Exams are administered through the worldwide network of Prometric Testing Centers and are available in accordance with local customs. There are many locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. To locate a test center, please visit: http://www.prometric.com/ICMA

Starting February 2025, we will offer continuous testing for the FMAA exam. This means you can schedule your exam at a Prometric Testing Center at a time that’s convenient for you (space permitting).January 2025 will be the final window before continuous testing begins.

The Arabic version of the exam will continue to be offered in three testing windows: January/February; May; and September.

Performance reports are sent via email from Prometric on behalf of ICMA. The performance reports are emailed approximately 14 days after exam results are posted to the candidate’s profile.

Effective February 2025, candidates who take the English FMAA exam will receive an exam performance report immediately after taking the exam. For candidates who take the FMAA exam in Arabic, performance reports will be sent via email from Prometric on behalf of ICMA. The performance reports are mailed approximately 14 days after exam results are posted to the candidate’s profile.

All candidates who do not pass the exam will receive a report that indicates their performance on each of the key topic areas of the exam.

Go to the IMA website, log in, click on myIMA, and then click on myCertifications. There you will find your exam status and transcript.

Effective February 2025, candidates must wait 30 days before they can retake the English FMAA exam. The Arabic exam may be taken only once in a testing window.

All retakes require a new exam registration along with payment of appropriate fees.

Program info and fees can be found online here.

To schedule an exam by phone, find the phone number for your region at www.prometric.com/ICMA. You will need:

• Your Registration Acknowledgment Form, which provides your authorization number(s).
• The first four letters of your last name and a valid email address.

1. Visit imanet.org/cma-certification to apply. You will need to purchase the CMA entrance fee and IMA membership. The application process takes about 10 minutes.
2. Register for the exam. You can register for Part 1 and Part 2 in any order or register for both at the same time.
3. Prepare to complete certification requirements including submitting your education transcript and work experience. This can be done before or after passing the exam but is required as a final step to become certified.

• Active membership in IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university or a related professional certification
• Complete two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management. This requirement may be completed prior to or within seven years of passing the examination.
• Passing Parts 1 and 2 of the CMA exam.

For further details, please refer to the CMA Handbook.

The CMA exams are computer-based and administered at hundreds of Prometric Test Centers worldwide. With three testing windows each year, you can sit for an exam at a time and place convenient for you.

If you are enrolled in the CMA program and are ready to sit for the exam, here are the steps:

1. Pick your testing window. Testing windows are offered in January/February, May/June, and September/October.
2. Register for the exam at www.imaonlinestore.com.
3. Receive your authorization number(s) along with further instructions.
4. Schedule your exam appointment(s) with Prometric, our testing partner, at www.prometric.com/ICMA.

Exams are offered according to the following schedule:

• January and February
• May and June
• September and October

To schedule exam appointments, visit www.prometric.com/ICMA or call (800) 479-6370. To ensure your first choice of date, time, and location, it is best to schedule your appointment at least four weeks in advance. All exam appointments must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance of the exam date. Once you are registered, you must take the exam part during your assigned testing session. If, for any reason, you are unable to schedule an exam appointment during the assigned testing window, you will need to pay another registration fee. Appointments cannot be rescheduled to another testing window.

To fulfill your educational requirements, please submit original transcripts (or notarized copies) electronically to CMAEducationDocuments@imanet.org. Please email all documents in PDF format and make sure to include your IMA membership number. If you have questions regarding your educational documents, please email CMAEducationDocuments@imanet.org.

To validate your work credential, you will need to fill out the online CMA Experience Requirement Form.

• For Professional Members
• For Student/Academic Members

*IMA membership is additional and required.

• If you reschedule or cancel an appointment within 30 days of your appointment date, you will be required to pay a rescheduling fee to Prometric.
• The exam appointment must be cancelled 72 hours (3 days) before the exam date, based on the policy from Prometric.
• To cancel or reschedule an exam appointment, call Prometric at (800) 479-6370 or go to www.prometric.com/ICMA
• To switch to a new exam window, fill out the online form.

The CMA Entrance Fee is not refundable.

If you have not scheduled an appointment with Prometric, the examination fee is refundable within 30 days from the time you purchased the exam. A $25 processing fee will be deducted from the refund. We do not offer postponements of exam parts. You must sit in the testing window for which you purchased a registration.

To schedule an exam by phone, find the phone number for your region at www.prometric.com/ICMA. You will need:

• Your Registration Acknowledgment Form, which provides your authorization number(s).
• The first four letters of your last name and a valid email address.

Each year there are 10 scholarships available for Endorsed Schools & 3 for Partner Schools.

Learn more here.

To earn the CSCA, you must:

• Pass the CSCA exam
• Hold a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college/university AND have two consecutive years of professional business experience; OR hold a qualifying accounting or finance certification
• Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.

For further details, please refer to the CSCA Handbook.

Register for the exam. CSCA candidates are required to purchase examination registration for a specific testing window. Candidates must complete the CSCA program within two years of the date of entry. If the exam is not successfully completed within two years of entering the CSCA program, a new CSCA entry must be purchased.

See the CSCA Handbook for complete information.

IMA Customer Service
Phone: 800-638-4427 or 201-573-9000
Email: ima@imanet.org

Yes. If you are unable to keep a scheduled exam appointment, you must cancel at least 72 hours prior to your appointment date.

If you do not comply with this cancellation policy, you will be considered a "no-show" and will need to re-register with ICMA and pay an additional exam registration fee.

Please note that appointments that are cancelled and rescheduled within the same testing window will incur a $50 Prometric rescheduling fee.

As a reminder: Your authorization number is only valid for the testing window you selected. Appointments cannot be rescheduled to another testing window.

Call Prometric at (800) 479-6370 or go to www.prometric.com/ICMA at least 72 hours before your appointment.

If you do not comply with this cancellation policy, you will be considered a "no-show" and will need to re-register with ICMA and pay the exam fee.

To schedule an exam by phone, find the phone number for your region at www.prometric.com/ICMA.

You will need:

• Your Registration Acknowledgment Form, which provides your authorization number.
• The first four letters of your last name and a valid email address.

We now have course providers for the CSCA. You can check our website for approved course providers: https://www.imanet.org/en/IMA-Certifications/CSCA-Certification/Prepare

The Learning Series references content from "HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategy” and enrollees are required to obtain a copy of this book.  Each of the five courses specifies the required readings from the book.

You can purchase this book for about $15 from many online booksellers or large bookstores. Alternatively, you can borrow this book from your local library.

IMA Customer Service

Phone: 800-638-4427 or 201-573-9000

Email: ima@imanet.org

The CSCA exam is offered in two testing windows per year, March and September. To schedule exam appointments, visit www.prometric.com/ICMA or call (800) 479-6370. To ensure your first choice of date, time, and location, you should schedule your appointment at least four weeks in advance. All exam appointments must be scheduled at least 72 hours before the exam date. Once you are registered, you must take the exam part during your assigned testing session.

If for any reason you are unable to schedule an exam appointment during the assigned testing window, you will need to pay the exam fee again. Appointments cannot be rescheduled to another testing window.

Candidates who do not pass the exam will receive a performance report from Prometric via email. The performance reports are emailed about two weeks after exam results are posted to the candidate’s profile.

Performance reports indicate a candidate’s performance on each of the key content areas in the multiple-choice section as well as the overall performance on the case study section of the exam.

To enroll in IMA’s automatic renewal program, please follow the steps below.

1. Log into your account on the IMA website, go to the IMA Dashboard.
2. On the dashboard navigation, click myProfile, then My Membership.
3. Under Current Membership, click on the checkbox to opt into automatic renewal.
4. Once a popup is displayed, you will be prompted to either save or cancel your action.
5. Add your credit card to your file to be used for the automatic renewal of your IMA membership. 

Automatic renewal requires an up-to-date valid credit card. To update or add a new card please follow the below steps.

1. Log into your account on the IMA website, go to the IMA Dashboard.
2. On the dashboard navigation, click myOrders, then Saved Credit Cards.
3. Add a new card or update an existing card file to be used for the automatic renewal of your IMA membership.

If we are unable to process your payment, you will be notified by email from IMA. If your credit card is not updated before your membership lapses, your membership will expire, and you will need to reinstate your membership to access IMA benefits.

You can cancel any time by logging into your account on the IMA website. Please note IMA will still create an invoice for your membership renewal during your standard renewal period. You will need to pay this to continue to receive your IMA benefits. Canceling automatic renewal does not cancel your current membership.

1. Log into your account on the IMA website, go to the IMA Dashboard.
2. On the dashboard navigation, click myProfile, then My Membership.
3. Under Current Membership, click on the checkbox to opt out of automatic renewal.
4. Once a popup is displayed, you will be prompted to either save or cancel your action.
5. Once you have opted out, you can remove the credit card on file.

Your system must meet the following requirements to participate in an IMA webinar:

Supported System Configurations

• Windows 10+ (Latest Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Chrome)
• Apple Mac OS 10.10+ (*Latest Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome)
• Android 9+ (Latest Chrome Browser)
• Apple iOS 15+ (*Latest Safari Browser)

Webinars are delivered as a group-internet educational offering. In order to be eligible for CMA-approved and NASBA CPE credits, you must:

1. Log in on time on the day of the event.
2. Participate in at least 50 minutes of the event (for 1 CPE credit).
3. Respond to at least 3 polling questions (for 1 CPE credit). Polling questions during the live webinar allow attendees to actively participate.

Attendees who meet the criteria listed above, will be able to access the PDF of his or her certificate at the conclusion of the webinar as well as use the custom link contained within the "thank you for attending" email.

As a CPE program sponsor, IMA will retain adequate documentation for five years, which is available to participants upon request. Any questions regarding your credits should be directed to ima@imanet.org or contact IMA Member Services at (800) 638-4427.

It may take up to 30 days for your CPE credit to be reflected in your transcript.

Any concerns regarding your CPE record must be submitted in writing to IMA, Attn: Professional Learning & Career Advancement, 10 Paragon Drive, Suite 1, Montvale, NJ 07645 or ima@imanet.org. Please include your name, IMA member number, webinar title and date, and a brief explanation of the dispute. All appeals must be made within 30 days of receiving your certificate.

Strategic Finance (SF) publishes only original material that contributes to the accounting and financial management profession.

We recommend that you study several issues of IMA’s publications before you write and submit your manuscript. The best advice is to write only about the topics you know best and with which you’ve had experience.

To query about potential articles or article topics, or for any questions about submitting a manuscript or any of the information below, email sfmag@imanet.org.

Manuscripts must be accompanied by a completed Manuscript Submission form. Manuscripts will not be processed without a form.

The criteria for acceptable manuscripts are:

1. IMA is given exclusive publication rights.
2. The manuscript must not have been previously published and is not available to other publishers.
3. It must be submitted in English and in completed form for publication.
4. The manuscript must not be a poem, outline, abstract, thesis, school term/research paper, unedited speech, or previously accepted manuscript.
5. The content of the manuscript must be timely.

Each manuscript undergoes a blind review by three independent reviewers who have expertise in specific areas. All references to the author are deleted. Members of the manuscript appraisal committee base their evaluations on the following seven major criteria: Each manuscript undergoes a double-blind review by members of the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB), who are academics and practitioners with expertise in the specific topic areas the manuscript covers.

Members of the EAB base their evaluations on the following seven major criteria:

1. Is the topic of the manuscript relevant for our readers?
2. How well was the topic covered? Was it a thorough analysis and description of the topic? Were any assertions made that were not supported by the evidence and data supplied?
3. Is the manuscript original and not a rehash of what has been published previously?
4. Is it practical? Can our readers use the information to benefit their companies and careers?
5. Is it technically correct and sound?
6. Is the topic timely? Does the manuscript reflect the latest pronouncements and research? Does it represent a new development or innovation of which our members should be aware?
7. Is the material presented clearly and concisely?

Reviewers recommend that the manuscript be published, revised, or rejected. They also provide reasons for their recommendations and suggestions on how the technical content of the manuscript can be improved.

Based on the review committee’s comments and further evaluation by the editorial staff of the magazine, manuscripts will either be considered for publication or rejected. You will be notified once a final decision has been reached.

• Write punchy lead paragraphs that will “grab” readers and pull them into the article.
• Avoid long introductions. Get right to the point. Tell the reader exactly what you plan to do.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms. Readers don’t like to go back and check their meaning.
• Don’t pad your manuscript. It will be obvious to the editor and to the reader—if the editor lets the material stand.
• Avoid long, complex sentences. Break a complex thought into two or more sentences.
• Don’t assume that the reader knows as much as you do. Carefully explain or define a term that isn’t commonly used or was coined at your company.
• Use the active voice, not passive. Instead of writing “It was accomplished in 10 days,” say “We finished the project in 10 days.”
• Write a conclusion that sums up your major points and makes a statement on why the article is important to the reader.

Case submissions should focus on management accounting topics and related fields (IECJ also accepts research papers related to management accounting case writing and teaching with cases). To successfully submit a case for consideration for publication, please click this link for the full editorial policy and submission guidelines.  Please send all submissions to IECJ@imanet.org.

Case submissions are refereed by members of the IECJ Editorial Staff and Review Board using a double blind review process.

For questions regarding the IECJ, please contact:
Margaret Shackell
IECJ Production Editor
IECJ@imanet.org

The cases are accessible by issue or by individual cases. Please click this link, https://www.imanet.org/about-ima/professional-publications-and-reports/ima-educational-case-journal to review.

Teaching Notes are available without charge to IMA Academic members. Here is how to access teaching notes:

• Sign In to your IMA account
• Click on Insights & Trends
• Click the dropdown menu - IMA Educational Case Journal.

For IMA members, a subscription to IECJ^® is automatically included in membership dues.

We offer case writing competitions with cash awards, including:

• Summer IMA Case Writing Competition: Cases in any area of management accounting or related fields are invited. Deadline: July annually
• IECJ Ethics Case Competition: Cases must be based on real companies or events and relate to an ethical situation. Cases submitted to the competition will concurrently be reviewed for publication in IECJ. Deadline: October annually
• Carl Menconi Ethics Case Competition: Cases are focused on business ethics, and the winning case is featured in Strategic Finance. Deadline: January annually

Permission is hereby granted to authors to reproduce any of the contents of IECJ for use in courses of instruction, as long as the source and IMA copyright are indicated in any such reproductions. Permission is further granted to authors of cases published in IECJ to reproduce their cases in other works provided that the source and IMA copyright are indicated in any such reproductions.

Written application must be made to the editor for permission by nonauthors to reproduce any of the contents of the IECJ for uses other than courses of instruction–e.g., inclusion in books of readings or cases.

Except as otherwise noted in articles, the copyright has been transferred to IMA for all items appearing in the IECJ. Where the author(s) has not transferred the copyright to IMA, applicants must seek permission to reproduce (for all purposes) directly from the author(s).

Concurrent Session Presentation

IMA welcomes and encourages academics to submit manuscripts and/or presentation proposals for concurrent sessions at the IMA Annual Conference & Expo devoted to applied management accounting research. These sessions are an opportunity to share research with management accounting professionals and to show how concepts or tools from research can be applied in practice. Presentations should be oriented toward a practitioner audience. The Concurrent Sessions are held in June. Presenters will receive a complimentary Conference registration.

Poster Session

The Poster Session offers an opportunity for presenters to discuss their work and interact with Conference participants. Faculty interested in sharing research focused on business application or education as well as novel, innovative, and successful teaching methods are encouraged to submit proposals. The best poster presentation will receive an award. The Poster Sessions are held in June. Poster presenters not registered for the Conference will receive a complimentary exhibit hall pass.

Research Lab

The Research Lab offers academics and/or doctoral students the opportunity to collect data by surveying management accounting professionals at the Conference. Academics and/or doctoral students interested in participating in the Research Lab should submit a copy of their survey instrument and a brief description of the benefit of the research to the management accounting profession. Accepted participants will need to provide documentation of human subject testing approval from their institution, where required. The Research Lab is held in June. Those accepted for the Research Lab will receive a one-day Conference registration.

Papers and/or abstracts should be submitted electronically to research@imanet.org. All submissions should include a cover letter that indicates your name, academic affiliation, telephone number, fax, e-mail address, and physical address of lead contact as well as type of presentation desired (Concurrent Session, Poster Session, or Research Lab).

Questions regarding submission content can be directed to. Raef Lawson, Ph.D., CMA, CPA, CFA, IMA’s vice president of research & policy and professor-in-residence, at rlawson@imanet.org.

The IMA Research Foundation is committed to developing the management accounting researchers of tomorrow. We recognize that it can be difficult for less-experienced researchers to obtain funding through traditional channels. We also know that it can be hard to fully evaluate the merits and feasibility of a research idea, without first undertaking preliminary investigations.

With these issues in mind, the Foundation invites submissions of both academic and practitioner research proposals to its Research Incubator Grant Program. Two types of applications will be accepted under this program:

1. Applications from inexperienced researchers, which may include those with experience only as research assistants; Ph.D. students, those without previous funding awards; those pursuing research degree studies; or those who have not previously acted as a principal researcher.
2. Applications from experienced researchers seeking to undertake a feasibility study as a preliminary to in-depth empirical research or with an idea/concept that they wish to develop. A feasibility study may include development of research instrument/research method, pilot study and evaluation of the wider research project, including reviewing issues that could impact its success. This would be conducted to assist the researcher in determining whether or not to proceed with a full research project.

Applicants may apply for funding of up to $5,000. Projects will typically not last longer than one year.

Researchers are required to produce a 3,000-word practitioner-oriented report regarding their project. Awarded researchers will also need to provide IMA with an article for one of its publications and an end-of-project report, detailing how the funding was spent, the results of the investigation, and plans for future research.

Funding of research under this program does not preclude application for subsequent additional funding under the Research Foundation’s other grant programs.

Researchers who are not members of IMA and receive a grant from the Foundation are expected to join IMA before the grant is disbursed.

A Call for Proposals are announced when accepting applications, please see our webpage for more information. https://www.imanet.org/membership/academics/research-foundation.

1. Describe:
   a. The objectives of the research (maximum of five bullet points). What is the feasibility study intended to achieve?
   b. How would the proposed research benefit the management accounting discipline? Why should this research be done? Why now?
   c. Proposed fieldwork materials (e.g., topic guide, survey/questionnaire), if appropriate.
   d. The scope of the project (e.g., areas of research, geography of research, characteristics of intended research participants, timeframe, etc.).
   e. Why you should conduct this research.
   f. Your previous research in this area.
2. Provide a brief bibliography of relevant related work.
3. Proposed approach of research project (e.g., inductive or deductive, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method, etc.).
4. Proposed budget, including the major costs that will be incurred in the undertaking of this study.
5. Time frame: for key tasks of the feasibility study, specify the start date and end date. Projects exceeding six months are unlikely to be successful.
6. Other support: are there other resources that you would request from the IMA?
7. Describe the expected deliverable of this project. Generally this will be a report describing the results of the current project and describing desired next steps in this research endeavor. Include any other deliverables that may result from this feasibility study (articles, presentations, etc.).
8. CVs: Provide a short (maximum one page per researcher) CV for each participating researcher.

IMA Higher Education Endorsed Schools are able to award up to 10 scholarships each academic year. Students must first create a customer account at imanet.org and then give the nominating professor their IMA Account ID  # along with demographic information that is needed on the nomination form. The nomination form can be accessed here. 

Students who recieve the IMA Student CMA/FMAA Scholarship receive:

• Two years of IMA Student membership
• Entrance fee to the CMA exam (must be used and at least one part of the exam passed within 12 months of receiving the scholarship. Both exam parts must be passed within 24 months) OR entrance/exam fee to the FMAA exam (must be used and exam passed within 12 months of receiving the scholarship)
• Exam fees for Part 1 and Part 2 of the CMA exam (each exam fee can only be used once)
• Access to Gleim Online Study materials for 12 months from the time the scholarship is received. Gleim is the exclusive review material provider of the IMA Student Scholarship.

All submissions must be submitted through the IMA Application Portal.

The following categories of costs are eligible for reimbursement:

1. Payment to research assistants for tasks defined in the project’s budget.
2. Purchase or rental of custom/special data sets, software.
3. Transportation and other costs for data collection and developing research engagement/partnerships/arrangements.
4. Data entry, supplies, word processing, copying, telephone, postage, transcription, subject stipends.
5. Other reasonable costs associated with project.
6. Nominal stipends may be considered. Funds for IRF grants are typically paid to the principal researcher’s university, college, or company. IRF does not pay overhead or administration fees that may be charged by these types of institutions.