
You can get study materials through CIPS Level 4 study resources. It’s also worth checking second-hand marketplaces such as Vinted and eBay if you want to save money — just make sure you’re buying the right edition for your syllabus.
2. Be careful when buying revision materials online
A word of warning: I’ve seen people trying to sell unofficial PDF copies of CIPS study guides in Facebook groups. I’d avoid those. They may be unauthorised copies of copyrighted materials, and there’s also a risk of scams.
I’ve heard first-hand from people who sent money to a supposed seller on Facebook for CIPS study materials, lost their money and got nothing. In one case, someone received content copied from the CIPS website — material you could access for free — pasted into a Word document and sold as a ‘revision pack’. Not exactly money well spent.
If you’re buying study materials, stick to sources you trust and check what you’re actually getting before sending any money.
3. Make notes in a way that works for you
You don’t necessarily need to buy lots of extra revision products. I still like old-fashioned pens, paper and highlighters.
There is some research suggesting that taking and reviewing handwritten notes can help learning compared with typing notes — although the important thing is to actively work with the material, not just copy it out. If you’re interested, here’s a 2024 meta-analysis of handwriting and note-taking.
4. If textbooks aren’t your thing, try another format
If the thought of reading a 200-page textbook fills you with dread, you’re not alone. I’ve created video courses for L4M1 and L4M8, with the syllabus broken down into shorter lessons of roughly 10–20 minutes. I explain the concepts, use examples from working in procurement to bring the theory to life and give you a few practice questions along the way.
They’re optional, of course. The official study materials are still the starting point.
How do you know when you’re ready for a CIPS Level 4 exam?
Objective Response (OR): L4M2–L4M7
For OR exams you select answers from the options provided. My favourite way of checking whether you’re ready is to do some proper practice questions. Can you choose the right answer and explain why the others aren’t right?
Try doing practice questions under exam conditions as well. Knowledge matters, but so does concentration and timing.
Constructed Response (CR): L4M1 and L4M8
In the CR exams, you write your own answers to four essay-style questions. There’s no guessing your way through an unfamiliar topic, so I’d spend time making your own notes, practising a few written answers and familiarising yourself with the CIPS command words.
That’s particularly important if, like me, you haven’t written an exam essay in a while.
The Cat Test: how to know if you actually understand a topic
The way to know you’re ready for an exam isn’t that you can recall every single thing in the study guide. That’s unrealistic. And unnecessary. The pass mark is 70% for OR exams and 50% for CR exams. You don’t need to be perfect.
So here’s my favourite way to check whether you’ve understood something: the Cat Test.
Take a topic from the study guide — Porter’s Five Forces, the Kraljic Matrix or the Relationship Spectrum, for example. Close the book, put your notes away and try explaining that topic, out loud, to your cat. Can you explain it clearly enough that someone who’s never heard of it would understand what you’re on about?
If you don’t have a cat, feel free to substitute a dog, a husband, a five-year-old child or a plant. Your audience doesn’t even need to have ears. The point is that you can explain the theory in your own words, without the textbook doing all the work for you.
And if you get halfway through and realise you can’t explain a bit? Brilliant. You’ve just found something you need to revise again. Much better to discover that in your kitchen than halfway through an exam.
Being able to pass the Cat Test is a good sign you’ve understood a topic, but don’t stop there. Practise putting that knowledge into an actual OR or CR exam question too.
Free CIPS revision articles
How to Revise for CIPS Exams When You Don’t Have Enough Time: 5 Practical Tips — especially useful if you’re fitting studying around work, family or a last-minute panic.
CIPS Constructed Response Exam Technique: Show the Examiner What You Know — particularly relevant if you’re preparing for L4M1 or L4M8.
You can also find official CIPS Level 4 sample exam questions and answers for both OR and CR exams.
Extra Level 4 study resources I’ve created
I also make optional CIPS revision materials on Udemy. These aren’t official CIPS products; they’re independent resources intended to help you practise alongside your study guide.
Practice questions for the OR modules (L4M2–L4M7)
For each Objective Response module, I’ve made a sets of 60 practice questions designed to mirror the number of questions and time pressure of the actual exam: 60 questions in 90 minutes.
This is exactly the sort of resource I wanted when I was doing these modules, so I went off and made it myself.
You get a result as soon as you finish, plus explanations of the correct answers (why is A right and C isn’t?) and study-guide page references to help you go back over anything you missed. Page numbers may differ depending on which edition you’re using.
It can also be hard to do 60 questions in a row. It requires concentration and timing as well as knowledge. So it’s worth practising that before exam day.
Objective Response practice-question courses
Video courses and essay practice for L4M1 and L4M8
For the two Constructed Response modules, I’ve made two different types of resource.
Video courses: these teach the syllabus in simple English, with examples from real procurement and supply chain situations to help you understand the theory.
Practice essay courses: these give you 40 possible practice questions so you can try writing your own answers. Afterwards, you can reveal my example response and compare it with your own.
I’ve also included Tutor Notes explaining different ways to approach the question, what content you could include, how to structure your response and how marks might be awarded using the marking criteria.
The video course is good for people who want some help understanding the content. The practice-question course is for people who need help turning their knowledge into proper exam responses. They complement each other and teach different things; you don’t have to buy both, but they may both be helpful at different points in your revision.
Constructed Response courses
Discount codes for my students
I regularly offer discount codes for my Udemy CIPS courses. There are usually two each month, and you can work out the code using the date:
- Start-of-month code:
1ST+ MONTH + two-digit YEAR. For example, 1STNOVEMBER26 for November 2026. - Mid-month code:
MID+ MONTH + two-digit YEAR. For example, MIDNOVEMBER26 for November 2026.
Write the code as one word, in capital letters, with no spaces or plus signs. Enter it in the coupon box on the Udemy checkout page to see whether the discount applies.
The start-of-month code is available from the 1st to the 5th of each month and gives you my best price. If you’ve missed that one, don’t worry. The mid-month code goes live shortly afterwards, so give that a try instead. It still gives you a fair bit off the normal price.
Whatever order you sit your Level 4 exams in, focus on understanding what’s in the syllabus, test yourself regularly and pick a pace that works for your life. You’re allowed to have one of those as well.
Written by Elizabeth Evans MCIPS. Study Procurement is an independent learning resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CIPS.
