What is the CMA India Intermediate Syllabus? Complete Guide

By IIC Lakshya

01 Oct 2025

What is the CMA India Intermediate Syllabus? Complete Guide

To develop a better understanding of the CMA India Intermediate syllabus, you need to read this article. The course covers significant financial, accounting, and corporate law topics. It details the CMA Intermediate syllabus, exam patterns, and the CMA internship. Lets explore more about them to help understand the demand.

What are the CMA Intermediate Subjects?

Here is a list of CMA Inter subjects that offer knowledge to CMA students based on various business laws and cost accounting. These subjects are covered in various papers of the CMA India Intermediate level. There are 2 groups in the CMA course intermediate syllabus, which you need to qualify to pass the level.

Groups

Papers

Group 1

Paper 5 - Business Law and Ethics (BLE)

Paper 6 - Financial Accounting (FA)

Paper 7 - Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX)

Paper 8 - Cost Accounting (CA)

Group 2

Paper 9 - Operations Management & Strategic Management (OMSM)

Paper 10 - Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)

Paper 11 - Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)

Paper 12 - Management Accounting (MA)

CMA India Intermediate Syllabus 2025

Following are the papers which are in two groups of CMA India course that are related to topics like accounting, business evaluation, finance and taxation. Below are a detailed explanation of each paper and the topics covered. Furthermore, you can read CMA India Course Fees to learn further about registration and admission fees.

Paper 5 - Business Law and Ethics (BLE)

There are four sections in this paper with varying weightage. It is important for students to have a detailed knowledge about the following topics which will help them in their professional implementation of business law skills.

Section A - Commercial Laws (30% weightage)
Section B - Industrial Laws (15% weightage)
Section C - Corporate Laws (40% weightage)
Section D - Business Ethics (15% weightage)

Paper 6 - Financial Accounting (FA)

This paper is heavily based on accounting principles and fundamentals. Additionally, students learn about finance management and accounting in commercial organizations, non-profit organizations and other corporations. There are several career options in Finance industry in India hence, this paper is quite important for your professional growth.

Section A - Accounting Fundamentals (15% weightage)
Section B - Accounting for Special Transactions (10% weightage)
Section C - Preparation of Financial Statements (20% weightage)
Section D - Partnership Accounts (20% weightage)
Section E - Lease, Branch and Department Accounts (15% weightage)
Section F - Accounting Standards (20% weightage)

Paper 7 - Direct and Indirect Taxation (DITX)

In this paper, students will learn about tax income, income tax act, management of different taxes along with liabilities that comes with it. Below are two sections where you can learn how the paper is significant for your professional expertise in tax management of a business.

Section A - Direct Taxation (50% weightage) - the topics covered are basics of Income Tax Act, Heads of Income and Total Income and Tax Liability of Individuals & HUF
Section B - Indirect Taxation (50% weightage) - the topics covered are Concept of Indirect Taxes, Good and Services Tax (GST) Laws and Custom Act

Paper 8 - Cost Accounting (CA)

The paper is the last paper of Group 1 and is quite significant for CMA Inter examination. Introducing students to cost accounting, this paper educates students about elements of costs and other aspects of book keeping of a business. You need to know the CMA passing score for each of this paper to effectively earn the right weightage.

Section A - Introduction to Cost Accounting (40% weightage)
Section B - Methods of Costing (30% weightage)
Section C - Cost Accounting Techniques (30% weightage)

Paper 9 - Operations Management & Strategic Management (OMSM)

This paper is the first paper in the CMA Inter group 2. In this paper, students learn about operations planning, systems and control. Additionally, there are other aspects of project management, monitoring and economics of maintenance in this paper. Below are the sections in this paper which you must study to qualify this paper.

Section A - Operations Management (60%)
Section B - Strategic Management (40%)

Paper 10- Corporate Accounting and Auditing (CAA)

With the rising demand for the Cost and Management Accountant position in India, students are pursuing the CMA India course. Hence, studying these papers is important. This paper educates students about corporate accounting and auditing into business and companies. CMA Inter students learn about preparing profit and loss statements, basic auditing concepts along with legal acts related to audits.

Section A - Corporate Accounting (50% weightage)
Section B - Auditing (50% weightage)

Paper 11 - Financial Management and Business Data Analytics (FMDA)

The paper has theories and fundamentals of financial management which educates students. You can use CMA Inter group 2 study material on this paper as it is one of the best way to acquire knowledge. Learn about finance and cost of capital, instruments and institutions of financial markets in this paper.

Section A - Financial Management (80% weightage)
Section B - Business Data Analytics (20% weightage)

Paper 12 - Management Accounting (MA)

Here the paper informs about costing, activity based evaluation, decision making tools and others. Students learn about variance analysis along with management accounting. Learn about the aspects in the below sections.

Section A - Introduction to Management Accounting (5% weightage)
Section B - Activity Based Costing (10% weightage)
Section C - Decision Making Tools (30% weightage)
Section D - Standard Costing and Variance Analysis (15% weightage)
Section E - Forecasting, Budgeting and Budgetary Control (15% weightage)
Section F - Divisional Performance Measurement (10% weightage)
Section G - Responsibility Accounting (5% weightage)
Section H - Decision Theory (10% weightage)

What is the CMA Intermediate Exam Pattern 2025?

Here is a tabular form of CMA intermediate exam pattern that will help you understand how to prepare for your exam. It is necessary because you will learn how to integrate these information into your everyday preparation in 2025.

Important Features	Details
Mode of exam	Online-center based
Maximum marks every paper	100
Type of questions	Objective and description
Exam duration	3 hours every paper
Number of papers	8
Marking scheme	No negative marking

How to Access the CMA Intermediate Syllabus 2025?

With all these papers you will study and develop skills, CMA India is clearly one of the best finance courses in India. If you want to develop a comprehensive understanding of the CMA intermediate study materials, you can access them easily in the following resources. Furthermore, you can also download them in PDF format by visiting their official sites, clicking on the student tab.

ICMAI website - for all official announcements related to course details, CMA Intermediate results and question papers

IIC Lakshya - Educational portals that offer you a detailed evaluation of course papers and subject-wise evaluation

CMA Internship - A Step Closer After CMA Intermediate

You can start the CMA internship immediately after qualifying CMA Intermediate Group 1 or both groups. ICMAI allows students to pursue training after Group I qualifications, helping them develop practical and implementation skills. With this experience, CMA India salary will be quite good for CMA professionals.

Students get 15 months for mandatory practical training, and the position can be pursued in a cost accountant firm, a recognized private organization, or Government departments with finance roles. Additionally, you will need to fill training application form, employer details, ID proof, and a copy of the Intermediate exam results.

Are you Ready to prepare for the CMA Intermediate Exam?

The CMA India Intermediate syllabus focuses on helping students and aspirants develop skills that will integrate cost accounting, business laws, and various facets of finance together. These elements ensure that the CMA India professionals get good job opportunities and a high salary. Additionally, the Intermediate level ensures that the theoretical knowledge and practical skills sync well for professionals to give their best in their field.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is CMA Inter tough or easy?

The CMA Inter is difficult, especially because it requires students not only to have deep theoretical knowledge but also rigorous practical training. At this level, you must have focused knowledge in management and cost accounting. With a lower pass percentage and a deeper syllabus, it can be a little tough to crack.

What are the changes in CMA 2025?

The two-part structure of the CMA 2025 exam is the same, but there are technological advancements and current trends included in the accounting and finance paper.

Who is eligible for CMA Inter 2025?

The eligibility criteria for students to qualify for the CMA Inter 2025 exams are that you have to qualify CMA Foundation level. You must also have a graduate degree from any discipline, and if you are pursuing an engineering course, you must be a second year or 4rth semester qualified.

Is the ICMAI study material free?

If you are a registered student, you do not need to purchase the study materials separately. You will receive them automatically once you are registered.