CMA Certification

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• CMA Certification
• What it Can Mean for You

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Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)

• Vision
• The worlds leading association for management
  accounting and finance professionals

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Building Your Career

• CMA Certification Program
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Networking Leadership Opportunities
• Local Chapter Meetings
• Virtual Communities
• IMA Ethics Center and Ethics Helpline

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Management Accountants Who are we?

• Chief Accounting Officer/DaimlerChrysler
• Chairman, a Hong Kong Bank
• KPMG consulting partner
• VP, Operational Excellence, Merck
• Third in command at the FBI
• VP, Investor Relations, Johnson Johnson
• Source The Diverse Roles of Professional
  Accountants in Business,
• IFAC, New York, November 2004, Available at
  www.ifac.org.

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Management Accountants What do we do?

• Act as trusted business advisors
• Support business management and strategic
  development
• Provide accurate information for better decisions
• Act as conscience of last resort
• Work hands on to add value in organizations
• Plan for the long-term
• Source The Diverse Roles of Professional
  Accountants in Business,
• IFAC, New York, November 2004, Available at
  www.ifac.org.

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IMA the Profession

• Empower professionals inside organizations who
  create economic value
• Foster unique role as the ones responsible for
  building quality in
• Outside audit works best when the inside job is
  done correctly
• Ethical and responsible corporate governance must
  come from the inside

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CMA CPA Comparison

• CMA
• Preparer/User of accounting information
• Concept based
• Inside corporate professionals
• Higher quality, lower cost beans
• Player

• CPA
• Auditor of accounting information
• Rule based
• Public practice licensure
• Attesting to the accuracy of the beans
• Referee

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Certification
The appropriate gold standard for accountants
working inside organizations

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A CMA Professional Has

• Demonstrated ability to work across the breadth
  and depth of the entire accounting process within
  organizations
• Proficiency in decision-making, planning, and
  control functions
• Agreed to maintain professional competence
  through annual continuing professional education
• Committed to a code of ethics

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How Does Certification Benefit You?

• Opportunity to assess and demonstrate
  capabilities and expand knowledge base
• Distinguishes you from your peers and increases
  credibility and productivity
• Recognition of achievement
• Expanded career options and greater earning
  potential
• CMAs earn 28 more than professionals without
  certification (IMAs 17th Annual Salary Survey,
  June 2006)

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Certification Benefits to the Company

• Identify motivated professionals for hiring,
  recognition, and advancement
• Higher level of service and increased credibility
  among clients
• Achieve and maintain a high level of knowledge,
  competence, and business understanding

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Objective Validation of CMA Program

• CMA continues to be relevant to the on-the-job
  responsibilities of management accountants (IMA
  Job Analysis Study, 2006)
• Compared to U.S. CPA, CFA, CMA in Canada, CMA in
  U.K, and ACCA in U.K.
• Multi-national corporations are incorporating the
  CMA certification as part of their professional
  development programs for employees
• CMA program is valid, reliable, rigorous, and
  fair

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2006 Job Analysis Study

• Periodic validation of content relevance as
  practice changes over time
• Survey determines current job tasks and skills
  required to perform these tasks
• Compare skills required to exam content
• CMA continues to be relevant to practice
• Minor changes to content likely implemented in
  2008

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Profile of a CMA Candidate

• 65 have a Bachelors Degree
• 34 have a Masters Degree
• 1 have a PhD
• 5 are CPAs
• Average age 34

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Statistics

• Nearly 28,000 CMAs issued to date
• Pass rates for the four parts of the exam range
  between 50 to 60
• 50 of exams taken outside U.S.

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CMAs Who are we?

• CFO, Foundations Behavioral Health
• CFO/Treasurer, First Savings Bank
• Director of Finance Accounting, Marriott
  International
• Director of Technical Accounting Reporting,
  Microsoft
• Finance Manager, Habitat for Humanity
• Financial Controller, Johnson Johnson
• Vice President of Finance, Southeast Corporate
  Federal Credit Union

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Making Certification Work

• Commitment by senior management to continuing
  professional development
• Support for review programs
• Company support for CMA exam process
• Tangible recognition for successful completion

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CMA Exam Overview
These exams may be taken in any order but must
all be passed before registering for Part 4

• Part 1 Business Analysis
• - 3 hours, 110 multiple choice questions
• Part 2 Management Accounting and Reporting
• - 4 hours, 140 multiple choice questions
• Part 3 Strategic Management
• - 3 hours, 110 multiple choice questions

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Certification Exam ContentsPart 1 Business
Analysis
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Certification Exam ContentsPart 2 Financial
Accounting Reporting
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Certification Exam ContentsPart 3 Strategic
Management
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Certification Exam Contents Part 4 Business
Applications

• Must complete Parts 1, 2, and 3 first
• 3 hours, 4-7 essays/problems
• All content from Parts 1, 2, and 3 included
• Plus Ethics, Organization Management,
  Organization Communication, and Behavioral Issues
• Computer-based but no immediate
• scoring

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Becoming a CMA

• Member of IMA
• Apply for admission into certification program
• Register for certification exam
• Fulfill educational credentials
• Pass the certification exam
• Satisfy the experience requirement
• Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical
  Professional Practice
• View IMAs Webinar, Navigating through the CMA
  Program at www.imanet.org/certification_started.a
  sp

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Fees

• Dues 185 per year for Regular Member
• 130 per part
• 125 credentialing fee
• - Student exempt from this fee
• 65 for students per part

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Education Requirement

• Bachelors degree
• Certification equivalent to CMA
• or
• Score in top 50th percentile on GMAT or GRE

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Experience Requirement

• 2 years in a management accounting position or
  financial management
• or
• 2 years in public accounting
• or
• 2 years in academia

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Preparing for the CMA Exam

• Make a Personal Commitment to Self-study
• Sharpen Knowledge of Exam Topics
• Restore Test-taking Skills
• Take Self-administered or Instructor-guided
  Review Courses

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Remaining a CMA

• Maintain IMA Membership
• Meet the Continuing Education Requirement 30
  Hours/Year (Including 2 Hours in Ethics)
• Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical
  Professional Practice

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Take the ChallengeBecome a CMA
www.imanet.org