I did Used a mix of material (Hock, Gleim and Wiley CMA.). For part 1 I read completely both HOCK and Gleim because I actually passed the exam at the third trial. But I come to realize that, although it is good to read the material, the best way to learn is to practice, answer the questions from different databases including (CIA, CMA or CPA) as far as they are related to the topic tested in the LOS. Questions/answers are sometimes more updated than the note. You come across certain important aspect that are not elaborated in the note.
To make it short I would advise to read the most summarized notes and dig deeply in the topic by solving most questions as possible.
- how long were you studying per day, week, or month ?
I set a to myself a target of minimum 2h or 50 questions during working days and 3 to 4 hours or minimum 150 every day during the weekend.
When you will start you will struggle because you take more time to solve the questions or to understand the answer. But that is not an issue.
You might not even be able to reach 50 questions during the 2 hours. that one also is not an issue. Just keep practicing.
As you practice frequently you become acquainted to the topic and your speed increase, you will end up solving more than 50 questions within the 2 hours or in less than 2 hours.
I also used to play a lot with the mix of questions depending on my score to a specific topic or subtopic of a chapter or among chapter as I progress further in my study. Sometime I will select the 50 (or more) in one topic or I will do a mixed of ,maybe, the 2 parts most unconfortable sub-topics of a chapter or I will pull the mix question all over a chapter etc….
I finished chapters one after the other by trying to secure atleat 65 to 70% correct answers per subtopic or topic.
For the purpose of revision I keep doing the same mix of question but at Chapter level or sometimes I will extract only for certain sub topics across chapter on which I am not totally comfortable. The total number of question will vary depending on the available question of the topic. For a topic with only 30 questions I will solve everything.
At this stage I will start securing my score at a rate above 70%.
I used only Examsucess2 of HOCK and it gave me all that flexibility.
For Partv 2 I realized that I had answered all the thousand and something questions of the database in 2 months.
I reached the same number of answer on part 1 as well when I was preparing for the window where I finally passed
the exam. Just by making various mix (my fruits salad) as described above
But in the previous Windows where I failed part 1 twice, I did not reached that level of questions answered though I read entirely Hock and Gleim materials. The secret is to practice!!
- have you been summarizing , by your hand writing , your study ?
Yes For the essay Part you need to make sure that you get the substance of each topic and sub topics. I did a hand written summary but I realized later that the Wiley summary and the flash card of HOCK can serve the same purpose.
- have you took a course or self studying ?
From the beginning to the end I did self-studying.
- what was your strategy in the exam?
Fore part 2 I applied the "3 round strategy" that is scrolling over the 100 questions 3 rounds.
The first round I answers all the theory related questions and some easy spot numerical question. At this point you usually cover about 60% of the exam.
The second round I started those questions that required in-depth calculations. This is about 25%
The 3rd round I focus on those that I left in the first 2 round. The remaining 15%
For the first round I will spend maximum 1 minute on each question. The timing of the remaining will depend on the complexity of the question but in average one should target not to exceed 1.3 or 2 minutes on each question.
Regarding the Essay.
If you succeded to get more than 50% on the multiple choise part it absolutely means that you grapped quite a lot of knowledges that are aligned with the LOS..Therefore you should be able to say something, even if you are not totally rounded with the angle on which the topic of the essays are presented . SAY SOMETHING....WRITE SOMETHING.!!
Best Regards
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MOPHU Joel, MBA, CMA
Senior Financial Analyst
ADT Canada
Montréal
Canada
Original Message:
Sent: 08-23-2016 01:13 PM
From: Jennifer McBride
Subject: CMAs: Share your expertise!
Hi. I did self study with an online test bank tool, Exam Matrix, which was sufficient for me. The printed book was ok, not the best resource. I did find the on-line test bank tool very helpful and easy to use. You could select practice questions from random categories, or, you could select a very specific area to target in on.
My first tip would be to set and stick to a consistent study schedule, 3-4 times per week, with enough time before the test to absorb the information. My recommendation is 4-5 months.
Second tip would be, after you take a comprehensive study test, start by doing specific study on the areas that you scored the lowest on. The test bank tool I used was able to break down the subject areas into the very specific elements. This helped me focus and retain that information.
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Jennifer McBride CMA
Chief Financial Officer
Alaska Geographic
Anchorage AK
United States
Original Message:
Sent: 08-22-2016 09:33 AM
From: Morgan Greenleaf
Subject: CMAs: Share your expertise!
CMAs, what’s your best advice for new test takers?
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Morgan Greenleaf
Social Media & Marketing Product Specialist
IMA
Montvale NJ
United States
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