Candidates appearing for the US Certified Management Accounting Program (US CMA) have struggled to master the art of tackling Multiple Choice Questions over years on end as it carries more weightage both in terms of timing and scoring.
The US CMA exam, administered by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) of USAhttp://www.ima.net, is divided into 2 sections and both the sections of this exam has to be completed in a total of 4 hours. Section 1 consists of 100 Multiple Choice Questions and the maximum time allotted to the candidate for completing Section 1 of the exam is 3 hours. However, if the candidate can complete Section 1 in less than 3 hours, any time he or she saves, can thus be dedicated towards answering questions in Section 2. Section 2 consists of essay based questions. The qualifying score for US CMA is 360 out of 500 (on a scaled basis).
Today we will go over a few tips that would benefit the candidates appearing for the exams, so that they can perform in a superlative manner:
1. Read and analyze the question thoroughly:
One of the major mistakes that candidates appearing for the US CMA exams commit is that they don’t take the time to read the question correctly. It is necessary to separate the information presented into both relevant and irrelevant information first. There is always a methodical way to approach the question. The question would be dealing with a particular concept or root question. There would be other elements present as well to help identify the best answer. Thorough reading of the question would help us identify these two factors.
All other information provided could be irrelevant or a means of distracting the candidate. A good tip would be to jot down your observations, so that you can reflect on them while arriving at the correct answer.
2. Watch out for negatively phrased questions:
The negative phrases used while framing questions can cause you the most confusion and self-doubt. These kinds of CMA exam questions can be found in both US CMA test banks and on the real test. An answer will stick out from amongst the others due to the presence of the featured negative word and this will serve to confuse us. The biggest problem we would encounter here is the amount of time we dedicate over clearing these questions during the exam time. So, be prepared for such questions and practice extensively till you gain mastery over defeating this technique.
3. Be mindful of time:
Although a time limit of 3 hours is allocated to clearing 100 Multiple Choice Questions, it is very easy to get waylaid and over extend the time required for clearing the first section of the paper. It is recommended to use no more than 90 seconds to clear each question, so that there will be an additional time frame of 30 minutes to go over the questions that require further review. Since while solving the MCQs we do not know what is the weightage for each question, it simply makes more sense to attempt the questions that are relatively easier first, rather than get stuck over tackling difficult or confusing questions.
There are no shortcuts here. US CMA aspirants need to have both precision and speed to successfully qualify for the certification and this is possible only through continuous practice. Simulate the model exams and gain as much as practice as possible before you go in and appear for the exams.
4. Understand the concepts rather than memorize:
In the US CMA exams, 75% of the paper consists of Multiple Choice Questions where the exam is designed to test the candidate on fundamental concepts, definitions and terms. Review courses contain various patterns and associations. Rather than attempt to gain mastery over the subject by memorizing all of these, it would be far, far better for the candidates to try and understand the concepts behind these. Conceptual knowledge and a thorough understanding of the subject would help the candidate to score better rather than blind memorization.
5. Analyze and Learn from your mistakes:
Erring is human. However, you should learn from your mistakes when you attempt mock tests and mock exams because they give you an opportunity to further your learning and correct your errors. So, it would be prudent to carefully monitor the mistakes that you make during your mock exams. A detailed study and understanding of every mistake that you make would help you avoid making them during the main exam. You might be making errors due to lack of understanding or lack of knowledge. This can be rectified with constant practice and efforts.
Certain key areas of development such as lack of intuition, misreading the questions, making errors in calculation, applying the concepts wrongly, or getting confused by the similarity in the responses – all of these can be corrected by way of dedicated training. There are multiple US CMA mock exam papers available and a detailed study plan would help you gain the practice and expertise necessary to successfully clear the certification course. A reputed US CMA coaching academy will help you in mastering these steps.
FINSPIRE Academy with its highly qualified faculty and transformation catalyst having more than 30 years of collective experience in coaching and mentoring besides their excellent interactive classes is the ultimate destination for anyone who is looking for a reputed US CMA Online Coaching academy.
Visit http://www.finspireacademy.com/ or mail to info@finspireacademy.com for more information.
