Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is a professional certification credential in the management accounting and financial management fields. The certification signifies that the person possesses knowledge in the areas of financial planning, analysis, control, decision support, and professional ethics.

The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) is a global association for financial professionals and offers the prestigious Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation. The IMA's mission is to promote education and development in management accounting and finance, the highest ethics and best business practices.

Founded in 1919, IMA states in its mission that its role is to provide a forum for research, practice development, education, knowledge sharing, and the advocacy of the highest ethical and best business practices in management accounting and finance.

People with a certified management accountant (CMA) certification can work in corporate financial accounting and strategic management. Professionals may choose the CMA pathway because it covers different topics than the certified public accountant (CPA) certification.

Global Recognition The CMA is respected in over 150 countries with over 100,000 certifications earned globally.

Based on CMA pass rates alone, I'm not surprised that many potential candidates are put off from wanting to tackle this exam. In fact, the majority of candidates don't get a passing score. With CMA exam pass rates as low as 45% for Part One and also 45% for Part Two, there is obviously a high level of difficulty.

So, how hard is the US CMA Exam? With pass rates as low as 45%, there is a high difficulty level in the CMA examination. However, the right CMA review course and proper guidance and preparation will not hamper your ability to pass the US CMA exam on the first try.

As you may know, when you become certified as a CMA in the United States, it is overseen by the IMA – Institute of Management Accountants. In the UK however, this designation is handled by the CIMA, or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

CIMA focuses on developing knowledge for strategic and business leadership roles. Job roles that would suit a CIMA qualification include management accountant, business analyst, project manager, and finance controller. ACCA concentrates on the advanced skills and principles of accounting.

There are various advantages of management accounting. For example, it helps assess the performance of departments and employees and improves operational efficiency. Moreover, managerial accounting makes the information managers use to make crucial operational decisions more reliable.

Both certifications are globally recognized and respected in the accounting profession, but the ACCA is more recognized in Europe, Asia, and Africa, while the CMA is more recognized in the United States. The prerequisites, exam format, and professional designation also differ between the two certifications.

A CMA in USA certificate is recognized and valued all over the world, but this is not the same for India. CMA in India qualification is acceptable only in India.