How to Register and Appear for ICMAI CMA Foundation Exam

Attempting the ICMAI CMA Foundation Exam this year?

Let us help you get started.

The CMA Foundation Exam is held by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), twice a year. If you are reading this post, chances are you are looking for CMA Foundation Exam Registration for December 2019, and if you haven’t enrolled already, time’s running out so get all your documents ready and let’s get started.

Note: The CMA Foundation Registration’s last date for June 2019 is extended to 10^th April, 2019 and a late fee of Rs 300 is applicable on the registrations that come in till then.

The CMA Foundation exam is held twice yearly: once in June and once in December. Admission to the Foundation CMA course is open throughout the year but students must apply before 31st January (in general) for the June attempt, or 31st July for the December attempt.

Before you apply for the course, let’s check if your eligibility matches the Institute’s requirements. You’re all set to register if you:

1. Have passed your 10^th standard exam (or its equivalent recognized by the Board of Education).
2. Have cleared your 10+2 exam (or its equivalent from a recognized Board of Education by the Central Government).

You can apply for the course exam in two ways:

1. By filling up the CMA Foundation Registration form offline OR
2. Through CMA Foundation Online Registration

CMA Foundation Registration Process

Offline Registration

If you wish to register offline, you can purchase a prospectus priced at Rs 250, with the application form enclosed. You will also be required to pay a fee of Rs 1200 for registration.

With your form, you must make sure you have attested* copies of your:

1. Matriculation Certificate
2. 10+2 Mark sheet
3. Degree

You will also need 3 passport-size photographs.

*Attestations are valid only if they are made by a member of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India /The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India/ The Institute of Company Secretaries of India / Parliament/State Legislative Assembly, a Gazetted Officer or Principal of a recognized college.

You can send your form along with the mandatory documents to your respective Regional Councils/Chapters.  You can find your closest Council in the following table:

 List of Regional Councils of ICMAI

Online Registration

In order to register online, you will need to first go to the online student registration portal and click on the online exam application form as shown below:

You will be then taken to the CMA Online Student Registration System page where the various fee structures for all courses are outlined including eligibility criteria. There are also instructions on how to register online. When you are ready to being the registration process, click on CMA Foundation as shown below.

You will now be taken to the CMA Foundation registration page where you will be given detailed information about the documents required to begin the registration. 

These are the following:

1. Passport-size photo (colour) in JPG/JPEG format
2. Age Proof Certificate (PDF format) with size not exceeding 300 KB
3. Copy of your signature in JPG/JPEG format
4. Your degrees and certificates with file size of each not exceeding 300 KB

Also keep your personal details such as address, mobile number and email ID handy.

ICMAI also provides you study material. You can receive your study material by opting for either:

Oral Coaching Mode: This means that students can attend oral coaching classes at the Chapter/Regional Council chosen by them

Postal Coaching Mode: You will receive the study materials in the post.

For illustrative purposes, the example below shows a student opting for oral coaching:

You will then have to fill up the online application form. Follow all the instructions given.

Be sure to check the name of the exam centre closest to you. You will not be able to change centres later on.

You need to upload all the documents and pay a CMA Foundation Registration fee as outlined online through Debit/Credit card, Internet Banking/Pay Fee Module of IDBI. 

After this transaction is successful, you will receive a ‘welcome’ message.  All your information will be sent to the Directorate of Studies for verification of your documents. Once this done, your Registration Number will be generated. Hold on to this number until the complete CMA Foundation Online Registration process is complete.

Check and recheck your application multiple times to ensure you have filled up everything. You will have a grace period of 30 days within which you need to complete your form, if incomplete. Filling up more than one form is more likely to be rejected. Do it once, do it right.

Your study material will be dispatched only once the Registration Number is generated.

Once your registration and verification is successful, you will receive your Admit Card via mail or on the website. In case you do not receive you Admit Card 10 days prior to the exam date, you can contact ICAI HQ Examination Directorate regarding the issue.

Note that once you register, your registration period will be valid for up to 3 years from the time of registration. If you have not yet completed the CMA Foundation exam during this period, you will have to re-register from scratch. There is no renewal of registration option for the CMA Foundation Exam.

Conditions to Appear for the CMA Foundation Exam

If you want to appear for the exam, your registration must be valid. You should also have completed oral or postal coaching by ICMAI and gotten a certificate of completion.

Postal Coaching Completion Requirements

To complete postal coaching, you'll need to download and answer the test paper uploaded in the student section of the website. Mail your answers to the nearest Regional Office. You'll need to obtain a minimum of 40% to get your coaching completion certification. Only then will you be able to appear for your examination. The table below shows you the last date of submission for answer sheets for postal coaching clearance:

Oral Coaching Completion Requirements

If you have opted for oral coaching, you'll need to get admitted to a regional council/chapter/recognised coaching centre. The duration of coaching lasts 4 months and has a minimum of 240 lecture hours for Lectures and Tutorials. After the coaching period ends, you'll need to appear for a 3 hours written exam for each subject and secure a minimum of 40% marks each. If you fulfill this requirement, you are then eligible to appear for the CMA Foundation Exam.

We suggest that you go over the ‘Conditions for appearing in Examination’  issued by the directorate of studies and students thoroughly, to ensure you fit all the criteria to appear.

For the June 2019 term, ICMAI has released the CMA Foundation exam schedule. Click on the button below to download.

Checking the Status of CMA Foundation Registration

You can check your CMA Foundation Registration Status by going to the student portal on the ICMAI website. Click on the ‘Online Admission Status’ and fill in your application details with registration number. You will then be able to see the status of your application.

Validity of Registration

For the CMA Foundation exam, your registration will be valid for up to 3 years' from the time of registration. If you have not completed the CMA Foundation course during this period, you'll have to register again! There is no renewal of registration available for the CMA Foundation exam.

If you have any doubts regarding any of other aspects related to the CMA Foundation Registration, you can get in touch with us at support@learncab.com. Or just comment below! In the meantime, here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) that might make things clearer.

FAQS related to CMA Foundation Registration

What happens if I make an error in the form while registering online?

We suggest you do a thorough checking of the form before submitting it. However, if you do make an error or have left a section incomplete, you have a grace period of 30 days to remedy it.

Note: This might not be applicable if you’re close to last date of application submission.

How do I get my registration number of CMA Foundation?

Once you’ve submitted your form and documents, all your information will be sent to the Directorate of Studies for verification of your documents. Once this done, your Registration Number will be generated.

What are my career options if I register for the CMA Foundation course at ICMAI?

A career in CMA is one that is very sought-after. As you move higher up the corporate ladder, you can explore a number of career options such as Financial Management, Auditing, Internal Control, Tax Management, Process Analysis in BPO Houses, Implementing Business Intelligence Systems. If you choose to dig deeper into the subject, then you can also get into the teaching profession.

I lost my registration letter of CMA Foundation Exam. What do I do now?

Don’t worry. In case of such a situation, you can get in touch with the ICAI HQ Examination Directorate regarding the issue. They will help you in the best way they can.

What is the fee for the CMA Foundation Course from ICMAI?

The fee for the CMA Foundation Course from ICMAI is Rs. 4000.

Where do I get study material?

While you will receive study material from ICMAI for the CMA Foundation exam, it’s never a bad thing to over-prepare. On that note, you can let LearnCab rush to your rescue once again. By signing up on our portal, you can access video lectures 24/7 using your LearnCab credits. If you’re lost on how it works, click here to know more. We have video lectures for all 4 papers of the CMA Foundation course at ICMAI. Not only that, we have interactive quizzes, study notes that help keep studying an interesting affair.

If you’re reluctant, just sign up and give our Free Trial a shot. Get a chance to learn from the best in the field. You can choose to watch our lectures via desktop or download our app below:

Here’s wishing a very best of luck for the exam from the LearnCab family and hope you pass with flying colours!