How US CMA Exams Are Graded: Scaling, MCQs, & Essay Section Insights

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Curious about how US CMA exams are graded? In this video, I break down the scaling system used in professional exams like US CMA, CFA, and FRM.

Learn how questions are categorized by difficulty and how this affects your scoring. I'll also share strategies on managing your time between MCQs and the essay section to maximize your score.

The US CMA (Certified Management Accountant) exam is evaluated using a scaled scoring system based on the difficulty level of the questions. Here’s a breakdown of how the grading works:

1. Exam Structure
The CMA exam consists of two parts, each having:

100 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) (worth 75% of the total score)
2 Essay Questions (worth 25% of the total score)
You get 4 hours per part (3 hours for MCQs, 1 hour for essays).

2. How the Exam is Scored
The CMA exam is scored on a scaled system from 0 to 500, with 360 being the passing score. This score is not a percentage but a scaled score.
Each question has a different weight based on difficulty.
Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted into a scaled score (0-500). The essay section is graded manually by experts.

3. Scaling System (Why It Matters)
Since every exam session has a different set of questions with varying difficulty, the scaling system ensures fairness:
If your exam has tougher questions, you may need to get fewer correct answers to pass. If your exam has easier questions, you may need to answer more correctly to pass.

Thus, two candidates with the same number of correct answers may get different final scores based on question difficulty.

4. MCQ & Essay Evaluation
MCQs: Scored automatically by the system.
Essays: Manually evaluated based on:
Correctness of the answer
Clarity and organization
Usage of calculations and formulas

Important: You must score at least 50% in MCQs to unlock the essay section.

5. Passing Criteria
Minimum passing score: 360/500 (not 72% raw, but scaled).
No negative marking for incorrect answers.
If you don’t reach 360, you must retake the entire exam.

6. When Do You Get Your Results?
MCQs are graded immediately (but not shown to you).
Final results (MCQs + Essay) are released in 6 weeks after the exam window closes.

Whether you're a CMA aspirant or just curious about exam grading, this video is for you! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights!

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