CMA Pattern 2025: Know Marking Scheme & Exam Duration

Certified Management Accountant 2025 ( CMA )

DeskCalelnderExam On - 11 Oct '25

Abhishek Dhawan
Updated on Sep 13, 2025 23:39 IST

By Abhishek Dhawan, Assistant Manager – Editorial Content

CMA 2025 Exam Pattern: The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) has released the CMA exam pattern for Foundation, Intermediate and Final course. The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) releases the exam pattern of CMA 2025 for December and June sessions on the official website, icmai.in. ICMAI will be conducting the exam as offline centre-based test for all three courses. Last year, CMA exam for Foundation course was conducted as remote proctored exam, while exam for the Intermediate and Final courses was conducted as online test from centre. Each exam paper has a total of 100 questions to be answered within 120 minutes for the Foundation course and within 180 minutes for Intermediate and Final courses.

Scroll down for complete information on CMA 2025 exam pattern for Foundation, Intermediate and Final courses.

Q:   What are the maximum marks in CMA exam?
Q:   Can I appear for CMA exam twice in one year?
Q:   How many papers are there in CMA exam?
Table of content
  • CMA 2025 Exam Pattern
  • CMA Exam Pattern 2025 for Foundation Course
  • CMA Sectional Weightage for Foundation Course
  • CMA Exam Pattern 2025 for Intermediate and Final Courses
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CMA 2025 Exam Pattern

ICAI conducts CMA exam for three courses separately. All three CMA courses have a different exam pattern. Candidates can find the CMA exam pattern 2025 for the following courses here:

  1. CMA Foundation
  2. CMA Intermediate
  3. CMA Final
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Commonly asked questions
Q:   What are the types of questions in the CMA exam?
Q:   How many questions are there in the CMA exam?
Q:   How many times is CMA exam conducted in one year?
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CMA Exam Pattern 2025 for Foundation Course

The space below mentions the CMA 2025 exam pattern for foundation courses:

Exam Features CMA Exam Details 
Mode of CMA Foundation exam

Offline Centre-Based Test

Type of questions in CMA Foundation exam Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Total marks in each subject paper 100
Duration of CMA Foundation exam 120 minutes
Number of subject papers 4

There are four papers based on accounts in the CMA foundation course. The subjects below are as per the CMA 2025 syllabus: 

  • PAPER 1: Fundamentals Of Business Laws and Business Communication (FBLC)
  • PAPER 2: Fundamentals Of Financial and Cost Accounting (FFCA)
  • PAPER 3: Fundamentals Of Business Mathematics and Statistics (FBMS)
  • PAPER 4: Fundamentals Of Business Economics and Management (FBEM)
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CMA Sectional Weightage for Foundation Course

Each paper of CMA courses will have weightage from the syllabus as under: 

Foundation Course Paper 1: Fundamentals of Economics and Management

Sections

Topics

Weightage

Section A - Fundamentals of Economics

Basic concepts of Economics

20 marks

Forms of Market

20 marks

Money and Banking

10 marks

Section B – Fundamentals of Management

Management Process

50 marks

Total

-

100 marks

Foundation Course Paper 2: Fundamentals of Accounting 

Sections

Topics

Weightage

Section A: Fundamentals of Financial Accounting

Accounting Fundamentals

35 marks

Accounting for Special Transactions

20 marks

Preparation of Final Accounts

25 marks

Section B: Fundamentals of Cost Accounting

Fundamentals of Cost Accounting

20 marks

Total

-

100 marks

Foundation Course Paper 3: Fundamentals of Laws and Ethics 

Sections

Topics

Weightage

Section A: Fundamentals of Commercial Laws

Indian Contracts Act, 1872

40 marks

Sale of Goods Act, 1930

20 marks

Negotiable Instruments Act,1881

10 marks

Section B: Fundamentals of Ethics

Ethics and Business

30 marks

Total

-

100 marks

Foundation Course Paper 4: Fundamentals of Business Mathematics and Statistics

Sections

Topics

Weightage

Section A: Fundamentals of Business Mathematics

Arithmetic

20 marks

Algebra

20 mark

Section B: Fundamentals of Business Statistics

Statistical representation of Data

10 marks

Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion

30 marks

Correlation and Regression

10 marks

Probability

10 marks

Total

-

100 marks

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CMA Exam Pattern 2025 for Intermediate and Final Courses

The space below mentions the exam pattern for CMA intermediate 2025 and final courses:

Exam Features CMA Exam Details 
Mode of CMA Intermediate and Final exams Offline test from centre
Type of questions in CMA Intermediate and Final exams Descriptive
Total marks in each subject paper 100
Duration of CMA Intermediate and Final exam 180 minutes

CMA Intermediate Course Papers

The course consists of two groups (Group 1 and Group 2) inclusive of 4 papers each (Papers 5-8) and (Papers 9-12)

Group I Group II
PAPER 5: Business Laws and Ethics (BLE) PAPER 9: Operations Management and Strategic Management (OMSM)
PAPER 6: Financial Accounting (FA) PAPER 10: Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)
PAPER 7: Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX) PAPER 11: Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)
PAPER 8: Cost Accounting (CA) PAPER 12: Management Accounting (MA)

CMA Final Course Papers

CMA Final Course will consist of two groups (Group 3 and Group 4) inclusive of 4 papers each (Papers 13-16) and (Papers 17-20)

Group III Group IV
PAPER 13: Corporate and Economic Laws (CEL) PAPER 17: Cost and Management Audit (CMAD)
PAPER 14: Strategic Financial Management (SFM) PAPER 18: Corporate Financial Reporting (CFR)
PAPER 15: Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation (DIT) PAPER 19: Indirect Tax Laws and Practice (ITLP)
PAPER 16: Strategic Cost Management (SCM) PAPER 20: One of the following subjects PAPER 20A: Strategic Performance Management and Business Valuation (SPMBV)
PAPER 20B: Risk Management in Banking and Insurance (RMBI)
PAPER 20C: Entrepreneurship and Start Up (ENTS)
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Commonly asked questions
Q:   What are the test papers for CMA Intermediate course level?
Q:   What are the test papers included in CMA Final course level?
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CMA Exam

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered a month ago

Absolutely! Many subjects like Financial Accounting, Corporate Law, Taxation, and Auditing directly overlap with professional courses. Students often say that their B.Com (Hons) syllabus gives them a head start in cracking CA/CS/CMA exams, saving them study time later.

A

Aashi Rai

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 2 months ago

To become a CMA in the USA, you need to:

  1. Become a member of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
  2. Meet the required education and work experience criteria.
  3. Successfully pass both parts of the computer-based CMA exam.
  4. Complete required continuing education units to keep your certification active

...Read more

R

Rupali Arora

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

We have listed below the CMA US eligibility criteria for international students:

  • Register yourself with the IMA.
  • You must have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. If you are pursuing your graduation, you are still eligible for the US CMA. Degree verification must be done with

...Read more

A

Abhay Arora

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

The average CMA in USA salary is USD 126,000, but may vary on factors like experience, industry, company size, and location. The details are given below:

  • Mean Salary: USD 86,924 (INR 72.2 L)
  • Median Salary: USD 67,500 (INR 56.5 L)

Conversion Rate: 1 USD = INR 83.70

P

Piyush Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

The CMA programme in USA, offers flexibility for aspiring management accountants to complete the course. While CMA in USA typically takes 12 to 18 months to complete both exam parts, however, dedicated students can finish in 6 to 9 months also. Candidates also have a three-year window to complete th

...Read more

J

Jasleen Hazarika

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

CMA is not just valid in USA, but also in other countries like Europe, UK, Canada, Germany, UAE and others. Thus, those who graduate with CMA from USA are eligible to work across the globe. 

J

Jaya Taneja

Contributor-Level 6

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