BUSINESS AND MONEY
Cost and Management Accountant (CMA)
Costing, budgeting and management accounts inside companies and factories.
Facts checked 17/10/2026
- Class 11–12 subjects
- Any stream. You must have passed Class 12 before the Foundation exam.
- First degree
- No degree needed. Graduates can enter directly at Intermediate.
- Entrance exams
- ICMAI's exams: Foundation, Intermediate, Final (June and December).
- Licence or registration
- Membership of ICMAI (ACMA).
What the work is like
Product costing, budgets, cost audits, pricing and management reports — mostly in manufacturing, utilities and large companies.
Professional qualificationRun by Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI). You can start after: Class 12 — or any degree. Minimum time: About 3½–4 years after Class 12 (our estimate).
The full route: exams, training, registration
- Step 1 · after Class 12Foundation exam (taken online). You can register provisionally after Class 10. (reported — check with the official body)
- Step 2Intermediate: 8 papers in 2 groups (June and December).
- Step 3 · at least 15 monthsPractical training, plus 140 hours of skills training (SAP, MS Office, e-filing, soft skills), 40 hours of workshops and a 7-day industry programme.
- Step 4Final: choose one elective at enrolment (it can't be changed later).
- Step 5Membership (ACMA) after Final and the required practical experience. (reported — check with the official body)
Already have a degree?
- Graduates (any subject except fine arts), postgraduates, ICAI Intermediate passers and ICSI Foundation passers can enter at Intermediate (reported; ICMAI's site could not be opened to confirm the full list).
- ICMAI's website could not be read directly, so several details here are from secondary sources. Check icmai.in before you register.
Good to know
- Registration validity (reported): Foundation 3 years, Intermediate and Final 7 years each.
- Cost audit is a legal requirement for some industries, which keeps CMAs in demand in manufacturing.
About pay: it varies a lot by city, employer and skill, and changes year to year, so we don't print salary numbers. Ask us in a session and we'll show you current, sourced figures for your case.
Thinking about cost and management accountant (cma)? Message us on WhatsApp. We reply within 24 hours.