What is the CMCA certification for HOA managers?

What the CMCA is and who awards it

The Certified Manager of Community Associations is a credential for people who manage homeowner associations, condominium associations and cooperatives. The Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB) awards it. CAI set up CAMICB in 1995, and CAMICB used to be called NBC-CAM. CAMICB describes the CMCA as an entry-level credential. It shows you have the basic knowledge needed to run an association.

The CMCA is a private certification. A state does not issue it. CAMICB runs it separately from CAI, which is why your CMCA does not appear in the designations list on your CAI account. You do not have to join CAI or any other group to earn it, and CAI members get no discount.

Eligibility, the course and the exam

You need one of three things before you apply. The first is a pass in an approved prerequisite course. CAI's M-100, The Essentials of Community Association Management, is one. Tinnelly Law Group's Building Community course is another, and it includes California material. The second is two years of work as a community association manager, which gets you a one-time waiver of the course. Time as an assistant manager does not count. If you use the waiver and fail the exam, you must take a prerequisite course before you retake it. The third is an active Arizona CAAM, California CCAM, Florida CAM, Illinois CAM or Nevada CAM.

The exam has 120 multiple-choice questions and runs 2.5 hours. Only 100 questions are scored. The other 20 are pilot items. It covers governance and compliance, financial management, risk management, meetings and events, property maintenance, and contracting. You take it on a computer at a Pearson VUE testing center, on any day except major holidays. You get a pass or fail result when you finish. CAMICB does not release scores. The M-100 course does not expire, so you can apply years after you take it.

Keeping the CMCA active

When you pass, CAMICB puts you on an April 1 or an October 1 cycle. You pay a $135 service fee every year by that date. Every two years you also recertify. To do that, you show you still practice community association management and you document 16 hours of continuing education taken within that two-year window.

The hours must cover association operations or your professional development as a manager. Self-study counts for no more than four hours per cycle and needs approval first. Courses on buying and selling real estate do not count. Coursework approved by the manager licensing regulators in Nevada, Florida, Connecticut and Illinois counts. So does meeting the education rules for CAI's AMS or PCAM, NAHC's RCM, or the Nevada community association manager certificate.

How the CMCA leads to CAI's AMS and PCAM

CAI's advanced designations require the CMCA, so it is the first step on that path. The Association Management Specialist (AMS) needs two years of experience in financial, administrative and facilities management for at least one association. You also need passes in at least two M-200 level courses (M-201 to M-206) and a passed CMCA exam. The application fee is $170 for individual CAI manager members. To keep the AMS, you complete one CAI course at M-200 level or above plus eight hours of other industry education every three years.

The Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) needs five years of direct association management experience. You must also complete all six M-200 courses, with the last one finished within the past five years, and pass the CMCA exam. Your application must score at least 125 points. The application fee is $225 for members and $460 for nonmembers. Once your application is approved, you have one year to pass the Case Study. To keep the PCAM, you pay an annual fee of $180 for members or $405 for nonmembers, and you meet the education requirement every three years.

Pay

USD a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, using BLS OEWS May 2025 moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. They come from the property, real estate and community association managers series, which also covers property managers. No separate figure exists for CMCA holders. National median: $72,200. Refer to the HOA & Community Association Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

• Prerequisite pathwayChoose one: pass an approved course such as CAI's M-100, show two years as a community association manager (assistant manager time does not count), or hold an active Arizona CAAM, California CCAM, Florida CAM, Illinois CAM or Nevada CAM.
• Application and feeApply online and pay $360. The fee covers the application, the exam and your first year of certification. It is nonrefundable and nontransferable.
• ExamPass a 120-question, 2.5-hour multiple-choice exam at a Pearson VUE center within one year of approval. A retake costs $200, and there is no limit on attempts.
• ConductYou must agree to the CMCA Standards of Professional Conduct. CAMICB can review a criminal conviction of any kind and deny eligibility.
• Annual service feePay $135 every year by April 1 or October 1, depending on when you were certified.
• RecertificationEvery two years, show you still practice community association management and document 16 hours of continuing education from that cycle.

State by state

How to get there

1. Weeks 1-4Meet a prerequisiteTake M-100 or another approved course, or use two years as a manager or an approved state credential.
2. Weeks 4-6Apply to CAMICBSubmit the online application and the $360 fee. Applications usually take 3-5 business days to process, and then the Authorization to Test letter arrives by email.
3. Within 1 yearSit the examBook at Pearson VUE any time within one year of approval. You get a pass or fail result on the day, and the certificate arrives by mail in about three weeks.
4. Every 1-2 yearsMaintain the CMCAPay $135 each year and recertify every two years with 16 hours of continuing education.
5. Year 2+Earn the AMSGet two years of experience, pass two M-200 courses and apply to CAI.
6. Year 5+Earn the PCAMGet five years of experience, complete all six M-200 courses, score 125 application points and pass the Case Study.

Sources

1. CAMICB: CMCA examination
2. CAMICB: CMCA program overview
3. CAMICB: Frequently asked questions
4. CAMICB: Recertification
5. CAMICB: Continuing education
6. CAMICB: State specific requirements
7. CAMICB: CMCA Handbook
8. CAI: CAMICB FAQs
9. CAI: Association Management Specialist (AMS)
10. CAI: Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM)