Taxmann’s Cracker – Management Accounting (MA) (CMA-Inter) (New Syllabus) by Tarun Agarwal for Dec 2026 Exams – 7th Edition July 2026.

Management Accounting (Paper 12) is a highly practical and conceptually demanding pillar of the CMA Intermediate (Group II) curriculum. Taxmann’s CRACKER is not a conventional, bulky textbook—it is a purpose-built scoring tool. Across more than 400 pages, this 7th Edition (July 2026) condenses the entire 2022 Syllabus into ten tightly organized chapters. The design philosophy is simple: refresh a concept, then immediately practice it exactly as ICMAI has asked in the exam hall.

Designed for Exam-Condition Practice

The book follows a consistent, revision-friendly architecture built for efficient self-study:

• Strategic Front Section: Before opening a chapter, students get a data-backed map of the syllabus. The Chapter-wise Marks Distribution (with a 7-attempt average) and Previous Exams Trend Analysis reveal exactly which topics carry the most weight and how they are tested (Theory vs. Practical).

• Quick Review Summaries: Every one of the 10 chapters opens with a crisp, tabular recap of important definitions (grounded in CIMA Official Terminology), key concepts, and comparison tables (e.g., Absorption Costing vs. Marginal Costing).

• A Deep, Decade-Spanning Archive: Rather than just compiling the last few papers, this CRACKER pulls objective, theoretical, and numerical questions from exams spanning 2013 through June 2026.

• Complete Suggested Answers: Every practical problem is solved in full, featuring the final answer, detailed Working Notes, and tabular computations.

Syllabus Coverage & High-Yield Practice Areas

The book covers the complete Paper 12 syllabus across ten chapters, each mapped directly to the corresponding module of the ICMAI (CMA) study material:

• Marginal Costing & Short-Term Decisions (Chapters 3 & 4): Break-even analysis, CVP, optimum product-mix, make-or-buy, and special-order decisions.

• Standard Costing & Variance Analysis (Chapter 6): Mechanics of variance analysis including material, labor, overhead, and sales variances.

• Forecasting, Budgeting & Budgetary Control (Chapter 7): Functional/cash budgets, flexible budgeting, and variance reporting.

• Performance Measurement & Responsibility Accounting (Chapters 8 & 9): Return on Investment (ROI), Residual Income (RI), and evaluating cost/profit/investment centers.

• Decision Theory & Transfer Pricing (Chapters 5 & 10): Market-based vs. negotiated transfer pricing, EVPI, decision trees, and decision-making under uncertainty.

Who Should Buy This Book?

• CMA Intermediate Candidates: The ultimate practice-and-revision tool for students preparing for the Paper 12 (Group II) examinations targeting the Dec 2026 and June 2027 sittings.

• Coaching Institutes & Faculty: A highly structured, question-driven resource for setting mock exams and guiding intensive classroom practice.

About the Author

CA Tarun Ramgopal Agarwal is a distinguished All-India Rank Holder across all levels of the Chartered Accountancy exams, earning a Gold Medal in Financial Reporting in the CA Final. Holding multiple prestigious qualifications including B.Com., CS, LL.B., CFA (Level 2), and FRM, he is widely recognized as a leading educationalist.

In 2013, he founded Simply Shiksha Coaching Institute in Surat, dedicated exclusively to CMA students. With ten years of teaching experience spanning accounts, direct taxation, costing, and financial management, CA. Tarun has mentored over 25 All-India Rank Holders in CMA studies. He is an accomplished author of numerous CMA Intermediate and Final CRACKERs published by Taxmann.

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