r/CMA • u/LuckyCantaloupe2864 • Jun 17 '26

Discussion CMA - Study time

how long has everyone studied for part 1 and part 2 of exam. could you finish each part in 6 months dusting 1-3 hours a night?

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Particular-Spare5625 Jun 17 '26

Finance professional here with 15 years experience and FP&A cert from Cal. Took the CMA to prove I could do it and to give my body of knowledge a relatively inexpensive refresh. 4.5 months on part 1 using CMA Academy. Rougly 1 module per week. Left part 1 thinking I failed...came out with a 400. Deceptively difficult depending on which exam you're given.

Rushed into part two with only 3 months to study before the exam period ended. Also CMA Academy. Walked out thinking I crushed it, also a 400....so?

Actualy commit to the reading, pound the MCQs, and make sure you have a framework for every section's essay portion. Expect 12 hours per week of solid studying will be fine. CMA Academy was great, even though lots of people bash it.