[Anonymous]

For those who have taken the CMA:
What study materials do you recommend?
How many hours did you study compared to CPA?

[B4BeanCounter]

Anyone else waiting for their scores this month?

[NoName]

@ Bean Counter

Nervously waiting away…lol

Right now I am at around 25% efficiency for studying part II .

I don't want to go full blast until I know the outcome of part 1.

[OnmywaytoCPA]

I am waiting on my score as well. I took part 2 last year on June 30, 2018 and missed it by 10 points. I retook it on October 31, 2019. Scores are two weeks away. I'm hoping that I got a 360 or better. I'm so ready to get this test/certification behind me. I refuse to take Part 2 for a third time.

REG - 74, Retook 6/10/16, scored a 72 (Hate this exam)
BEC - 69, 79, 8/1/15
AUD - 83, 4/4/15
FAR - 77, 2/27/16

[B4BeanCounter]

I missed Part 1 by 20 points…Underestimated this exam haha

[Mercenary]

So would this be worth pursuing after passing the CPA if my ultimate goal is being a CFO rather than work in a CPA firm?

Would it help much getting a job in general?

And finally how tough is if taken soon after the CPA?

Considering it but not sure if I should put down the money for a review program. Although Gleim is having a black friday sale so its tempting.

[jeff]

If you're up for it, the CMA is the “best” post-CPA Exam pursuit you can do in my opinion.

– It's low-cost financially (relative to getting some additional degree)
– It's a rigorous exam, but it's NOT the CPA Exam
– You could make the case that it's more relevant to being an accountant / CFO than the CPA, as it deals with decision-making (vs learning NFP accounting or Estate tax law)
– Most people won't know what it is – but recruiters probably will – and your future boss will nod their head in approval once you explain it to them in an interview

ROI-wise, it's CMA vs MBA or something else.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[NoName]

@ Jeff

Well Said

Regardless of which order a person completes these, I think the first credential is like a Bachelors degree and the other credential is complimentary and like a masters.

Each credential challenges a candidate in different ways.

However, if someone was eligible to sit for the CPA exam I would never advise that they pursue the CMA first. The CPA is the “gold standard” and the CMA is a nice added credential that better prepares an individual for work within a company (as opposed to a CPA firm).

[NoName]

Even though I have not completed the CMA process yet, I now feel I have a much more solid foundation in finance, cost accounting, and general financial analysis than before.

I may be tooting my own horn but this combined with above average competency on the IT side of things (SQL, programming languages, databases), this makes me more sophisticated and well rounded than the typical accountant (CPA or otherwise).

However, I have much less applied experience in tax because I have never worked on that side of things even in my public accounting days.

[Author]

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