CMA Exam Pattern 2025: Check Marking Scheme, Total Marks

Ashna Priyadashi
Ashna Priyadashi

Updated on - Feb 21, 2025

CMA exam pattern 2025 is decided by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India twice yearly for all three courses - Foundation, Intermediate, and Final. The CMA 2025 papers involves Objective, Descriptive, and Numerical types of questions.

Candidates are allotted 3 hours to complete the examination and are given 15 minutes extra for reading time. The CMA exam is conducted in offline mode. CMA exam pattern 2025 for the foundation, intermediate and final exams are detailed below.

CMA Exam Pattern Highlights 2025

As there are three exams for the CMA courses, the exam pattern for each exam differs, but the basic structure remains the same. The foundation course exam has objective-type questions, whereas the intermediate and final course exams consist of descriptive and numerical-type questions.

The foundation course has four papers, and the question paper consists of multiple-choice questions. The intermediate and final courses have two groups with four papers in each group, and the question paper has descriptive and numerical-type questions. 

CMA Exam Pattern 2025 Highlights
Particulars Details
Mode of Exam Offline
Exam Duration 3 Hours + 15 Minutes Reading Time
Total Marks 100
Types of Questions Objective, Descriptive and Numerical Questions

Students are advised to go through the CMA Exam Syllabus 2025 thoroughly to better understand the topics and content of each subject and the mark distribution for each section.

Practice Now: CMA Previous Years Question Papers

CMA Exam Pattern 2025 Foundation Course

The CMA foundation exam pattern for the year 2025 has been shared below for the candidates in the table.

CMA Exam Pattern 2025 Foundation Course
Particulars Details
Mode of Exam Offline - centre based
Type of Questions Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)
Total Questions 50
Maximum Marks per Paper 2
Number of Papers 4
Exam Duration 2 hours

Downloadable Resources for CMA Exams

  • CMAT
  • SNAP
  • MAH CET
  • ATMA
  • XAT
  • CAT
  • IIFT
  • TS ICET
  • TISSNET
  • MAT
  • MICAT
  • NMAT
  • IBSAT
  • UPESMET
  • SET
  • DU JAT
  • AP ICET
  • IGNOU OPENMAT
  • UPTU
  • IRMA
  • KMAT
  • JUET
  • GNDU GMET
  • KMAT Kerala
  • GSIB Entrance Test
  • IPMAT
  • GRE
  • JEMAT
Resource Image
CMAT 2025 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2024 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2023 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2024 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2023 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2022 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2021 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2021 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 2 with Solutions
Resource Image
CMAT 2018 Practice Question Paper 3 with Solutions
Resource Image
SNAP 2025 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
SNAP 2023 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
SNAP 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
MAH CET 2024 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
ATMA 2024 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
ATMA 2020 Practice Question Paper 2 with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2024 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2023 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2022 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2021 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2020 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2019 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2018 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2024 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2023 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2022 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2021 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2020 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2019 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2018 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
XAT 2021 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
CAT 2023 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
CAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
IIFT 2023 Answer Key with Solutions
Resource Image
IIFT 2021 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
TS ICET 2021 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
TS ICET 2021 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
TS ICET 2020 Practice Question Paper 2 with Solutions
Resource Image
TISSNET 2021 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
MAT 2020 Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions
Resource Image
MAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
MICAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
NMAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
IBSAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
UPESMET 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
SET 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
DU JAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
AP ICET 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
UPTU 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
IRMA 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
KMAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
JUET 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
GNDU GMET 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
KMAT Kerala 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
GSIB Entrance Test 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
IPMAT 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
GRE 2020 Practice Question Paper 1 with Solutions
Resource Image
JEMAT Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions

Get all Answer Key with CMATs in One Click

CMA Exam Pattern 2025 Intermediate and Final Course

The CMA inter exam pattern and the final course pattern for the year 2025 has been shared below for the candidates in the table.

CMA Exam Pattern 2025 Intermediate and Final Course
Particulars Details
Mode of Exam Offline- centre based
Type of Questions Descriptive
Number of Papers 8
Exam Duration 3 hours (per paper)
Total Number of Question 120
Marking Scheme No Negative Marking

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Papers

The CMA 2025 foundation course consists of four papers, which are mentioned below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Papers
Papers Details
Paper 1 Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication (FBLC)
Paper 2 Fundamentals of Financial and Cost Accounting (FFCA)
Paper 3 Fundamentals of Buisness Mathematics and Statistics (FBMS)
Paper 4 Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management (FBEM)

Also Check: CMA Study Materials 2025

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Papers

The CMA 2025 Intermediate course consists of eight papers, which are mentioned below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Papers
Groups Papers Details

Group 1


Paper 5 Business Laws and Ethics (BLE)
Paper 6 Financial Accounting (FA)
Paper 7 Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX)
Paper 8 Cost Accounting (CA)

Group 2


Paper 9 Operations Management and Strategic Management (OMSM)
Paper 10 Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)
Paper 11 Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)
Paper 12 Management Accounting (MA)

CMA 2025 Final Course Papers

The CMA 2025 Final course consists of eight papers, which are mentioned below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Final Course Papers
Groups Papers Details


Group 3

Paper 13 Corporate and Economic Laws (CEL)
Paper 14 Strategic Financial Management (SFM)
Paper 15 Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation (DIT)
Paper 16 Strategic Cost Management (SCM)


Group 4

Paper 17 Cost and Management Audit (CMAD)
Paper 18 Corporate Financial Reporting (CFR)
Paper 19 Indirect Tax Laws and Practice (ITLP)

Paper 20
20A: Strategic Performance Management and Business Valuation (SPMBV)
20B: Risk Management in Banking and Insurance (RMBI)
20C: Entrepreneurship and Start Up (ENTS)

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Topic-Wise Weightage

CMA 2025 topic-wise weightage for different papers involved in the foundation course has been shared below in the tabular format for the candidates.

Paper 1: Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication (FBLC)

The topic wise weightage of CMA foundation paper 1 for the year 2025 has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 1
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Fundamentals of Economics 20 marks Basic Concepts of Economics
20 marks Forms of Market
10 marks  Money and Banking
Section B: Fundamentals of Management 50 marks Management Process

Paper 2: Fundamentals of Financial and Cost Accounting (FFCA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 2 for the CMA 2025 foundation course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 2
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Fundamentals of Financial Accounting 35 marks Accounting Fundamentals
20 marks Accounting for Special Transactions
25 marks  Preparation of Final Accounts
Section B: Fundamentals of Cost Accounting 20 marks Fundamentals of Cost Accounting

Paper 3: Fundamentals of Buisness Mathematics and Statistics (FBMS)

The topic wise weightage of paper 3 for the CMA 2025 foundation course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 3
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Fundamentals of Commercial Laws 40 marks Indian Contracts Act, 1872
20 marks Sale of Good Act, 1930
10 marks  Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
Section B: Fundamentals of Ethics 30 marks Ethics and Business

Paper 4: Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management (FBEM)

The topic wise weightage of paper 4 for the CMA 2025 foundation course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Foundation Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 4
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Fundamentals of Business Mathematics 20 marks Arithematic
20 marks Algebra

 

Section B: Fundamentals of Business Statistics



10  marks Statistical Representation of Data
30 marks Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion
10  marks Correlation and Regression
10  marks Probability

Also Refer: CMA Exam Day Guidelines 2025

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage

CMA 2025 topic-wise weightage for Intermediate course containing different papers have been shared below for the candidates.

Paper 5: Business Laws and Ethics (BLE)

The topic wise weightage of CMA inter paper 5 for the year 2025 has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 5
Section Weightage Topics
          
Section A: Commercial Laws        
                                30% Laws of Contracts (Advanced level)
Laws relating to Sale of Goods (Advanced level)
Negotiable Instruments Act,1881 (Advanced Level)
Indian Partnership Act, 1932
Indian Partnership Act, 1932
Section B: Industrial Laws  25% Factories Act, 1948
Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
.Employees State Insurance Act, 1948
Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 
Minimum Wages Act, 1948
Payment of Wages Act, 1936
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 2013
Section C: Corporate Law 35% Companies Act, 2013
Section D: Ethics 10% Business Ethics

Paper 6: Financial Accounting (FA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 6 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 6
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Accounting – Basics 25% Fundamentals of Accounting
Accounting for Special Transactions
Section B: Preparation of Financial Statements 40% Preparation of Final Accounts of Profit Oriented organizations and Non-Profit Organizations
Partnership Accounts
Section C: Self Balancing of Ledgers, Royalties, Hire Purchase and Installment System, Branch and Departmental Accounts  20% Self-Balancing Ledgers
Royalties, Hire-Purchase and Installment System
Branch and Departmental Accounts
Section D: Accounting in Computerised Environment and Standards 15% Overview of Computerised Accounting
Accounting Standards (Specified only)

Paper 7: Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX)

The topic wise weightage of paper 7 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 7
Section Weightage Topics

Section A: Income Tax Act Basics

10%
Introduction to Income Tax Act, 1961
Income is not part of Total Income


Section B: Head of Income, Computation of Total Income and Tax
70% Heads of Income and Computation of Total Income
Clubbing Provisions and the Set-off and Carry forward of Losses
Assessment of Income and tax liability of different people

Section C: Tax Management, Administrative Procedures and ICDS
20% TDS, TCS and Advance Tax
Administrative Procedures
Income Computation and Disclosure Standards – (ICDS)

Paper 8: Cost Accounting (CA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 8 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 8
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Introduction to Cost Accounting 40% Cost Ascertainment – Elements of Cost
Cost Accounting Standards
Cost Bookkeeping
Section B: Methods of Costing 30% Methods of Costing
Section C: Cost Accounting Techniques 30% Marginal Costing
Standard Costing & Variance Analysis
Budget and Budgetary Control (simple problems only)

Paper 9: Operations Management and Strategic Management (OMSM)

The topic wise weightage of paper 9 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 9
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Operations Management 15% Operations Management – Introduction
Operations Planning
35% Designing of Operational Systems and Control
Production Planning and Control
Productivity Management and quality management
20% Economics of Maintenance and spares management
Section B: Strategic Management 30% Strategic Management Introduction
Strategic Analysis and Strategic Planning
Formulation and Implementation of Strategy

Paper 10: Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 10 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 10
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Accounts of Joint Stock Companies 25% Accounting of Shares and Debentures
Presentation of Financial Statements
Cash Flow Statement
Section B: Auditing 25% Accounts of Banking, Electricity and Insurance Companies
Accounting Standards

Paper 11: Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 11 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 11
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Cost, Management Accounting and Financial Management 50% Cost and Management Accounting – Introduction
Decision Making Tools
Budgeting and Budgetary Control
Standard Costing and Variance Analysis
Learning Curve
Section B: Financial Management 50% Introduction to Financial Management
Tools for Financial Analysis and Planning
Working Capital Management
Cost of Capital, Capital Structure Theories, Dividend Decisions
Capital Budgeting – Investment Decisions

Paper 12: Management Accounting (MA)

The topic wise weightage of paper 12 for the CMA 2025 intermediate course has been shared below for the candidates.

CMA 2025 Intermediate Course Topic-Wise Weightage Paper 12
Section Weightage Topics
Section A: Canons of Taxations – Indirect Tax GST 80% Canons of Taxations – Indirect Tax GST
Section B: Customs Laws 20% Basic Concepts
Types of Duties
Valuation under Customs
Import and Export Procedure
Customs Rules, 2017

Must Read: CMA Direct Entry Eligibility Limit

FAQs on CMA Exam Exam Pattern

Q: What is the mode of examination of the CMA 2025?

Q: What is the minimum qualifying marks for the CMA exam?

Q: What is the total number of papers in the CMA exam?

Q: How many times CMA exam is conducted in an year?

LIVE APPLICATION FORMS

Other Management Exams

Popular Exams

Latest Articles on CMA Exam

Latest News on CMA Exam