CMA vs CFA

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Bilal

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I’ve heard that CMA is easier than CFA. Can anyone confirm? I know that both are kind of different however i have checked the second part of the CMA which is about financial decision making and a lot of it seems to be from level 1 plus it’s only 1 book.
Any thoughts especially from those holding CMA title?
 
if you like Debit and Credits go for it, effortwise, I think you can get it done with half the effort of any level that you’ve done for CFA IMO
 
I think CMA is compared to Level I CFA in terms of difficulty
Again..A rule of thumb:
Nothing beats the CFA
CFA comes first then others follow..like CPA CAIA CMA CA CIA .. All easier than CFA
 
I come from an accounting background and seems to me that a 2 part exam with 2 books cannot be compared to CFA. CMA part 2 has financial statement analysis, close to level 1 even easier, then moves to wacc, npr, irr, few pages about mergers and acquisitions, and few introductory paragraphs about fixed income. seems easy to me and pretty much doable in 2 months period if i put 4 hrs a day.
 
Bilal Wrote:
——————————————————-
> I’ve heard that CMA is easier than CFA. Can anyone
> confirm? I know that both are kind of different
> however i have checked the second part of the CMA
> which is about financial decision making and a lot
> of it seems to be from level 1 plus it’s only 1
> book.
>
> Any thoughts especially from those holding CMA
> title?
I have it. it requires less effort than whats required for the CFA. The focus is on Accounting as a person working inside the firm.
 
Great then, in case i failed level 2, i will sit for the exam in september since i know most of the part 2 material. are 200 hrs enough?
 
“CFA comes first then others follow..like CPA CAIA CMA CA CIA .. All easier than CFA”
Mostly true, but if you think the CPA is easier than the CFA, put down whatever you’re smoking, because it can’t be good for you.
 
blue-eyed-samurai Wrote:
——————————————————-
> “CFA comes first then others follow..like CPA CAIA
> CMA CA CIA .. All easier than CFA”
>
> Mostly true, but if you think the CPA is easier
> than the CFA, put down whatever you’re smoking,
> because it can’t be good for you.
CPA is easier than CFA.
This is announced by CPAs themselves.
 
Nightmare55 Wrote:
——————————————————-
> blue-eyed-samurai Wrote:
> ————————————————–
> —–
> > “CFA comes first then others follow..like CPA
> CAIA
> > CMA CA CIA .. All easier than CFA”
> >
> > Mostly true, but if you think the CPA is easier
> > than the CFA, put down whatever you’re smoking,
> > because it can’t be good for you.
>
> CPA is easier than CFA.
Second That as a CPA
200 Hours for the CMA for one Part? or in total? Bilal
> This is announced by CPAs themselves.
 
I guess they build their opinion based on the fact that u can sit for 2-3 parts of the CPA and you can do it more than once a year, however if you fail level 2, you have to wait a whole year.
 
tylenol Wrote:
——————————————————-
> Nightmare55 Wrote:
> ————————————————–
> —–
> > blue-eyed-samurai Wrote:
> >
> ————————————————–
>
> > —–
> > > “CFA comes first then others follow..like CPA
> > CAIA
> > > CMA CA CIA .. All easier than CFA”
> > >
> > > Mostly true, but if you think the CPA is
> easier
> > > than the CFA, put down whatever you’re
> smoking,
> > > because it can’t be good for you.
> >
> > CPA is easier than CFA.
>
> Second That as a CPA
>
> 200 Hours for the CMA for one Part? or in total?
> Bilal
> > This is announced by CPAs themselves.
Well I want to put 3 hrs a day for a 2 month period. Is it enough for part 2 of the CMA?
 
Dude, most (all?) states have minimum educational requirements before they’ll even let you *take* the CPA exam. It’s a professional license, not just a designation from essentially a self-regulating body.
There are four parts to the CPA exam, each with pass rates of around 40-50%, which is pretty amazing when you realize that most of the exam sitters have friggen’ degrees in accounting.
IIRC there are more opportunities to take the CPA, so in that sense it probably isn’t the time sink-hole that the CFA is. And the CFA definitely covers a much broader curriculum. But I don’t think it can be considered easier in any meaningful fashion; I work with several dozen people with alphabet soups after their name and 90% say the CPA was the biggest PITA, followed by CFA and CAIA. Although I’ve heard that the actuarial exams would make most CFA charter holders cry for their mommies….
 
Hi Bilal,
I’m in with you on the CMA! We can support each other throughout the process!
I’m thinking of sitting for both parts in October
 
Guille_GE Wrote:
——————————————————-
> Hi Bilal,
>
> I’m in with you on the CMA! We can support each
> other throughout the process!
>
> I’m thinking of sitting for both parts in October
Great! when are you planning to start ur preparations? I think ill go for 2nd part in September because i have 15 days off in October at work so im sure ill cover the 2nd part within those 2 weeks. Do you use google talk/msn/or any kind of messengers?
 
Blue-eyed Samurai you’re just flat out wrong. I’ve got countless CPA friends who have flunked badly Level II, including the FRA part, and went to cry to mommy. Yes it has 4 parts, but you can take the exam I believe 4-6 times a year, and you can just pass the parts one at a time. It’s not even in the same league.
 
Guy sitting behind me was a CPA, taking Level II for the second time. Before the afternoon section he said “if the afternoon is not going well I am just going to guess and leave.” After the exam I turn around and he’s not there. I asked the guy sitting next to him “Where did he go?” the guy says “He left about an hour in.”
I didn’t get to ask….but my guess is he thinks the CFA is harder. More of an amusing anecdote that proof of anything, but it definitely goes in the “CFA is harder” category….
 
CPA is a joke compared to the CFA and besides you can break it out into 4 sections within an 18-month window. If you had to sit for all 4 sections as I think was the case maybe 10 years ago, then it would be a bit more comparable but I would still give the nod to CFA.
 
First of all lets get one thing straight the CPA is not a joke compared to the CFA. I am a CPA and just took Level II. I believe that the CFA is harder but the CPA is not an easy exam. The CPA is just as detailed an exam as the CFA but the material just isn’t as broad.
 
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