CSCA FAQs
Find answers to common questions about the CSCA program.
I'm considering the CSCA
To earn the CSCA, you must:
- Pass the CSCA exam
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college/university AND have two consecutive years of professional business experience; OR hold a qualifying accounting or finance certification
- Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.
For further details, please refer to the CSCA Handbook.
CSCA Overview
To earn the CSCA, you must:
- Pass the CSCA exam
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college/university AND have two consecutive years of professional business experience; OR hold a qualifying accounting or finance certification
- Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.
For further details, please refer to the CSCA Handbook.
Register for the exam. CSCA candidates are required to purchase examination registration for a specific testing window. Candidates must complete the CSCA program within two years of the date of entry. If the exam is not successfully completed within two years of entering the CSCA program, a new CSCA entry must be purchased.
- Pay a $49 annual CSCA renewal fee (If you are a CMA in good standing, no annual renewal fee is required).
- Comply with the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.
See the CSCA Handbook for complete information.
CSCA Fees and Schedules
Yes. If you are unable to keep a scheduled exam appointment, you must cancel at least 72 hours prior to your appointment date.
If you do not comply with this cancellation policy, you will be considered a "no-show" and will need to re-register with ICMA and pay an additional exam registration fee.
Please note that appointments that are cancelled and rescheduled within the same testing window will incur a $50 Prometric rescheduling fee.
As a reminder: Your authorization number is only valid for the testing window you selected. Appointments cannot be rescheduled to another testing window.
Call Prometric at (800) 479-6370 or go to www.prometric.com/ICMA at least 72 hours before your appointment.
If you do not comply with this cancellation policy, you will be considered a "no-show" and will need to re-register with ICMA and pay the exam fee.
To schedule an exam by phone, find the phone number for your region at www.prometric.com/ICMA.
You will need:
- Your Registration Acknowledgment Form, which provides your authorization number.
- The first four letters of your last name and a valid email address.
Preparing for the CSCA Exam
There are a variety of resources to help candidates prepare for the exam. In addition to the Content Specification Outline (CSO) and detailed Learning Outcome Statements (LOS), there is a reading list and a resource guide that directs candidates to publications containing in-depth information on specific content areas.
Preparation plans should be individualized based on the candidate’s education, experience, preferred learning style, and writing skills.
Candidates should determine the appropriate mix of available resources that will best help them master the body of knowledge described in the CSO and LOS. Candidates may also wish to purchase the IMA Strategy and Competitive Analysis Learning Series®.
IMA also has partnered with HOCK International, which offers a special CSCA Exam Review Subscription, featuring an online textbook, test bank, mock exam, and expert teacher support.
Taking the Exam
The CSCA exam is offered in two testing windows per year, March and September. To schedule exam appointments, visit www.prometric.com/ICMA or call (800) 479-6370. To ensure your first choice of date, time, and location, you should schedule your appointment at least four weeks in advance. All exam appointments must be scheduled at least 72 hours before the exam date. Once you are registered, you must take the exam part during your assigned testing session.
If for any reason you are unable to schedule an exam appointment during the assigned testing window, you will need to pay the exam fee again. Appointments cannot be rescheduled to another testing window.
Candidates who do not pass the exam will receive a performance report from Prometric via email. The performance reports are emailed about two weeks after exam results are posted to the candidate’s profile.
Performance reports indicate a candidate’s performance on each of the key content areas in the multiple-choice section as well as the overall performance on the case study section of the exam.