00:00When you're buying a new phone, what is the first thing you check? The price, right? 15,000 rupees,
00:0530,000 rupees or 50,000 rupees. And you immediately know if it fits your budget or not. And then
00:10you
00:11ask questions like, will this last me three years? Is it really worth the money, etc. That's exactly
00:17how most people think about certifications like the US CMA as well. You see the total exam costs
00:23and think that's too expensive. But here's what you're doing wrong. You never calculate what not
00:28doing it actually costs you. Your friend who did the US CMA certification is earning 12 lakh rupees
00:35per annum. And you, you're still stuck at 3.5 LPA jobs doing something which any other person can do
00:42as
00:42well, making you very easily replaceable. The difference between your earnings and his earnings
00:48is wide. But don't worry, in this video, I'll share the complete breakdown of US CMA examination fees
00:54and show you why it makes perfect sense. What nobody tells you is that the US CMA has two
01:00completely different fee structures. And picking the wrong one costs you 50,000 rupees extra.
01:06The IMA offers student pricing and professional pricing. Let's begin. If you're enrolled in any
01:12degree, even first year BCom, you're eligible and can apply for the exam as a student, saving you more
01:18than 50,000 rupees in official fees. The mistake most people make is waiting until graduation thinking,
01:24I'll do the US CMA later. But then they're paying the fees as a professional now. So if you're in
01:31college right now, you should register immediately. Use your student ID and lock in those lower fees.
01:37Now let's break down every single component and understand where you'll spend every single
01:42rupee. First is the IMA membership fees. You need the IMA membership to give the exam and you need to
01:50renew it annually as well. For students, the membership fees is $49 which comes to around 4,400
01:57rupees per year. For professionals, it is $295 which is close to 26,000 rupees per year. You see,
02:05you saved 22,000 rupees difference just in membership. Second is the CMA entrance fees.
02:13This is a one-time CMA entrance fee which you have to pay to the Institute of Management Accountants
02:19or the IMA for the CMA exam. For students, it is $225 which is around 20,000 rupees. For professionals,
02:27on the other hand, it is $300 which is close to 26,500 rupees. Another 6,500 rupees saved just
02:35if you
02:35register as a student. Third is the exam fees. USCMA has two parts. You pay separately for each part.
02:43For students, the exam fee is $405 per part. So as a student, both parts cost around 73,000 rupees
02:50in
02:50total. For professionals, the exam fee is $545 per part. So the sum total is around 97,000 rupees for
02:57professionals. That's another 25,000 rupees for professional rates saved. Here's how all these
03:04components sum up. For students, it's 97,000 rupees and for professionals, it's 1,50,000 rupees.
03:10You see the difference? If you register as a student, you will save 53,000 rupees just in official fees.
03:1653,000 difference based purely on whether you register as a student or a professional. But that's not all.
03:23If you're preparing, you need a prep provider as well. I mean, you can self-study with free IMA materials,
03:28but the USCMA pass rate is around 45%. More than half of the students don't clear the exam. And when
03:35you fail, you're paying 36,000 rupees again for just one part. And here I'm considering that you're
03:42giving the exam as a student. Plus, preparing again for four months. This is why 80% of successful
03:48candidates opt for third-party prep providers. The prep provider cost is somewhere between 90,000
03:54rupees to 1,50,000 rupees. This all might sound very expensive, but think about it the other way.
04:00You're investing another 1,30,000 rupees to pass the exam on your very first attempt,
04:06which saves you from paying 72,000 rupees again in exam fees. It saves you six to eight months as
04:12well.
04:13And it saves you the anxiety and the frustration of giving the exam again and gets you to that 8
04:18to 10
04:19LPA salary faster. Isn't all that worth the investment? Your realistic total investment,
04:25including everything as a student will be around 2,30,000 rupees. And as a professional will be
04:31around 2,80,000 rupees. Now, let's do the math. The average CMA starting salary is 8 to 10 lakhs
04:38per year.
04:39Let's say 8 lakhs, taking the base figure. Your entire investment in CMA preparation and exam
04:44is recovered within three to four months only. But here's the real comparison. Without CMA,
04:50you'd earn 3 LPA in a regular job. With CMA, you start at 8 to 10 LPA. That's 5 to
04:567 lakhs
04:57more in just one year alone. You invested 2.5 lakhs once and you'd easily earn 50 lakhs plus extra
05:04over
05:05your career. CMA fees is a one-time cost, but not doing CMA, that's a cost you pay every month,
05:11every year, your entire career. Okay, so now if you watch this video till here, that means you're
05:16considering pursuing the USCMA certification. And if that's the case, why not do it the best?
05:22Other prep providers might just teach you theory, but our USCMA certification preparation program,
05:28in collaboration with KPMG in India, gives you industry aligned training through real-world case
05:34studies and business scenarios. This is exactly what employers are looking for in today's strategic
05:40finance professionals. Don't wait, click the form in the description, select the CMA certification
05:46option and connect with our expert counselors for personalized guidance on your CMA journey.
05:52Let's build your strategic finance leadership story together.
