CMA Exam Education Requirements

When comparing accountancy designations, the CMA exam provisions are rather comprehensible and simple to accomplish. In truth, this is possibly the cause of countless candidates who write the exam, but are not successful on the first attempt.

But we’re not going to talk about failure today. I’ll center on how to complete the education requirement of your CMA exam pre-requisites.

Is Your School Accepted?

Your education requirements can be very general, such as you are obligated to receive a Bachelor’s degree from a top college in your nation.

Does that sound very clear to you? It doesn’t to me- so let’s figure this out.

If you live in the US and are taking classes at a recognized learning establishment, then you have no need to worry.

If you live outside the US, then you are required to look over the IMA’s list of globally recognized establishments. Just choose your home country and current university to check whether or not the school meets the guidelines.

If your school is not listed, don't worry. The IMA can choose to accept you if they approve of your current transcript. All you have to do is get a certified copy of your transcript and send it in. The two agencies that carry this process out are NACES and AICE, they process records then forward their evaluations to the IMA.

Occasionally, colleges will decline to grant you a certified transcript, fortunately there are other options to handle that. Simply obtain any copy of your transcript and have it notarized. Once you have the transcript, it can be delivered by mail. Faxed or email copies will not be accepted though.

Does Your Degree take 2, 3 or more Years?

The IMA is exacting on the length of degree programs acceptable. Bachelor’s degrees are required to be no less than 3 years. However there are candidates who are able to graduate within 2 years and the IMA at times offers special cases if you verify with them beforehand.

Are You Still in School?

Qualified candidates may write the CMA exam while preparing for their Bachelor’s degree; however, they are required to be registered for a minimum of 6 credits per semester throughout the school year.

Is a Bachelor’s Degree Really Necessary?

In 2013 the IMA had planned on uniting with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to relinquish the education provision to full ACCA associates, in spite of this the IMA opted not to go ahead with this arrangement.

Alternatively, optimistic candidates, who are steadfast on writing the exam yet do not possess a degree, are welcome to send a letter appealing to the IMA based on their past experience, education and comprehension of the material that will be covered in the exam.

Although there are certain exceptions for the CMA exam education provision, all candidates are still required to complete two consecutive years of financial or accounting based work experience. 

For more information on how to crush your CMA exam on the first try, join the CMA Exam Academy and start prepping for the January/February testing window.