CMA
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is the highest level of certification for management accountants awarded by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), USA. Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), USA has 125,000+ members spread across 140 + countries and 300 chapters. The program of study gives you the skills you need to enter the finance profession and adapt to the changing needs of the business. CMA offers an outlook on the company's future and contributes to value production.
BENEFITS OF CMA
- Although CMA is not as popular as CA but offers equivalent opportunities and less competition.
- The CMA certification shows one's understanding of financial management, which strengthens one's career prospects.
- A CMA certification gives one the chance to supervise junior accounting professionals. Anyone interested in managing or allocating tasks for a team should consider CMA.
- CMAs play a significant influence in the financial decisions that a firm makes since they manage both finances and accounts.
- Being a CMA entails having a large deal of responsibility for making strategic decisions because having the certification makes you look capable to managers.
- While improving your prospects of employment advancement, CMA gives you the chance to switch around your career route.
- According to a study, a CMA earns 58% more in salary than an accountant who is not a CMA.
CORE SKILLS OF CORPORATE MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT (CMA)
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STRATEGY:
CMA is the first to adjust or create strategies linked to accounting, operations, bookkeeping, predictions, and more since they have a complete understanding of financial statements and processes. -
PERFORMANCE:
One of the key components of a CMA is to carry out performance measurement. A CMA can track the advancement of spending, investment, project results, operations, and more with the assistance of business evaluation. -
REPORTING AND CONTROL:
All CMAs, regardless of the function they play, wind up being outstanding consultants for reporting and control that contribute to preserving an organization's financial stability. -
TECHNOLOGY AND ANALYTICS:
A tech-aware person with knowledge of machine learning and artificial intelligence is a must in the realm of technology. Anyone holding a CMA certification suggests to be a technology expert given the CMA test involves technology. -
Business acumen and operations:
CMA also creates a strategy for the firm in addition to using technology and being knowledgeable about financial statements. -
LEADERSHIP:
Since managing is in the title of a CMA, one of the most important traits of a CMA is the ability to manage a team. -
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND VALUES:
A CMA's ability to lead others ensures their professional ethics. -
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS:
CMAs can decipher financial spreadsheets that are helpful for analyzing performance and extract all the pertinent and important information for business leaders to understand. -
BUDGETING AND FORECASTING:
Budgeting and forecasting are skills that CMAs excel at since they are well-versed in the capital of the organization. -
COST ACCOUNTING:
One of the benefits of being a CMA is holding out measurable responsibilities for leaders and shareholders. -
RISK MANAGEMENT:
The primary responsibility of CMA in making risk-related decisions for the organization is measuring, assessing, and quantifying the risks. -
COMMUNICATION:
A CMA has a vital role in raising issues relating to any financial subject of the firm, thus they should be proficient in communicating. -
PROBLEM-SOLVING:
To comprehend a problem and take appropriate action, management professionals collaborate cross-functionally with supervisors across a variety of disciplines.
CMA COURSE DETAILS
It is the first stage of the examination, having 4 groups;
It is the first stage of the examination, having 4 groups
Paper 1- Fundamentals of Business Law and Business Communication
- Introduction
- Sales of Goods Act, 1930
- Indian Contracts Act, 1872
- Negotiable Instrument Act, 1881
- Business Communication
Paper 2-Fundamentals of Financial and Cost Accounting (FFCA)
- Accounting for special transaction
- Fundamentals of Cost Accounting
- Accounting Fundamentals
- Preparation of Final Accounts
Paper 3-Fundamentals of Business Mathematics and Statistics (FBMS)
- Arithmetic
- Calculus- Application in Business
- Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion
- Algebra
- Statistical Representation of Data
- Correlation and Regression
- Probability
- Index Numbers and Time series
Paper 4-Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management (FBEM)
- Forms of Market
- Basic concepts
- Money and banking
- Fundamentals of Management
- Economic and Business Environment
- The Institute of Cost Accounts in India administers the CMA Foundation exam via online testing.
- There are 100 multiple-choice questions worth 1 mark each, giving the examination 120 minutes to complete.
- The course duration of the CMA foundation is 8 months.
It is the second stage that every aspirant is required to pass.
The CMA Intermediate is separated into two groups (1 & 2), each of which has 4-8 papers.
GROUP 1
- Financial Accounting
- Direct Taxation
- Laws and Ethics
- Cost Accounting
GROUP 2
- Operations Management & Strategic Management
- Indirect Taxation
- Company Accounts & Audit
- Cost & Management Accounting and Financial Management
- Offline test is the method employed for the exam.
- Each exam consists of 120 questions and carries 100 marks with no negative marking.
- Questions are descriptive and objective. Has 75% MCQ and 25% essay questions.
- The passing criteria is 40% in every subject and 50% overall.
- The exam is administered in both Hindi and English.
The CMA Final is separated into two groups (3 & 4), each of which has 4-8 papers.
GROUP 3
- Corporate Laws & Compliance
- Strategic Financial Management
- Strategic Cost Management – Decision Making
- Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation
GROUP 4
- Cost and Management Audit
- Indirect Tax Laws and Practice
- Corporate Financial Reporting
- Offline test is the method employed for the exam.
- Each exam consists of 120 questions and carries 100 marks with no negative marking.
- Questions are descriptive and objective.
- The passing criteria is 40% in every subject and 50% overall.
- The exam is administered in both Hindi and English.
CMA ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
- Bachelor’s Degree or Professional Certification (CA, CPA, ACCA, etc.)
- The students are required to submit the educational requirements within seven years of completion of the exams. Therefore, a student pursuing a bachelor’s or professional certification is eligible to appear for CMA exams.
CMA EXAMINATION
- Required to clear two papers in any order.
EXPERIENCE
- 2 years of continuous professional experience in Accounting and Finance.
- The practical experience is to be completed prior to or within seven years of passing the examination.