CMT vs CFA: - Eligibility, Career, Opportunities & Salary

By IIC Lakshya

14 Aug 2025

CMT vs CFA: - Eligibility, Career, Opportunities & Salary

Are you confused about your career as you wonder between Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) vs the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) certifications? Let us learn about the difference between CFA and CMT!

While both prestigious certification programs ensure that you will achieve success in life, it is you who pursues them. When comparing CFA vs CMT, you must remember that both programs offer different expertise and skills for you to develop.

What is CFA?

A professional certification, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), is a postgraduate program. The CFA Institute offers this program and is appraised as one of the best for investment professionals, portfolio managers, and financial professionals.

To become a CFA, you must have a graduation degree. To acquire CFA certification in India and abroad, you need to take three meticulous exams on portfolio management, ethical standards, and financial analysis.

What is CMT?

The program Chartered Market Technician (CMT) offers certification in technical analysis for professionals. If you are interested in pursuing a career in risk management and trading strategies, this is the ideal program for you.

Three levels of examinations that students have to take to acquire CMT certification are market theory, technical analysis tools and risk management.

CMT vs CFA: Factors Influencing the Difference

Follow the differences between CFA and CMA to develop your potential as a finance professional. Below is the tabulated form:

Factors	CFA	CMT
Eligibility	Bachelor’s degree or 4 years of professional experience Passport	No formal education certification needed Membership in CMT Association
Requirements for Completion	Three level of CFA exams 4 years of relevant work experience	Three level of exams 3 years of relevant work experience
Structure of Exam	Item sets (in all levels) Essays (in all levels) Multiple choice (in all levels)	Chart Analysis (in all levels) Essays (in all levels) Multiple choice (in all levels)
Flexibility and Duration	2 - 4 years	1.5 - 4 years
Program Costs	INR 2,96,000 (additional annual charges)	INR 1,38,000 (additional annual charges)
Salary	Higher	Competitive
Job Opportunities	Wider range, senior roles across diverse finance sectors	Specific to technical analysis in firms and trading hubs
Difficulty Level	Challenging	Challenging

Eligibility

When comparing Chartered Market Technician vs CFA, the educational qualification is more significant for you if you want to pursue the CFA certification. Want to learn about the benefits of doing CFA after CA? Keep reading about the necessary factors to complete it.

When you go through the CFA course details, you understand the reason. The degree contributes to a well-rounded profile for better career opportunities. Read about the seven benefits of doing CFA after CA!

Requirements for Completion

You need to complete the Certified Financial Analyst course by finishing three levels of exams, which are similar to the Chartered Market Technician program requirements.

However, the requirements differ when it comes to relevant professional experience, as for the CFA course, you should have four years of relevant work experience, while for CMT, it is three years. You can compare CFA with ACCA and CA courses, based on your future goals.

Structure of Exam

The two programs have one difference when it comes to the structure of the examination. When you pursue the CMT course, you will have chart analysis as another option for essay questions, along with multiple-choice questions at all levels.

For the CFA examination, you will have item sets along with essay questions on all levels. Read about CFA Level 1 eligibility criteria so that you are well prepared!

Flexibility and Duration

The chances to give the examination are similar for both programs; however, the duration varies a bit depending on the CFA and CMT courses.

CMT vs CFA: Program Costs

The CFA course fees structure, membership and enrollment fees are higher as compared to CMT. While CMT only has membership and examination fees. Hence, the CFA program costs higher CMT.

CMT vs CFA: Salary

The CMT vs CFA salary comparison shows the level of competitiveness in the finance industry with ACCA or CA courses. If you are a CFA-certified professional, you will be starting your career with around INR 7,000,000 to INR 12,000,000 on an annual basis. Check out the CFA salary in Dubai here!

And it keeps going up with more experience and job roles. Compared to a CFA professional, a CMT professional starts between INR 7,000,000 and INR 8,000,000. It does not go higher than CFA professional on an average basis.

CMT vs CFA: Job Opportunities

The job opportunities of both the professions, CMT vs CFA, where there are some roles which are based as analyst. However, there are diverse roles due to some basic differences between them.

CFA Professional	CMT Professional
Investment Banker Financial Analyst Consultant Portfolio Manager Consultant	Portfolio Manager Technical Analyst Commodity Analyst Market Analyst Forex Strategist

CMT vs CFA: Which is Better?

You have to make an important decision when choosing between CMT vs CFA, as it shapes your future finance career path. After learning about the difference between the two certifications, you can decide by evaluating the rewards that you will get.

Additionally, now that you know the program costs, salary, career opportunities, and others, you can precisely decide on which path you want to take.

Whether specialized technical analysis is your forte, or you want to launch yourself into the global finance sector, offering diverse roles. The decision is yours to make, and opportunities are calling!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is better: technical analysis or trading?

If you are planning to specialize in chart analysis, technical trading and market timing, CMT is ideal for you.

Which designation is globally respected more: CMT or CFA?

On a global scale, CFA is more recognized in the finance and global investment industry as compared to CMT, especially for corporate finance, asset management and equity research.

Can I pursue both CMT and CFA?

You can pursue both, CMT and CFA. In fact, a lot of professionals do hold both thus, making them complementary.

How long does it take to complete CMT vs CFA?

The CFA course will take 3 to 4 hours, while the CMT typically takes 1.5 to 2 years. It is definitely related to the course differences and exam windows having long periods of time.