Like many other CMA aspirates are you looking for the answer to this question: Which CMA part is easier? Part 1 or Part 2.

Students generally inquire comparison between CMA Part 1 and Part 2. As per our experience they want to know which CMA part is easier for them to attempt first in the CMA exams.

As discussed in blog post “All you need to know about CMA, there is no sequence to attempt CMA certification exams. Which means you can attempt CMA Part 2 before CMA Part 1 and vice versa.

There is no rule of thumb to decide which CMA exam should be given first. Each student case is different. First let’s summarize “exam contents” of each CMA certification part:

• Part I comprise of five main areas. Largest area of CMA Part I exam consists of 1) Management Accounting and 2) Budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis. In real exam you can expect more than 50% – 60% exam questions related to these main areas. Other notable exam content areas are 1) External Financial Reporting 2) Performance Management 3) Internal Control

• Part II comprises of five main areas. CMA Part II exam is dominated by 1) Ratio Analysis 2) Corporate Finance and 3) Investment decision making. Expect more than 60% of exam question related to these areas. Remaining exam comprise of 1) Risk Management 2) Ethics 3) Decision Analysis.

Below we discussed some factors to consider to help you in deciding which CMA part is easier.

Educational Background

If your educational background is more focused towards Management Accounting and Budgeting then Part I exam would be good choice for you to consider. B Com, M Com, Graduation with majors in accounting are some examples. While finance is also taught in these degrees but major focus is on financial and management accounting. So, Graduation with specialization in Finance tend to prefer CMA Part 2 over CMA Part 1.

Professional Experience

Students with experience in Management Accounting and Financial Accounting prefer CMA Part 1 because they can relate concepts to their practical work. While students having experience in finance related field where interpretation of financial statements is main element of job tend to give CMA Part 2 exam first.

Volume of Syllabus

For some student’s volume is a crucial factor to decide between CMA Part 1 and CMA Part 2. CMA Part 1 is lengthier then CMA Part 2. Which means you need more time to study and practice CMA Part 1 as compared to CMA Part 2.

CMA Exam Sequence

Majority of the students go with the sequence of CMA certification exams. For them all above mentioned factors does not matter. They give CMA Part 1 exam before CMA Part 2.

Final Thoughts

The decision about which CMA part is easier? Part I or Part II is a matter of personal choice. In our institute we discuss with student and get knowledge about his personal preferences, educational and experience background. After that decision of Part 1 and Part 2 is finalized. If there is no such preference, go with sequence approach is best i.e. CMA Part 1 first and then CMA Part 2.

If you have question/concern do contact us. We will be happy to assist you in most professional way.