COVID - 19 - How it affects your CMA USA exams and plans?

The blog is updated on 24th March 2020. 

Most of you would already be overwhelmed by the news of COVID -19, I will not go deep into the topic due to that. Here let us discuss how it will impact your CMA USA exams and your plans.

Due to the large spread of the disease at such stages, the WHO and Centres for Disease Control(CDC) have asked to put a halt to all non-urgent activities and to maintain social distancing. Which means that no matter where you have reached in your academic growth with regards to CMA, it is time you put a halt and review things before moving forwards.

COVID -19 Updates - Prometric

Prometric is an organization that facilitates the CMA exams. With regards to instructions from the CDC, Prometric is temporarily closing both its test centres set in the USA and Canada. The closure was effective from March 18th and would continue for up to 30 days. All testing centres will reopen again only on April 18th 2020. 

In India, as of now the dates issued for closure are from March 22- March 31st. You can click this link to check the dates.

Will these closures affect your CMA exam dates?

You would have or will be receiving official emails from Prometric if you have an existing appointment or have a scheduled exam. You will be intimated on how to reschedule the exam, fees will not be charged for this process. Prometric is also directly working with the IMA.

Where can I find trusted information about IMA and the COVID-19 updates?

The IMA is an important professional association, you will be able to find important information from them. IMAnet.org will give you all the updates you need specifically about the exam schedule. 

As a student what are the things you should do during COVID - 19?

Based on all the information we have currently about the CMA exam and COVID-19 students should take note of the following

• The May/June exam window has currently been pushed to July. The US government, however, estimates that the pandemic could take longer, maybe up to July. In that case, all students will be able to write the exam in the Sep/October window without paying any penalty fees.
• If you had already booked for the paid examination fees and the May exams then you could postpone it to July. The IMA will not levy any rescheduling charges. If you wish to reschedule it to July please get in touch with the IMA directly to talk about the rescheduling process.
• Some CMA candidates would have already paid the fees and some would be waiting till the centres are functioning again, the choice of when to pay is completely up to you, which you should make according to your judgement.
• Consider this as the perfect time to get down on your studies, if you already have then good, if you haven’t, get going. With fewer distractions, you can fully engage yourself with your studies and utilise your time effectively.

What can you do during this event?

The whole world as you know it has come to a halt, so where does that lead you? Your goal to be a CMA has not changed, so you have to work in that direction. Set your goals right and work towards your requirement. 

Here are some suggestions that might help you during this point in time.

• If you have decided to take an exam in the May/June window which is shifted to July, so keep studying, setting these dates as the goal. In the worst scenario where the exams will be shifted to September, then consider it as more time you have to revise.
• Try and avoid watching the news 24/7 this will only lead to more stress. Do stay informed but do not plan your day around it.
• Complete your professional experience along with the educational qualification forms so that you can submit it to the IMA to process. 
• If you are a college graduate, this would be an ideal time for you to pursue CMA

All ways keep in mind that you have to have your future secure even after the pandemic passes, having a CMA degree is, without doubt, a good way to make sure of that. Having a CMA has proved to increase the average salary of individuals by 36%.

To know more about what are the advantages of CMA click here.