CMA Exam Requirements: What It Takes

Take a certified management accountant and an uncertified management accountant, and stack their salaries side-by-side.

On average, the CMA will make 21% more every year than their uncertified counterpart.

To unlock that lifelong raise, however, you’ll have to meet the CMA exam requirements. 

In this article, I’ll outline the key requirements you’ll have to meet to take the CMA exam to help simplify your study journey.

Key Takeaways

• You Can Test Before Finishing Everything: To sit for the CMA exam, you need to join the IMA and enroll in the CMA program, but you can pass the exam before completing every certification requirement.
• The Credential Has Three Main Parts: Earning the CMA requires passing both exam parts, meeting the education requirement, and completing two years of relevant work experience.
• The Content Is Practical: The CMA exam focuses on real-world topics like financial planning, performance management, analytics, and strategic financial management.
• There Are Three Testing Windows: Candidates can take the exam during three annual windows, and many finish both parts within 6 to 12 months.
• You Have To Maintain It: Keeping the CMA requires 30 hours of continuing education each year plus active IMA membership.

Who Is Eligible For The CMA Exam

The basic CMA exam requirements are set by the Institute of Management Accountants. To enter the CMA program and take the exam, you need to become an IMA member and pay the CMA entrance fee. That is the starting point for everyone.

Education matters too, but there’s an important nuance. You do not always need to finish every certification requirement before taking the exam itself. The IMA allows candidates to pass the exam first and complete the remaining education and experience requirements within a set window.

To qualify for CMA certification, you generally need one of the following:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• A qualifying professional certification approved by the IMA
• Active IMA membership
• Enrollment in the CMA program

The degree requirement is broader than many people expect. Your degree does not have to be in accounting. Finance, business, economics, and even unrelated majors can work, as long as the institution meets the IMA’s recognition standards.

That flexibility is one reason the CMA appeals to career changers. If you already have a bachelor’s degree and want to move into corporate finance, FP&A, cost accounting, or management accounting, the CMA can be more accessible than some other accounting credentials.

Here’s a simple comparison of eligibility vs full certification:

WP DataTables

Choose the CMA if you want a credential focused on internal finance, planning, analysis, and business decision-making. It’s a better fit if you see yourself working inside companies rather than primarily in tax, audit, or public accounting.

If you’re also weighing other accounting paths, the training commitment can look very different from the CPA exam length and overall CPA licensure path.

What You Need To Complete The CMA Certification Requirements

Passing the exam is only part of the CMA exam requirements. To earn the credential, you must complete three core pieces: education, the two-part exam, and professional experience.

CMA Education Requirements

The CMA requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or an approved professional certification. If you’re still in school, you can often begin the process early, but the degree requirement must be completed before certification is officially awarded.

CMA Exam Requirements

The CMA exam has two parts:

Part 1: Financial Planning, Performance, and Analytics

Part 2: Strategic Financial Management

Each part includes 100 multiple-choice questions and two CBQ sets. You get four hours total per part. According to the IMA, you need a scaled score of 360 out of 500 to pass each part.

The subjects tested are practical and job-focused. Expect topics such as budgeting, internal controls, performance management, decision analysis, financial statement analysis, corporate finance, and investment decisions.

CMA Experience Requirements

You also need two continuous years of full-time professional experience in management accounting or financial management. This can be completed before or within seven years of passing the exam. Part-time work may qualify if it meets the IMA’s equivalent standard.

Qualifying experience can include work in areas such as:

• Financial analysis
• Budgeting and forecasting

• Cost management
• Internal reporting
• Corporate accounting
• Audit or risk work tied to financial management

Internships usually do not count unless they clearly meet the professional standard and responsibilities expected by the IMA.

Ethics and Ongoing Status

You must also comply with the IMA’s Statement of Ethical Professional Practice. That’s not just a formality. The CMA is designed for professionals involved in sensitive financial analysis and business decisions, so ethics is built into the credential.

How Registration, Timing, and Maintaining Your Credential Work

Once you know the CMA exam requirements, the next step is understanding the real-world timeline. This is where many candidates get tripped up.

You register through the IMA, join the CMA program, and then schedule your exam with Prometric during one of the testing windows. The CMA exam is offered in three windows each year:

• January to February
• May to June
• September to October

You can take the two parts in any order. Some candidates finish both parts within six to 12 months. Others take longer, especially if they’re working full-time.

Here’s the full path most people should expect:

WP DataTables

That means the total path to becoming a CMA can be relatively fast if you already have a degree and qualifying work experience. If you’re starting earlier in your career, the full process may take several years.

Cost is another practical concern. While fees can change, you should budget for:

• IMA membership dues
• CMA entrance fee
• Exam registration fees for both parts
• Study materials or a prep course

After certification, you must maintain the credential through continuing education. The IMA requires 30 hours of continuing professional education each year, including 2 hours in ethics. You also need to keep your IMA membership active.

Choose the CMA if you want a finance credential tied closely to planning, performance, and internal business leadership. It’s a better fit if you want to grow inside companies and build decision-making credibility, not just technical accounting depth. Candidates comparing study commitments sometimes look at the CPA exam length to understand how different the two paths can feel in practice. Before you pick a study schedule, it helps to see how the leading CMA prep providers stack up in our best CMA review courses guide.

Final Verdict

The CMA exam requirements are straightforward once you break them into stages: join the IMA, pass both exam parts, complete the education requirement, and document two years of relevant experience. 

If you’re serious about management accounting or corporate finance, your next step is to compare study options and build a realistic exam plan. A good follow-up is to study with one of the top CMA prep course options and resources before you schedule your first exam window.

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