CMA 90-day study plan: a calendar for one part
Use 90 days for one selected CMA part: 12 structured weeks of learning, practice and review, plus six buffer days. The example below budgets 12 hours each week, or 144 structured hours. Choose the Part 1 or Part 2 column; do not try to complete both columns in the same hours.
Learn and apply
Weeks 1-9 · 108 hours
Rehearse and repair
Weeks 10-12 · 36 hours
Buffer and prepare
Days 85-90 · flexible
| Period | Purpose | Time in this example |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-9 | Cover all six domains, practise scenarios and revisit prior topics. | 108 hours |
| Weeks 10-12 | Rehearse, diagnose, repair and retest. | 36 hours |
| Days 85-90 | Buffer, light recall and appointment preparation. | No extra hour quota; use what is needed. |
Work backward from a 2027 target
Choose the exact appointment first as a planning target, then count backward 90 days. The months below are approximate starting points, not registration deadlines or proof that this amount of study is sufficient.
Current English CBQ purchases allow eight months from the invoice date to sit. Save the authorization and its actual eligibility dates, then book a Prometric appointment within them. The separate three-year deadline for passing both parts still applies.
| Target sitting | Approximate 90-day start | Planning check |
|---|---|---|
| January / February 2027 | October / November 2026 | Protect review time through the year-end holidays. |
| May / June 2027 | February / March 2027 | Check authorization expiry before paying. |
| September / October 2027 | June / July 2027 | An early late-2026 purchase may expire first. |
Every week, both part tracks
This is an illustrative plan for one selected part: 12 weeks × 12 hours = 144 hours, followed by six buffer days. It is not an IMA minimum, a promise that 144 hours is sufficient, or a plan to complete both parts simultaneously.
| Week and days | Hours | Part 1 track | Part 2 track | Weekly method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 · days 1-7 | 12 hours | Cost behavior and reporting foundations | Financial statements, cash flow and ratio foundations | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 2 · days 8-14 | 12 hours | Reporting decisions and statement links | Ratio interpretation and comparability | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 3 · days 15-21 | 12 hours | Operating and cash budgets | Working capital and short-term funding | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 4 · days 22-28 | 12 hours | Forecasting and budget assumptions | Cost of capital and financing choices | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 5 · days 29-35 | 12 hours | Flexible budgets and cost variances | CVP, relevant costs and special orders | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 6 · days 36-42 | 12 hours | Performance measures and responsibility centers | Product mix, pricing and constraints | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 7 · days 43-49 | 12 hours | Costing systems and process improvement | Enterprise risk and responses | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 8 · days 50-56 | 12 hours | Internal controls and specific risks | Capital budgeting and dated cash flows | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 9 · days 57-63 | 12 hours | Technology, analytics and cumulative review | Professional ethics and cumulative review | 6h learn/apply · 4h questions and scenario work · 2h cumulative review |
| Week 10 · days 64-70 | 12 hours | Mixed practice and full-format rehearsal | Mixed practice and full-format rehearsal | 4h rehearsal or repair · 6h diagnosis and retest · 2h recall and logistics |
| Week 11 · days 71-77 | 12 hours | Repair the rehearsal errors and retest | Repair the rehearsal errors and retest | 4h rehearsal or repair · 6h diagnosis and retest · 2h recall and logistics |
| Week 12 · days 78-84 | 12 hours | Second rehearsal, final repairs and taper | Second rehearsal, final repairs and taper | 4h rehearsal or repair · 6h diagnosis and retest · 2h recall and logistics |
| Days 85-90 | Flexible buffer | Short recall and remaining repairs | Short recall and remaining repairs | Confirm ID, route, calculator and appointment; avoid a new resource binge. |
Check the calendar against your actual capacity
Count hours you can reliably protect, including practice and review. If the schedule does not fit, lengthen it instead of quietly deleting review time.
| Weekly hours available | 12-week capacity | Compared with the 144-hour example |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 72 hours | 72 hours fewer; use a longer runway or a different plan. |
| 9 | 108 hours | 36 hours fewer; revise the schedule explicitly. |
| 12 | 144 hours | Matches this example, but does not prove readiness. |
| 15 | 180 hours | Use extra time for gaps and fresh practice, not extra resources by default. |
Use evidence to adjust the plan
Advance when you can explain the method and apply it to fresh inputs. A calendar, repeated-question score or confidence rating cannot certify readiness.
| Evidence | Interpretation | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Correct answer but no explanation | Possibly recall or a guess | Rebuild the reasoning without choices. |
| Repeated setup errors | The model or units are not secure | Work a small untimed example, then a changed-input retest. |
| Accurate but unfinished timed work | Pacing needs rehearsal | Use timed mixed blocks with explicit checkpoints. |
| Errors across several domains | The remaining calendar may be too short | Extend the runway and check official rescheduling rules before committing. |
Before day one: turn ninety days into actual appointments
Choose one part, an intended exam period and the weekly blocks you can protect. Put work deadlines, travel and known absences on the calendar before assigning topics. A twelve-hour average does not help if it depends on weekends you already know are unavailable.
Use the first few study sessions to check foundations and adjust the subject sequence. Keep the full domain list visible even when one chapter takes longer than expected. The calendar is a resource plan: its value comes from exposing tradeoffs before they become last-week surprises.
Book through the applicable IMA and Prometric process only after checking authorization and availability. The ninety-day study calendar is separate from registration eligibility; counting backward ninety days cannot establish that a seat or a testing window is available.
Recalculate a missed week instead of borrowing invisible hours
Keep the learning time and the calendar time separate. Missing a week changes the remaining workload even if the exam appointment does not move.
Original worked example
After seven calendar weeks, you have completed only six of the planned twelve study weeks: 72 hours. Five structured weeks remain before the buffer days. How much work remains?
144 - 72 = 72 hours remain. Finishing them in five weeks requires 14.4 hours each week, or 2.4 hours above the original twelve-hour schedule.
If 14.4 hours is not realistic, extend the runway or rebuild the plan around demonstrated prior knowledge. Do not simply remove review or count the same buffer days twice. The arithmetic is a capacity check, not proof that 144 hours ensures a pass.
Use checkpoints to decide whether the schedule still fits
At the end of each phase, inspect the work you can produce, not the number of checked-off lessons. Early checkpoints should reveal missing foundations. Later checkpoints should show whether methods survive mixed questions and the applicable scenario format.
Keep a small amount of older-topic review in every week. If you arrive at the final phase needing to relearn most earlier domains, the remaining time is doing two jobs: new learning and rehearsal. Make that visible and adjust the target rather than calling an unfinished first pass “final review.”
| Checkpoint | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| After week 3 | Can I complete and explain the foundational tasks without copied steps? |
| After week 6 | Do old methods still work when mixed with the new material? |
| After week 9 | Has every domain been attempted, with the largest gaps identified? |
| After a rehearsal | Do I need a targeted repair, more full-format practice or a longer runway? |
Common questions
- Is this a plan for both CMA parts in 90 days?
- No. Choose one track. Each track uses the full 144 structured hours; studying both requires a separate capacity decision.
- Where are days 85-90?
- They are six explicit buffer days after the twelve seven-day weeks. Use them for remaining repairs, light recall and exam logistics.
- What if I miss a week?
- Recalculate remaining hours and move the target if needed. Preserve mixed review and the opportunity to diagnose a rehearsal rather than treating the exam date as the only fixed constraint.
Sources and editorial notes
Source check: . MiloPrep editorial team. Official facts and provider offer claims are identified below. Study schedules, examples and recommendations are editorial; they are not official questions, a required study-hour total or a passing guarantee.
- IMA Content Specification Outlines (PDF) ↗
Effective September 2024; page 5 lists the twelve domain weights. Use the newer handbook for question format.
- IMA Learning Outcome Statements (PDF) ↗
Expected knowledge and application within each domain; not a question bank or a study-hour requirement.
- IMA certification steps and resources ↗
Part order, recurring windows and certification steps. Its brief deadline summary conflicts with the detailed handbook; see the requirements guide.
- IMA English CBQ purchase and eligibility window ↗
Current purchase page: eight months from invoice purchase date to sit; eligibility dates confirmed in Prometric. This differs from the March handbook’s fixed-window registration wording.
MiloPrep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by IMA or the providers discussed. Editorial methodology · About the editorial team.
Notes
- * Quick answers: The calendar and hours are an editorial example. The official sources define subject coverage, not an approved 90-day schedule. Taking the exam in 2027? Choose a January/February, May/June or September/October target using IMA’s annual pattern, then check the language-specific format and actual authorization dates. The blueprint guide has the booking, fee and result planning tables. ↩ Return to content