Certified Management Accountant (CMA) Exam Requirements: Education and Experience

In addition to passing the CMA exams, there are two other important requirements for earning your Certified Management Accountant (CMA) Certification. If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact us and we will be glad to help.

1. Education Requirement

There are two ways to meet the education requirement:

  1. 3 or 4 year Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university.
    • US Candidates can search for their school in the list of US accredited colleges and universities here: http://univ.cc/states.php
    • International candidates can search for their school in the individual country lists of accredited colleges and universities here: http://univ.cc/world.php
    • Degrees that are not accredited must be evaluated by an independent agency. A listing of these agencies can be found at www.aice-eval.org or www.naces.org/members.html. Please see the CMA Candidate Handbook for details about completing a degree evaluation.
    • If your college or university is not on the accredited list, contact the IMA for further assistance.
  2. Qualifying Professional Certification
    • A listing of approved certifications can be found here.
    • An official letter from approved certifying organization confirming you are a qualified member should be mailed directly to the IMA. Please see the CMA Candidate Handbook for details.

2. Experience Requirement

Candidates for the CMA Certification must have two continuous years of full-time work experience in management accounting and/or financial management. Four years of continuous part-time work experience will also fulfill this requirement. Candidates who do not have the required experience when taking the exams have seven years after completing their exams to meet the experience requirement.

Qualifying experience consists of positions requiring judgments regularly made employing the principles of management accounting and financial management. Such employment includes:

  • Preparation of financial statements
  • Financial planning & analysis
  • Monthly, quarterly, and year end close
  • Auditing (external or internal)
  • Budget preparation & reporting
  • Manage general ledger and balance sheets
  • Forecasting
  • Company investment decision making
  • Costing analysis
  • Risk evaluation

What if I need more information about the CMA exam, requirements, procedures, etc.?

For complete information about the CMA exams, including requirements, registration procedures, exam fees, candidate resources and content outlines, download the ICMA’s CMA Handbook (PDF). Some of the information on this page is taken from the CMA Handbook.

I am eligible, what is my first step to becoming a CMA?

If you are ready to advance your career, HOCK international is here for you. We have been helping students pass the CMA exams for over twenty years and provide complete materials that will prepare you to pass the exams on your first attempt. Sign up for the CMA trial and get free access to the materials for CMA Part 1 Section A and CMA Part 2 Section E, and also an exclusive discount for the complete materials.

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