The US CMA course is gaining popularity, especially among those who want to start their careers in management accounting and Finance. For this reason, the CMA course is designed to evaluate critical accounting and financial management skills relevant to success in a business environment. Therefore, choosing a CMA as a career option is a great idea.
If you are curious about the US CMA course details, Simandhar Education is here to help you provide more information on the course.
Certified Management Accountant, also known as CMA is the highest standard professional certification that one can earn in advanced management accounting and Finance. The US CMA is a globally recognized certification offered by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the largest and most respected association for management accounting and finance professionals.
Scope of US CMA
The role of a certified management accountant is to provide services related to finance and accounting, including preparing financial statements, preparing tax returns, and providing business analysis. They also offer consulting services on all aspects of the business.
A CMA USA has undergone extensive education in accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and taxation. In addition, they are trained to understand the use of financial information in decision-making processes. This is one of the most significant roles that allow them to provide valuable advice about how an organization can make decisions based on its finances.
CMA professionals work with manufacturing and services, public and private enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, academic institutions, government entities, and multinational corporations.
CMAs may hold top management positions in public and private sectors in their specialized knowledge and training. Below are some reputed job positions after obtaining CMA USA certification.
Staff Accountant: Responsible for reconciling bank transactions, preparing financial reports for management inspection, and handling the payrolls.
Budget analysts: Responsible for monitoring and analyzing their organization’s financial condition.
Finance Manager: Managing the income and expenditure of other people or organizations.
Financial Analysts: Evaluate the financial statements of operations, assets, operations, and liabilities of a company.
Internal auditor: Conducts audits of an organization’s financial records and processes to ensure the accuracy of its information and compliance with relevant laws.
Chief Executive Officer: Making the major corporate decisions, managing any organization’s overall operations and resources.
Cost Accountant: Planning the company’s budget, setting standard costs, and suggesting cost-saving opportunities.
Chief Financial Officer: Manage the company’s finances, including financial planning, managing financial risks, record-keeping, and financial reporting.
Other benefits of having CMA USA certification
You might be still wondering, “why should I become a US CMA?”. Simandhar Education, the leading training institute of CMA course in India, here outlines the reasons for how getting CMA certification will advance your accounting career.
Open doors into the business world
Global opportunities
Growth in terms of earning
Multiple career opportunities
Value as an employee
However, to become CMA and obtain CMA certification, candidates must become a member of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), meet CMA eligibility criteria (educational and experience requirement), and pass part 1 and part 2 CMA exams.
As passing the Certified Management Accountant Exam is the first to achieve the benefits of becoming CMA, let’s focus more on the US CMA Examination.
CMA Exam Details
The CMA USA Certification comprises a single-level computer-based examination divided into parts (Part 1 and Part 2). CMA candidates can attempt any part of the CMA examination in any order as per their convenience.
The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) provides a six-month testing frame divided into three testing windows: January- February, May-June, and September-October. IMA also allows the flexibility in scheduling the US CMA exam as per the candidate’s convenience within the mentioned testing windows.
The duration of the US CMA exam is 4 Hours for CMA Exam Part 1 & Part 2(three hours for 100 multiple choice questions and one hour for essay questions). The essay section of the CMA exam includes 10-12 written response or calculation questions based on typical business scenarios.
Prometric administers CMA Exams with centers across the globe, and candidates are required to schedule their exams at least 72 hours prior. It is recommended to schedule the exam at best four weeks ahead.
CMA Exam Scoring
To pass the Certified Management Accountant Exam, candidates must score at least a 360 out of 500. All scores on the CMA Exam parts are expressed as scaled scores to maintain consistency across candidates.
If candidates fail the US CMA Examination, Prometric will send a performance report email detailing their performance in each key topic area. This report is emailed around two weeks after they receive the exam results. This is a great way to assess the most challenging areas and prepare more effectively for their next attempt.
However, CMA candidates cannot take any part of the exam more than once during a testing window, so they will have at least one full month to plan a CMA Exam study strategy.
CMA candidates are also eligible for exam awards based on Parts 1 and Part 2. To qualify for this award, they must pass the two parts of the CMA exam on the first attempt within one two-month testing window.
Subjects of US CMA Exam
The two different subjects which are considered as parts of the CMA Exam are:
CMA – Part 1: Financial Reporting, Planning, Performance, and Analytics
CMA – Part 2: Strategic Financial Management
CMA Part 1 and Part 2’s primary objective is to measure a candidate’s knowledge and proficiency in management accounting.
Now, let’s see the subjects covered and what CMAs are expected to perform from training in Part 1 and Part 2 US CMA Exam in detail.
Part 1 CMA: Financial Reporting, Planning, Performance and Analytics
External Financial Reporting Decisions (15%)
External financial reporting decisions are increasingly becoming a more critical role for accounting firms and auditors. The findings often require substantial judgment and expertise in accounting, finance, and business, so companies often consider Certified Management Accountants.
Planning, Budgeting, And Forecasting (20%)
Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting (PB&F) is a managerial process that involves forecasting an organization’s future performance and budget. It is the process of developing a plan for the whole year or what may happen during a specific period.
Performance Management (20%)
Performance management has become more critical in the last few years as organizations are trying to maintain competitive performance levels. Companies can achieve it by tracking metrics, goals, and tasks.
Cost Management (15%)
It is necessary for managing the costs of various tasks in the business, such as procurement, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. Proper cost management can help ensure that a company can maintain its operations with minimal impact on its overall profitability.
Internal Controls (15%)
Internal controls help ensure that the company is not at risk of any financial fraud and let the executives and finance team members know about any unusual transactions. This information can be used by management to decide how they want their company to be run.
Technology & Analysis (15%)
When organizations take the financial report from the past and merge it with the risk, analytics come into action. Therefore, every enterprise looks for an Accountant whose analytical skills could support the prediction.
Part 2 CMA: Strategic Financial Management
Financial Statement Analysis (20%)
Financial statement analysis is a way of analyzing the financial information that companies provide. The vital information of the financial statement includes revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, equity, and cash flow.
Corporate Finance (20%)
Corporate Finance includes the process of issuing stocks, bonds, or other securities to raise capital. It also has corporate governance issues, including financial reporting, corporate accounting, and auditing standards.
Decision Analysis (25%)
Companies are increasingly using decision analysis when they face complex decisions that have many possible outcomes. It is a way to evaluate the possible outcomes of a situation to determine which action will bring the best results.
Risk Management (10%)
Risk management is an essential component of the decision analysis of any organization. It helps the decision-maker expert in Finance to decide whether the cost of taking a risk outweighs its potential benefit or not.
Investment Decisions (10%)
Investment decisions will explore the critical factors that influence the decisions made by organizations, including risk, cost, and potential returns. This analysis by CMA helps companies make better decisions by focusing on past data and future projections of their investments.
Professional Ethics (15%)
This section covers the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA’s) Statement of Ethical Standards, easy to understand. However, CMAs are required to memorize the standards and learn to apply them to practical business situations.
It is important to note that passing all the subjects of the US CMA exam is mandatory to obtain CMA certification and earn the potential benefits of a CMA course. But, how to pass the CMA Exam on the first try? Simandhar Education’s US CMA course training is a hands-on experiential program that helps you clear the exam on the first attempt and provide placement support.
Our live interactive classes for CMA courses are well designed for students, employees, and financial professionals.
Need more information on the US CMA course? Visit our website https://simandhareducation.com/ and if you have any queries, please contact on [email protected]
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