Free CMA Exam Study Tips
There are many ways to study for the CMA exam. Your success is dependent upon your available study time, your preferred study approach, your familiarity with the CMA exam study material, and how practiced you are at writing a formal exam. Here are some free CMA study tips to help you along the way.
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1. Learn How to Navigate CMA Exam Essay Questions
- Learn to write an effective essay answer: 25% of your CMA exam score depends on it. There are two CMA exam essays per exam part.
- Organize your essay with an introduction, body, conclusion.
- Use key words from the question in your solution
- Learn how points are awarded for essay answers, ensuring that you get the most points possible for each answer, even when you are challenged by a question. Access video lesson content on how to be successful on essays in your CMA study materials.
- Practice essays in the actual test interface. The UWorld CMA Elite-Unlimited Review provides 70+ sample essays for each exam part for real-world practice.
- Use the essay support materials in your CMA exam prep materials. This content shows a sample grading guide and includes a sample of good, better, and best answers in addition to helpful essay writing tips.
2. Create a CMA Study Plan and Stick to It
- Have a CMA study plan. Use the CMA Study Planner tool to plan your schedule and stay on track. Treat it as a living plan and update it as you progress.
- Avoid cramming by breaking your study times into small segments.
For example, you may want to work intensively for 45 minutes with no interruptions, followed by a 15-minute break during which time you do something different – leave the room, have a conversation, or exercise. - Focus your time where it is needed the most. Use the CMA Exam Score Predictor tool to find out how you’re doing on each topic. Use this score to determine where you need to study more.
- When reading your CMA Study Guides, highlight key ideas, especially unfamiliar ones. Reread later to ensure comprehension.
- Pay particular attention to the terms and equations highlighted in your CMA study text, and be sure to learn the acronyms in the CMA body of knowledge.
- Create personal mnemonics to help you memorize key information. For example, CCIS to remember the four ethical standards: Competence, Confidentiality, Integrity, and Credibility.
- Dedicate the two weeks before your CMA exam to a final review. Take one final mock exam and watch short videos on the most challenging topics.
3. Use Different Study Formats
- Reinforce your knowledge by studying in all the formats available to you in your CMA exam prep: text, video instruction, instructor mentoring, live CMA classes, etc.
- Attend live CMA classes and interact with real instructors to get immediate answers on the most difficult topics and guidance on how to solve the most challenging questions.
- Practice, practice, practice your multiple-choice questions (MCQs). There are 100 MCQs per CMA exam part representing 75% of your total CMA exam score.
- Read all the choices carefully but try to answer the question before reading the choices
- Make sure you’re answering the right question. Some choices are correct but off topic. Others are only partly true.
- Watch out for unnecessary information.
- Watch out for negative words like “NOT”.
- Don’t over-analyze MCQs, the CMA exam typically doesn’t try to trick you.
- Use CMA practice tests in your CMA course to test your ability to answer multiple-choice questions in each section. After completing the first block of questions presented, review the study materials in the areas where you were weakest. Then try another practice test.
- Take as many CMA practice tests and mock exams in your CMA preparation course as you need. Mock exams mirror the actual exam experience in number and type of questions, weighting, time limits and testing interface. Each time, you’ll get a full report of your results, highlighting your specific strengths and weaknesses.
- Take advantage of idle time in your day. Leverage on-the-go aids in your CMA study material such as the mobile app and Expert ReadyDecks while you’re waiting in line, on the bus, picking up the kids, etc.
- Use index cards or the “blank” Expert ReadyDecks included in your CMA course. This helps reinforce learning by writing information as well as reading it. In particular, make your own flash cards of topics and issues that are unfamiliar to you, key terms and formulas, and anything you highlighted while reading.
- Have a study friend. They don’t need to understand accounting, only the patience to sit with you and drill you on questions and Expert ReadyDecks.
4. Remember These Tips on Exam Day
- Ensure you are well rested, nourished, and physically prepared for exam day as each exam is four hours in length with no breaks.
- Manage your time carefully on CMA exam day. There are 100 multiple choice questions and two essay questions to complete in 4 hours. Target 1.8 minutes per MCQ (180 minutes ÷ 100 MC questions = 1.8 minutes) and 30 minutes per essay.
- Answer all the questions on exam day. There is no penalty for an incorrect answer on the CMA exam — if you don’t try, you eliminate the potential of getting a correct answer.
- Feel confident that you have done everything to prepare. Remember: you belong here. You can do it!
Learning how to complete multiple-choice questions and essays, and being mentally and physically prepared, will ensure your success on the CMA exam. The UWorld CMA Elite-Unlimited Review Course gives you all the tools, CMA study materials, and confidence you need to pass your big exam.