Recently, we released our Gleim Premium CMA Review System, which includes the Access Until You Pass™ Guarantee, exclusive access to our team of accounting experts, and our new Gleim Instruct video series. The comprehensive videos in this series cover core concepts, specific examples, and many multiple-choice questions in engaging lectures provided by expert university educators such as Amy Ford, the lead instructor.
As a CPA and CMA, Amy’s background in accounting, teaching, and passing the CMA exam provides a valuable reservoir of knowledge not only for the video series but also for CMA candidates hoping to learn more about the best ways to prepare for the CMA Exam.
Personalizing CMA Exam Prep
Amy was kind enough to discuss her CMA exam prep process with Gleim. She started her explanation by noting, “The journey of preparing for the exam is different for everyone who travels the road to the CMA designation.” As an educator, Amy is well aware that everyone has unique learning styles, and she therefore encourages candidates to only apply methods that work best for them. “What worked for me might not work for you,” Amy says. “When I took the CMA exam, it had been nine years since my corporate finance class. There was a lot of information I remembered studying in college, but in that amount of time, I couldn’t recall all of the details.”
Personally, Amy found that the Gleim CMA Review System put her on an effective path to passing the CMA Exam when she started each study unit by taking a 20 question multiple-choice quiz as an assessment. These quizzes enabled Amy to gauge the depth of review each study unit would require in order for her to sufficiently comprehend the exam topics. Amy hoped to get a 75% on these quizzes, which is a good mark for any CMA candidate in the study process. Amy recalls that if she achieved a 75%, she would do a quick survey of the study unit before taking two more quizzes.
If Amy did not score as well as she intended on an assessment quiz, she would more thoroughly analyze that material by reading the outline, working through the examples, and creating flashcards. She would then take another quiz in Test Prep in order to improve her score. She would continue the process of reviewing questions she missed and taking more quizzes.
Enduring CMA Exam Prep
Though Amy admits that “all of this does take time,” she also knows that studying for the CMA Exam is like endurance training. “I often compare this part of the study process to preparing for a marathon. You do not prepare for a marathon by going out and running a marathon. You run in shorter increments, such as seven to ten miles a day, to train.”
Much like Amy did, CMA candidates should conclude their CMA exam prep by using the Gleim CMA Exam Rehearsal in order to train for the 100 multiple-choice questions on the CMA Exam. Amy reports that this step was particularly important in preparing her to pass both parts of the CMA Exam on her first attempt. She leaves candidates with this advice: “Make sure you plan out your study time and allow enough time to work through all of the study units and review the material at the end when you set up your schedule for studying.”
The Gleim Premium CMA Review System includes the videos series featuring Amy Ford, plus many more great study tips!
