The Heartbreak of Failing the CMA

Casey is our latest blogger from the US. He shares his progress on the CMA exam every Wednesday.

The results are in! Out of 500 points available, I came in with 320. But a passing score is 360. I cannot fully express the emotional heartbreak I am feeling right now.

I spent around 150 hours studying for the exam using the Gleim system. And for whatever reason, it was not good enough. It is really hard to look back at how many birthdays, family events, and afternoon activities with my wife I sacrificed, only to be told I was not good enough.

As of right now, it does not make sense for me to continue. I would have to sacrifice another 150 hours on the exact same material and have to sacrifice all the time and effort again. Plus, I would have to ask my wife to sacrifice more as well for the hope of passing, only to have another giant mountain passing Part 2.

It is a tough loss for me. But hopefully, it will all work out in the future for the better. I know several people who have achieved the CMA, and seeing these individuals only makes me respect them that much more, especially after this major defeat.

The only grain of solace I can take away from this experience is looking at why I wanted the CMA in the first place. I really wanted to get certified, as it does provide you with some sense of accomplishment that–yes–you can achieve a hard certification. And yes, it does help you out in the corporate world.

I have always been a person who fought long and hard for what I have in this life, and I do not need a certification to validate the personal and professional results I have achieved to this point. I was able to become a CFO without a CPA or CMA. And if anything, it makes me hungrier to prove myself.

I wish everyone good luck in the future taking the exam. I still maintain that with the CMA, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose to take this exam.

Note from Stephanie

Casey, this is really unexpected! I really appreciate that you took the time to share with us what you are going through right now. As you said, it’s hard to know why, especially when your score is close to passing. Take a good break first… I understand you don’t want to think about this right now, but a retake won’t take you another 150 hours. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, our blogger Sharif has been successful with his CMA exam retake.

For those who experience disappointment in this testing window, you can refer to my page here: https://ipassthecmaexam.com/fail-cma-exam/.