1. Certification
  2. CMAS Certification Policies

CMAS Certification Policies

Enrollment in the CMAS Program

  1. Enrollment in the CMAS program will expire 5 years from the date of registration, even if the date of payment is later.
  2. Should the candidate wish to re-enroll, they will have to pay the current CMAS registration fee and sign up for the program again.
    1. Credits earned from training events will remain.
    2. Credits earned from experience points will have to be earned again initiatives, other than the ones used in the original experience forms.

Active CMAS Credential

  1. CMAS credentials will have to be renewed every 5 years at the current CMAS registration fee posted on the website to remain in active status.
  2. Credential renewal requests must be received PRIOR to the expiration date listed on the (Where Will They Find This?).  All submissions will be acknowledged upon receipt.
  3. Late submissions will not be granted.  Please keep your receipt of submission.
  4. In addition to paying the fee, the individual must:
    1. Earn at least 50 credits by submitting an experience form AND
    2. Complete a self-assessment using the CMAS Competency based self-assessment tool.
  5. Upon completion of these two activities, the credential will be renewed for an additional 5 years.
  6. If the above criteria are not met, the CMAS credential will go into inactive status.

Exam Appeal Process

To reduce the need for this, the first “question” of the exam will be:

  1. The test is based exclusively on the textbook, The Art of M&A, Fifth Edition, for those who registered on or after January 1, 2020, or the 4 books in the CMAS anthology for those who registered before then – not personal experience. 
  2. The questions are looking for BEST answer – there will never be an “all of the above.”

The candidate will have to check “I agree” to begin the exam.

The wording will also appear on the FAQ page.

A candidate may appeal on three grounds:

  1. Technical Error
    1. CMAS Manager will review the answers after the being contacted by the candidate and compare them to the Answer Key to ensure that the score was not due to a technical error.
    2. If a technical error is found, the candidate will be awarded the proper score and granted the CMAS credential, if the new score makes them eligible.
  2. Unclear Wording
    1. CMAS Manager will send the candidate’s appeal to the exam committee and the evaluators of the candidate’s experience form(s).
    2. If a plain reading of the question and the answer choices could reasonably lead to the alternate meaning presented by the candidate, or if the meaning could simply be unclear, then the Board will award the points for that question to the candidate’s score.
  3. Incorrect Answer Based on the Referenced Text
    1. The CMAS Manager will send the candidate’s appeal and the text the question is based on to the exam committee and the evaluators of the candidate’s experience form(s).
    2. If a plain reading of the text, the question and/or the answer choices could reasonably lead to the alternate meaning presented by the candidate, or if the meaning could simply be unclear, then the Board will award the points for that question to the candidate’s score.

The Appeal Review Committee will make a decision within 30 days, which will be delivered via email from the CMAS Manager.