How to Become a CMA After 12th: Exams, Syllabus, and Career Path
Published on: January 29, 2025
Both CMA USA and CMA India can be pursued after clearing the 12th boards.
The CMA India curriculum includes Foundation, Intermediate, and Final levels. Students can start preparing for CMA after their 12th board exams. However, they can register for the Foundation course soon after completing their 10th board exams. CMA India exams are held twice a year, in June and December.
CMA Foundation contains the following papers:
P1 - Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication (FBLC)
P2 - Fundamentals of Financial and Cost Accounting (FFCA)
P3 - Fundamentals of Business Mathematics and Statistics (FBMS)
P4 - Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management (FBEM)
Each paper carries 100 marks. To pass the exam, the candidate should score at least 40 marks in each subject and 200 out of 400.
An alternative pathway for students after completing their 12th is the CMA CAT (Certificate in Accounting Technicians) program, a diploma course designed as an entry-level accounting qualification. Those who successfully complete the first part of CMA CAT can directly progress to the CMA Intermediate level, bypassing the CMA Foundation.
The exam pattern for CMA CAT is as follows:
Paper 1 - (100 Marks)
Section A : Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (60 Marks)
Section B : Applied Business and Industrial Laws ( 40 Marks)
Paper 2 - (100 Marks)
Section A : Financial Accounting -2 (50 Marks)
Section B : Statutory Compliance (50 Marks)
There will be 100 MCQs, each worth 1 mark. There will be no negative marking for wrong answers.
Those with a degree (except arts & music) can directly join at the Intermediate Level. The intermediate level contains the following papers:
GROUP - I
P5 - Business Laws and Ethics (BLE)
P6 - Financial Accounting (FA)
P7 - Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX)
P8 - Cost Accounting (CA)
GROUP - II
P9 - Operations Management and Strategic Management (OMSM)
P10 - Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)
P11 - Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)
P12 - Management Accounting (MA)
Each paper carries 100 marks. To qualify for the exam, the candidate should score at least 40 marks in each subject and 200 out of 400 in each group.
After qualifying for the intermediate exam, one can enroll for the Final course. To be eligible for appearing
In the Final exam, the candidate must complete the Industry oriented training programme (7 days) & 15 months of practical training.
The papers in the Final course are:
GROUP - III
P13 - Corporate and Economic Laws (CEL)
P14 - Strategic Financial Management (SFM)
P15 - Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation (DIT)
P16 - Strategic Cost Management (SCM)
GROUP - IV
P17 - Cost and Management Audit (CMAD)
P18 - Corporate Financial Reporting (CFR)
P19 - Indirect Tax Laws and Practice (ITLP)
ELECTIVES
P20A: Strategic Performance Management and Business Valuation (SPMBV)
P20B: Risk Management in Banking and Insurance (RMBI)
P20C: Entrepreneurship and Startup (ENTS)
Note: Students will be required to select any one of three Elective Papers (20A/20B/20C) at the time of enrolment for the Final Course.
Each paper carries 100 marks. To qualify for the exam, the candidate should score at least 40 marks in each subject and 200 out of 400 in each group.
The fee structure for the CMA India course is as follows:
The course duration for CMA India is 3.5 – 4 years.
The prospective salary of CMA India ranges from ₹8 LPA to ₹60 LPA, with an average salary of ₹24 LPA.
CMA USA can be pursued after clearing the 12th board. However, for CMA USA, students must hold a degree (which can be obtained through correspondence).
The US CMA exam syllabus comprises of two parts:
Part 1: Financial Planning, Performance and Analytics
Part 2: Strategic Financial Management.
Each part contains 6 topics with a certain weightage.
The topic-wise weightage is tabulated as below:
The exams are conducted thrice a year and the students can select their convenient exam dates and time from the following three windows:-
- January-February window
- May-June window
- September-October window
The US CMA papers are about 4 hours long and are divided into two formats – MCQ type and essay. You get about three hours to complete the MCQ-type questions and an hour to complete the essay questions.
To unlock the essay question section, candidates must correctly answer at least 50 out of 100 MCQs. The exam score range is 0-500 and you must score at least 360 for both parts to pass the exam.
The fees for the US CMA course vary depending on whether you are a student or a professional:
Professional Members
CMA Entrance Fee: $300
Exam Fee: $495 per part
IMA Membership Fee: $295*
Student/Academic Members
CMA Entrance Fee: $225
Exam Fee: $370 per part
IMA Membership Fee: $49/$160*
The duration of the CMA USA course is a minimum of 6-12 months
A qualified CMA USA professional in India starts with a salary of ₹6 LPA, which can range up to ₹20 LPA, with an average salary of ₹12 LPA. The salary package differs depending on the country of employment.
