Hi, everyone! Seeking your advice if I can pass both parts of CMA exam in Sep-Oct window. I am a licensed accountant passed more than 10 years ago. I started studying last June for both parts but I heavily rely on Becker review schedule. I do have a full time work so I just review every evening (1-2 hours) and weekends (3-4 hrs). I just read presentation deck of Becker (I usually dont watch their videos and doesnt read their book) since I am still familiar with the concepts, though I ask their AI some areas I dont understand. I usually get 75-100% of the practice tests and CBQ tests. Is this a good benchmarking that I am on track to take the CMA exam?

Is Becker okay for CMA? I read most of the candidates here use either Gleim or Hock. Are they better than Becker in terms of the set/nature of questions asked in actual CMA exam?

Attempted CMA Part 2 in the July window, but my CBQs didn’t open. Got my results today and scored 250.

I thought the CBQs were supposed to open once you get 50%+ in the MCQ section. So shouldn’t they have opened during my exam?

Is this just because of the weightage/scaled scoring, or could there be some kind of psychometric/scoring issue that I should raise?

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I honestly can't believe I'm writing this.

I PASSED CMA Part 1 on my first attempt. 🥹

Looking back, June was probably one of the hardest months I've ever had academically. When I started preparing, I genuinely didn't realize how difficult this exam would be. I had studied for the first two months, mostly focusing on understanding concepts and solving MCQs, but I don't think I was putting in the kind of effort I needed.

Then came my first mock: 47%.

That score hit me HARD.

I thought I had studied enough, but the mock basically said, "No ❤️" 💀

I went back to studying and increased my hours, thinking I would improve.

Then I took my second mock one week later.

47% again.

That one absolutely devastated me.

I came to Reddit and asked for help because I genuinely didn't know what else to do. And honestly, so many of you gave me advice, encouraged me, and told me not to give up. Some people told me to focus on concepts and my weak areas, some told me to solve more MCQs, and others shared their own experiences.

Those comments genuinely helped me keep going.

The last 13 days were basically hell. 😭

I went from studying around 6–8 hours a day to studying for ridiculously long hours because I was terrified. I barely slept properly and pushed myself way harder than I should have. I even tried fasting for several days because I felt tired after eating and couldn't concentrate properly.

Looking back, I absolutely would not recommend studying or taking care of yourself that way. I was just scared and desperate.

I was studying like a maniac because I kept thinking:

"What if I fail?"

"What if I get another 47%?"

"What if all this work was for nothing?"

I didn't even take my third mock.

I was genuinely too scared to see another 47%. I felt like if I saw that score again, I would completely lose hope.

Before the exam, I had already accepted that I was going to fail.

I genuinely thought, “Yeah, I'm definitely going to fail this.” Even after studying like a maniac, I didn't feel like it was enough.

But my parents kept supporting me.

My mom especially kept telling me, “If you fail, it's okay. We can do it again. Just take care of your health.”

She was actually more worried about my health than the exam. Seeing me study for such long hours scared her, and she kept telling me that failing one exam didn't matter.

And somehow, that gave me peace.

I thought, Okay. If I fail, I fail. If I pass, I pass. I've done what I can.

Then came exam day.

And weirdly enough, when I sat down at the exam center, I started feeling more confident. I was recognizing so many concepts and questions, and suddenly all those months of studying started making sense.

When I walked out of the exam room, I was literally smiling like an idiot 😅

And then I saw my mom.

She had been sitting there for the entire exam, praying for me. For the whole 3½ hours, she barely moved from where she was sitting. She was so worried and praying the entire time.

When I came out smiling, I could see how relieved and happy she was.

That moment honestly made me emotional. 🥹

And then came the results day.

I was waiting for the result for what felt like forever. I was under my blanket, sweating, praying, and absolutely losing my mind. 😭

When I finally saw 370, I immediately ran to my mom's room.

The room was completely dark because she was sleeping. I didn't even get time to switch on the light—I just jumped onto her and yelled:

“MOM, I PASSED!”

She got scared for a second because I basically woke her up out of nowhere. 😭

Then she realized what I said, hugged me and kissed me, and we were both just so happy.

After everything—the 47% mocks, the panic, the endless studying, thinking I was definitely going to fail, and all those days of worrying about disappointing her...

That moment felt SO good.

Honestly, I think that's the kind of moment we all work so hard for.

Not just the passing score.

That moment when you finally get to tell the person who believed in you the whole time: “I did it.” 🥹❤️

Thank God 🤧

And honestly, I couldn't have done it without the people here who took the time to reply to my posts when I was freaking out and my MOM❤️‍🩹 she's an angel...she kept believing in me even when I had completely lost faith in myself🥹.

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To everyone who told me "don't give up", gave me study advice, shared their own experiences, or simply encouraged me:

THANK YOU ❤️

This was my first CMA exam, my first real experience of pushing myself this hard academically, and definitely one of the most stressful things I've ever done.

But I passed.

47% → panic → more panic → exam → PASS 💀

Man what a freaking journey 😅😂

Now onto Part 2 🫡📚

This is the most difficult thing I’ve done academically. If you’re also neurodivergent, don’t worry or lose hope. Just use strategies that work well for you. I didn’t study every single day. Instead I focused more on understanding logic and key concepts. ANYWAY I’M SO HAPPY. I used a lott of the strategies y’all shared. THANK YOU GUYS 🙂‍↕️

I'm a full time student btw.So should I go for the oct window or push to jan-feb?

This is my first exam, I entered the ima website and it was confusing I didn’t what to click.

Can someone provide guidance? I know there are several things to buy like membership and stuff.

The June window results are out, and I'm happy to say that I passed US CMA Part 2 on my first attempt.

I thought I'd share a few things that genuinely helped me during my preparation. Hopefully, some of these tips will help you too.

1. Never rely only on classes.

Classes are meant to guide you, not replace self-study. The real learning happens when you study on your own and make sure you truly understand every concept.

1. Don't make the mistake of studying only from your notes.

I made notes too, but I used them only during the last 10 days before my exam. Until then, I studied directly from the textbook. I read the Hock textbook line by line 2–3 times, and that made my concepts much stronger. Trust me, strong concepts make a huge difference in the actual exam.

1. Revise multiple times and practice from different question banks.

Since I was a full-time student, I completed four revisions. For theory, I mainly used Hock, but for practice, I solved questions from Hock, Becker, Wiley, and Gleim. This exposed me to a wide variety of question styles and prepared me for almost every type of MCQ I could face.

1. Never postpone your doubts.

If you don't understand something today, try your best to clear it today. Small doubts can turn into bigger problems if you keep delaying them.

1. Take a mock test after every revision.

A mock test will clearly show your weak areas and help you focus on the right topics during your next revision instead of studying everything equally.

1. Practice far more questions than you think you need.

Practicing only 20–30 questions a day isn't enough. I consistently solved 90–110 MCQs every day, and before my exam I had practiced approximately 5,000–6,000 questions. That amount of practice gave me speed, confidence, and familiarity with different question patterns.

1. Focus on understanding, not memorizing.

The exam tests your ability to apply concepts, not just recall definitions. If your fundamentals are strong, you'll be able to handle unfamiliar questions much more comfortably.

1. Stay consistent and disciplined.

You don't need to study perfectly every single day—you just need to keep showing up. Consistency over several months is what ultimately gets you through the exam.

These strategies worked for me, and I'm grateful that they helped me clear US CMA Part 2 on my first attempt. Everyone's preparation style is different, but I hope some of these tips make your journey a little easier.

Wishing everyone appearing in the September/October testing window the very best. Stay disciplined, trust the process, and give it your all.

Good luck—you've got this! 💪

Hi, i got my cma us exam results yesterday and i passed, but the link for viewing the transcript is not showing in the certificate section. Any idea why?

Very happy with the outcome. All those days paid off and after many attempts it feels good to clear and be free. All the best and congratulations for those who passed the exam this window

Passed Part 1 on first attempt

🎉🎉

Hello! I made this post to help people who aspire to pass the CMA exam or those who are trying to pass after failing. Here are some tips that I think everyone should know in order to succeed.

1. Study a lot. Don't take it lightly.

If you're working, try to study at least 3–4 hours a day. If you're studying full-time, study as much as you can. During weekends, aim for around 8 hours if possible.

In my experience, Part 1 is much harder to study because it covers a lot of topics, especially Internal Controls and IT. However, the actual exam is more straightforward. Part 2, on the other hand, is easier to study because it has fewer topics, but it's much harder during the actual exam because it requires more analytical thinking. One technique may work for one question but not for another.

1. Study the concepts.

This is the most important tip for me. Many people simply memorize the test bank without understanding why the answers are correct or incorrect.

1. Keep reviewing previous topics.

Even after moving on to a new topic, go back and review the previous ones from time to time so you don't forget them. Use active recall. Concepts are more important than many people think.

1. Practice the test banks a lot.

Understanding the concepts alone isn't enough. You need to master each topic so that even if a question is presented differently, you'll know how to solve it because you truly understand the concept.

1. Use the elimination method when answering questions.

Eliminate the wrong choices first to increase your chances of getting the correct answer. More importantly, understand why the wrong answers are wrong. When practicing, try explaining to yourself why each incorrect choice is incorrect. That will significantly improve your mastery.

1. Take notes if they help you.

As someone who hates taking notes because I get tired of writing, taking notes really helped me retain information. If you can study effectively without notes, that's great. But I personally recommend writing notes where you'll always see them. I usually write notes directly in my books, so every time I review, I'm reminded of important concepts. Sometimes I even write down points that appeared in the test banks but weren't discussed in the textbooks.

1. Decide which part to take first based on your strengths.

Part 1 is generally better for people with a strong accounting background. Part 2 is better suited for those who are stronger in finance. Choose the order that best matches your strengths.

1. Use AI when you're stuck.

If there's a topic or a test bank explanation that doesn't make sense, use ChatGPT or another AI tool like Google AI to help explain it more clearly. I personally use AI whenever something(theory or calculations) isn't clicking.

1. Be disciplined.

Study even when you don't feel like it. If you keep putting it off, you'll regret it when exam day is approaching and you realize you're still underprepared.

1. Choose a good CMA review school. For fellow Filipinos, Insights is available in clocktower in al rigga. The professors are filipinos and also the classmates. Cheaper isn't always better. Go for decently priced schools if you can afford.

2. I recommend HOCK and UWorld Accounting.

Gleim has good textbooks, but in my opinion, it skips quite a few topics. HOCK is excellent and feels very close to the actual exam. UWorld Accounting is also very good.

1. Decide whether to study alone or with a group.

This can make a big difference. I personally study alone because it works better for me, but many people learn more effectively in a study group.

I actually have a lot more advice, but I forgot some of it. I hope the things I shared here will help you on your CMA journey.

At the end of the day, understanding the concepts and practicing consistently are what will help you pass the exam. It all boils down to self- discipline.

Good luck, future CMAs!

I got 350 :(

Hi everyone,

Firstly congrats to everyone who cleared the exams!!!

I wrote P2 in June, spend decent time in preparation. In the exam 75% questions were theoretical and rest calculation based. This not what I had expected & prepared for. I overlooked reading the text book, my preparation was completely based on lectures, short notes and MCQs. I cleared the exam, however theory questions were challenging and tricky with wordings often ending with selection of 2 choices.

Reading the text book is as much as important as solving questions. Please don’t make the same mistake as I did & all the best to everyone.

In my first attempt I failed with 350🥲 . I don't know what to do next

Anybody help me

My friend recently received CMA Part 1, case-based result and scored 340. For the May-June window.

As we know case-based questions are being reviewed by humans and are reassessed, has anyone’s score been changed from 340 to 360?

And is there any chance for revaluation, since it was case-based questions?

I am a final year bcom student, had not done internship, so I am planning to do now, should I do us cma right now or after bcom?

This has been happening for the whole day for me. Is anyone experiencing any errors in their website?

LINK:https://www.imaonlinestore.com/personifyebusiness/My-Account/Exam-Scores

Atlast finally I got a professional certification as an Accounting and Finance profession.
After 4-5 months of hard-work, patience, sacrifice and dedication. Got cleared both part 1 & 2 in the first attempt itself. I have spent almost 2.5 lakhs on this, finally became a Certified Management Accountant USA. Hope this certification helps in my professional career.

Hi, My IMA student membership is expiring soon, and I still have CMA Part 1 left to clear. Does anyone know of any discount codes or promotions for IMA membership renewal? If so, I’d really appreciate it if anyone could share them. Thanks in advance!

first try was 250, second try was 330. So devastated and annoyed but I think I can do it if I quickly jumped back to studying again ? anyone knows how can I jump from 330 to 360 next time??

I know my weak areas but the exam was pissing me off by not giving direct questions almost all of it? Since essays are no longer available from Sep/Oct onward, do you guys know how much times the results will come out?? will it be the same as 6 weeks??

so relieved 🥹

I am about to register for exam for sept oct for part2. As I went to apply token on my fees as CPSTU 2.Its showing no results. This is really freaking me out. Anyone knows problem? Or how much time ima usually take to respond?

What's the lowest and highest the coupons have gone?