CMA Foundation Exam Date: Time Table, Exam Form and Last Dates

ICMAI holds the Foundation exam twice a year, in a June term and a December term. Admission to the Foundation course for the December 2026 term closed on 4 August 2026, so a student who joins now can sit the June 2027 exam at the earliest. When we checked on 6 October 2026, ICMAI had not yet published a time table for June 2027.

December 2026 important dates

Sources: ICMAI's December 2026 Foundation time table and its circular of 28 July 2026 extending the admission date. Check ICMAI's Updates and Announcements page for any later change.

December 2026 time table

All four papers are written on the same day, in two sessions of two hours.

Each paper has 50 multiple-choice questions worth 2 marks each, so each session has 100 questions carrying 200 marks. ICMAI's notice states that there is no negative marking.

Exam mode and centres

The December 2026 exam is offline: you mark your answers on an OMR sheet at an exam centre, and ICMAI's notice says all candidates must sit it this way. There is no option to take it from home.

The notice lists centres in cities across India and overseas centres in Bahrain, Dubai and Muscat. You choose your centre in the exam form, so check the list in the notice before you apply. ICMAI says detailed exam-day instructions will be issued with the admit card.

When the exam is held

Under ICMAI's CMA Prospectus 2025, the Foundation, Intermediate and Final exams are held twice a year, on dates decided by ICMAI's Council, and the programme is announced on icmai.in and in ICMAI's journal, The Management Accountant. The two terms are June and December; for December 2026 the Foundation exam falls on 13 December.

Admission cut-off dates

To sit a term's exam, you must complete admission to the Foundation course by that term's cut-off. The prospectus asks for admission at least four months before the exam and sets these dates:

ICMAI announced both extensions just before the original date (on 30 January 2026 and 28 July 2026), so don't plan on one. For the June 2027 exam, the date in the prospectus is 31 January 2027.

How to apply

There are two separate steps: admission to the Foundation course, which you do once, and an exam form for every term in which you want to sit the exam.

Admission to the Foundation course

• Eligibility. You can take admission after passing Class 10, but you can sit the exam only after passing Class 12 (CMA Prospectus 2025). Graduates and some other candidates are exempt from Foundation; see CMA eligibility after 12th and direct entry.
• Where to apply. Online on ICMAI's student portal, or offline through a Regional Council, Chapter or accredited institution. You receive an Identification Number valid for three years.
• Provisional admission. If you join before passing Class 12, your admission is provisional. You have 36 months to convert it to regular status and must produce your Class 12 mark sheet before applying for the exam.
• Fee and books. Every Foundation student has to undergo ICMAI's coaching, postal (e-learning) or oral, and the tuition fee is ₹6,000 for either. ICMAI provides the study material to postal students at their registered address and to oral coaching students through their centre. For other charges, see CMA course fees.

The exam form

The prospectus allows you to sit the Foundation exam if you hold a valid Identification Number, are not debarred from ICMAI's exams, and submit the exam form with the fee by the deadline. For December 2026, ICMAI accepts exam forms and fees online only, for centres in India and overseas; it does not accept offline forms or demand drafts. The steps on ICMAI's online application page are:

1. Go to icmai.in, then Students, Examination, Online Application for Examination.
2. Enter your current registration number and press "Click Here", then press "Click Here" beside the Registration No. field in the Online Examination Application form.
3. Fill in your details, choose your exam centre carefully, and submit.
4. Upload your photo and signature as .jpg, .jpeg or .bmp files under 40 KB each, cropped properly. They will be printed on your admit card.
5. Choose a payment mode and pay.

If money has left your account but your application still shows as incomplete, ICMAI asks you to wait three working days before paying again.

Exam fee

Source: ICMAI's December 2026 Foundation time table; the CMA Prospectus 2025 gives the same amounts. A form submitted between 15 and 21 October 2026 costs ₹500 extra. Exam fees are not refunded, but if circumstances beyond your control stop you from sitting, you can apply with documentary evidence, within 15 days of the last exam date, to have the fee adjusted against the next exam.

Exam pattern

Sources: ICMAI's December 2026 Foundation time table and the CMA Prospectus 2025.

Passing marks

You pass only if you score at least 40 marks in every paper and 200 of the 400 marks overall. Unlike Intermediate and Final, Foundation has no exemption or carry-forward of marks for individual papers, so the four papers have to be passed together in one attempt. ICMAI's press release for the June 2026 Foundation result lists the roll numbers of candidates who passed but gives no pass percentage.

Admit card

ICMAI posts a separate admit card link for each term on its Admit Card page, under Students, Examination, Pre-Exam. On 6 October 2026 the page still showed the link for the June 2026 term, so the December 2026 admit card had not been released yet.

When it is out, download it from that page and check your photo, signature and exam centre. For any query, ICMAI's notice gives the email address exam.helpdesk@icmai.in.

Result date

ICMAI will publish the December 2026 Foundation result by 7 January 2027 on its Results page, where the June 2026 result is already available. The Foundation mark sheet can only be downloaded from the website: ICMAI sends no printed copy, and the downloaded mark sheet is accepted for admission to the Intermediate course. Candidates who pass Foundation do not receive a pass certificate. The CMA Foundation result guide explains how to check your result.

Study material

ICMAI's study notes for all four Foundation papers can be downloaded free from its Foundation study materials page. Our CMA Foundation study material guide explains what each book covers and where to find ICMAI's practice papers.