Certified Management Accountant
The CMA is a credential for accountants and finance professionals who work inside organizations on planning, analysis, control, and decision support. It requires IMA membership, a two-part exam, a degree, and two years of relevant experience.
Issued by Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) · Official page
Who can apply
- Active IMA membership (only members can enroll and earn the CMA, and membership must stay active).
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, or a related professional certification.
- Two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management, completed before passing the exam or within seven years after.
- Pass both exam parts within three years, and finish education and experience requirements within seven years of enrolling.
Exam
- Exam
- CMA Exam, Part 1 (Financial Planning, Performance, and Analytics) and Part 2 (Strategic Financial Management)
- Format
- Each part has 100 multiple choice questions and 2 essay questions; parts can be taken in either order
- Questions
- 100
- Time
- 4 hours per part (3 hours for multiple choice, 1 hour for essays)
The question count is per part. A small number of multiple choice items on each part are unscored pretest questions.
Official fees
| Fee | Amount | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMA entrance fee | Data unavailable | Not verified. IMA pricing pages require JavaScript and did not render. | Official page |
| CMA exam fee, per part | Data unavailable | Not verified. IMA pricing pages require JavaScript and did not render. | Official page |
| IMA student membership dues | $49 | Per year. | Official page |
Only fees published by the issuer or regulator are listed. Blank amounts mean no official figure was available to verify.
Renewal and continuing education
- Cycle
- Annual
- Requirement
- Report 30 hours of CPE each year, at least 2 of them in ethics, and keep IMA membership active.
Related careers
| Occupation | National median wage |
|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | $83,680 |
| Financial managers | $166,570 |
Sources
- IMA: How to earn the CMA Certification, accessed October 18, 2026
- IMA: CMA Content Specification Outlines, effective September 1, 2024, accessed October 18, 2026
- IMA: Student Membership, accessed October 18, 2026
Verification notes
CMA entrance fee, exam fees per part, and professional membership dues could not be verified because imaglobal.org product and pricing pages are rendered by JavaScript and returned no prices, and older imanet.org pages and the CMA Handbook now redirect to the imaglobal.org home page. No issuer-stated typical completion timeline was found.
ConnectPrep is not affiliated with Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). Credential names may be trademarks of their owners.