CMA Inter 2026: Syllabus, Subjects, and Exam Pattern

CMA Inter 2026: Syllabus, Subjects, and Exam Pattern help students plan smart preparation with clear guidance. Enroll in CMA coaching in Bangalore, join a CMA course in Bangalore, or opt for the best online classes for CMA Inter to boost your success

CMA Inter 2026: Syllabus, Subjects, and Exam Pattern

To get your Certified Cost, Management Accountant credential in India, you need to pass the CMA exam. You can’t submit applications for the June 2026 session anymore, so focus on getting ready now. You need to know what the test looks like, what topics it covers, to do a good job. This guide shows you how the CMA exam will work in 2026, detailing topics for each part. It helps you create a good study plan.

Overview of the CMA Exam 2026

In India, a CMA certification helps people get good jobs. It's especially useful for work like figuring out costs, checking finances, managing money. Keep in mind the Indian CMA, given by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, differs from the global CMA offered by a different organization CMA Inter 2026: Syllabus, Subjects, and Exam Pattern.

The test happens two times each year, during June, during December, at over 100 locations throughout the country. People choose where they take the test when they sign up. If you weren’t able to try in June 2026, don’t feel bad. ICMAI will share details about the December opportunity on their website later this year.

CMA Exam Pattern 2026

The CMA exam has three sections: a basic part, a middle part, a concluding part. Complete each step before you begin the following one. The meeting in June 2026 will take place in person, using paper tests. Here's what this means:

Foundation Exam Pattern 2026

• Papers: 4

• Type of Questions: Objective (MCQs)

• You should plan for two hours for each paper

• Each assignment receives a maximum score of 100 points

• To succeed, students need at least 40 percent on each test, with a total score of 50 percent across all tests

Intermediate Exam Pattern 2026

• Papers: 8 (Group I & Group II with 4 each)

• Try this: Let one group, or both groups, take the test at the same time

• Type of Questions: Objective + Descriptive mix

• Each paper takes about three hours to complete

• Each assignment is worth one hundred points

You need at least 40 percent on each test, also a total score of 50 percent across all tests in a subject to pass

Final Exam Pattern 2026

• Papers: 8 (Group III & Group IV with 4 each)

• Attempt Option: One or both groups together

• Type of Questions: Objective + Descriptive mix

• Each paper takes three hours to complete

• Each assignment is worth one hundred points

• Passing Rule: Same as Intermediate - 40% per paper and 50% aggregate per group

  
  

Keep in mind, we evaluate each level separately. Incorrect answers won’t lower your score.

CMA 2026 Syllabus – Subject-Wise

The syllabus checks how well you grasp the ideas, also how well you can use them. Here’s how things unfold, step by step:

Foundation Level Subjects

1. Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication

• Indian Contract Act

• Sale of Goods Act

• Negotiable Instruments Act

• Simple guides to writing for work, how to talk with people in a professional way

2. Fundamentals of Financial and Cost Accounting

• Accounting principles

• Final accounts preparation

• Cost classification

• Checking that money spent matches the money records

3. Fundamentals of Business Mathematics and Statistics

• Ratio and proportion

• Interest calculates how money grows. Simple interest applies to the original amount, it stays constant. Compound interest calculates on the original amount, with the accumulated interest, it increases over time

• Linear equations

• Averages, the middle value, the most frequent value, how spread out numbers are, how things relate to each other

4. Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management

• Demand and supply

• Market structures

• National income concepts

• How managers make plans, get things in order, then check results

Intermediate Level Subjects

Group I

• Business Laws and Ethics: Company Law, LLP Act, Contract Law, and professional ethics

• Keeping track of money: rules for reporting finances, reports displaying financial health, goods sent for sale by another party, business arrangements between two or more companies

• Direct and Indirect Taxation: Income Tax, GST structure, returns, deductions, credits

• Figuring out expenses: tracking what materials, work, general costs, specific jobs, minimum costs, expected costs all add up

Group II

• Manufacturing scheduling, handling inventory, quality assurance, SWOT and BCG analysis, and other aspects of operations and strategic management

• Company finances, mergers, selling stock or bonds, how audits work, checking records, reporting audit results

• Financial Management & Business Data Analytics: Capital budgeting, cost of capital, working capital, dashboards, data visualization

• Keeping track of finances within a company includes making budgets, setting prices when different parts of the company trade with each other, evaluating how well each division is doing, assigning financial accountability

Final Level Subjects

Group III

• Corporate & Economic Laws: laws and regulations relating to companies, SEBI, FEMA, labour laws and economic offenses.

• Strategic Financial Management: theory and practice of investments, portfolio theory, derivatives, forex and mergers and acquisitions.

• Direct Tax Laws and International Taxation: advanced tax planning, transfer pricing and taxation treaties. BEPS framework.

• Strategic Cost Management: life-cycle costing, value chain analysis, target costing and decision making tools.

Group IV

• Cost & Management Audit: statutory requirements, performance appraisal, internal controls and audit reporting.

• Corporate Financial Reporting: consolidated financial statements, goodwill valuation, integrated reporting and ratio analysis.

• Indirect Tax Laws & Practice: GST Act, customs procedures and anti-profiteering law and compliance and administration of indirect taxes.

• Elective (Choose One):

• Strategic Performance Management and Business Valuation

• Risk Management in Banking and Insurance.

• Entrepreneurship and Start-Up.

• Advanced Indirect Tax Laws.

Conclusion

The success in CMA Exam 2026 is more than knowing the exam pattern. It is about consistent practice, timing revision and clarity of concepts. If you are a Foundation level candidate, Intermediate level candidate or a Final level candidate, develop a steady pace of learning and you have structured practice. Once you prioritize the subjects which challenging early and keep a discipline of studying at clear timetable, then you avoid last minute cramming . The exam pattern is fixed, however how you prepare for that will affect your results.

For updates on other state and national-level competitive exams, stay tuned to iProledge Student Corner.