Posts tagged: Gleim CMA

Welcome CMA Guest Blogger Heather N.!

May 7, 2013, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger Heather N.

Hello everyone! My name is Heather and I worked as an accountant for 15 years before I became a CPA. I have had jobs that didn’t require a CPA designation, but then I began teaching. I felt that I needed to become a CPA to be fully qualified to teach. Gleim software was my choice; it was the best I worked with.

When the school I teach at asked me to take over the teaching of cost accounting, I felt that taking the CMA exam was necessary. Plus, it had also been a very long time since I took cost accounting. I began researching the exam and reviews. I registered for the exam and soon decided I wanted to use Gleim. I know Gleim works because I had the best grades on my CPA while using their service. I purchased the books and began studying, but I need to do a lot more work for my CMA. I am hoping that the complete Gleim Review System will be helpful. I also like the idea of blogging because that will make me accountable. Accountability helps keep me on track. I understand that since I will be posting weekly, I will need to accomplish something and not just sit around pretending to study until the week before the exam.

I am a firm believer that educators need to have a top-notch level of education and be up to date. The CMA Review System will provide me with this. I also think my experience as a professor will play heavily into how I study and how I learn for this exam. I find that I learn from my students every day. I can also offer a perspective of the educator who is trying to relearn these topics. I feel that others can benefit from the learning style of an educator.

 

New Beginnings: Middle of Week 1 (part 1)

March 12, 2013, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger Ashley G.

Based on my new strategy, I have 5 weeks of being diligent and the remaining weeks to review. This shouldn’t be too much to ask of myself! As I mentioned in my previous entry, I plan on studying one study unit for an entire week. This will probably vary depending on how challenging the content is. I plan to read the Gleim book and then examine the multiple-choice questions (and my notes) on the weekends.

As I compose this blog, I am sitting at my office desk finishing my lunch on a Friday. So, technically, I should be through most, if not all, of the first study unit by now. Well, I feel like I have achieved that. I have finished subunits 1 and 2. I am still working on subunit 3. I am hoping to have it finished by Saturday afternoon so I can get to the multiple-choice questions.

What has been my CMA exam study strategy? While going through these three subunits during the week, I have also listened to the Gleim lectures. Once I have completed this, I go back and re-read the entire subunit. If there is a formula, I create a notecard. While reading, I will highlight and make notations throughout the book. Once I have completed reading the entire subunit, I will go to the textbook multiple-choice section and essay section and complete them.

CMA subunits 2 and 3 are pretty lengthy and challenging sections for the good old memory bank. They primarily consist of formulas and ratio analysis. During these two subunits, I have been writing extensive notes and writing flashcards. This weekend, I plan on bringing out my easel board and write out formulas. Wow, writing that makes me sound like I should bring out my glasses, pocket protector, and abacus. It really works though! Having a flip chart handy always helps me visualize things better.

I will keep everyone posted on how the weekend goes and whether I was able to meet my goal of getting Study Unit 1 (subunits 1-3) down! Happy studying!

 

 

New Video Released! Pass The CMA Exam Series Video 3: CMA Study Time – Staying On Track

March 1, 2013, by No comments yet

 

CMA Candidates will want to watch our Pass The CMA Exam video series as it provides study tips, success stories, and other helpful information.

 

The third video in the series is now available. As new videos are released, we will post them on our blog and social media pages.  You can view the previous videos in the series by clicking the YouTube icon in the video.

 

Please leave us comments, questions, and let us know what future topics you’d like to see covered. Good luck CMA candidates!

 

Get Back to Study Mode!

February 26, 2013, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Lynn L.

This is my third week, and I’m finally in study mode. I am now planning to take Part 1 by the end of this month. I was not sure if it would be possible to finish Part 1 in 4-6 weeks, but based on what I have done so far, I should be able to finish in time.

The shortcut that brought me to study mode was Gleim’s “suggested steps” for studying. I was happy that I could see obvious improvements after I followed these suggested steps. I believe many candidates may have a common question before they start studying–where to start? I also had that question at the beginning, but CMA Review: A System for Success helped make everything clear. I wrote down the suggested steps from that book on an index card and brought it with me, so that I could refer to it whenever I forgot what the next step was.

My studying started with a diagnostic quiz, which helped me to find my weak areas in the study unit. Then, I usually watched the audiovisual presentation for that study unit. I found that these presentations were the most helpful. I typically watched the presentation twice and tried to memorize the concepts right away. Even though watching it twice takes longer, I think it’s worth it. The next step is to answer the true/false questions. They are generally pretty easy questions, and they help you remember what you just learned from the presentation. Then it is time to study the book. Gleim suggests 60 minutes for this part, but I always spent more than 3 hours here. I guess this depends on how familiar you are with the materials. While studying the book, I also discovered that I was better at calculating-based questions than reading-based questions. This was especially true of the four standards in Study Unit 1. I spent around 45 minutes memorizing them but still got some relevant questions wrong. After I realized my weakness in memorizing concepts, I started listening to the audio review every night before I went to sleep. So far, it has been working well. I could easily recall most of the concepts the next day and it became easier when answering the essay questions.

Anyway, it is definitely a good idea to follow the suggested steps when you have no idea where to start. I believe that once you have a big picture of what is going on with the CMA exam and the study materials, you can make some adjustments based on your own study pace, just like I did. I also hope that everyone can get back into study mode really fast after the long holiday!

Lynn L.

 

 

Live CMA Review: Gleim + CMA Prep Course

February 6, 2013, by No comments yet

 

Gleim, the #1 trusted name in CMA Review materials for over 30 years, is collaborating with Ronald Schmidt, CMA, CFM and the CMA Exam Prep Course to help you pass the CMA exam before 2014. If your goal is to pass the CMA exam but you need the added advantage of a live instructor, the Gleim Professor-Led CMA Review Course can help.

 

Are you in the Dallas, Oklahoma City, or Tulsa area? If so, visit cmaprepcourse.com and register now for a live review course in your area.

 

Welcome CMA Guest Blogger Lynn L.!

January 17, 2013, by 1 comment

Written By Guest Blogger Lynn L.

Background Information

I am currently a graduate student studying for a Master of Science in Accounting at Eastern Michigan University. I also received my bachelor’s degree in Finance last year. At school, I actively participate in events and activities of different student organizations, such as Beta Alpha Psi and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). I have been a student member of IMA for two years. By attending IMA student chapter meetings and events at school, I discovered a world that is very different from public accounting. However, with a background in both Accounting and Finance, I personally would love to do something that will make use of my knowledge and passion in both areas. At the IMA Student Leadership Conference this year, I was very lucky to attend a CMA Survivor session. Here is where I found out that being a Certified Management Accountant is actually what I was looking for and what I want to do in the near future. By realizing that, I now believe that becoming a CMA, rather than a CPA or a CIA, will be a good fit for me.

 

Reasons for Taking the CMA Exam

After discovering my future goal, I started to take the necessary actions to realize it. Luckily, I recently received a couple of accounting and finance internship offers, from which I was able to select one that can help me achieve my career goal. I decided to intern at the finance department of a manufacturing firm this coming summer. After talking with the recruiters and friends who previously had internships at the firm, they all suggested that I take the CMA exam as soon as I can. I am approaching my graduation date and plan to start a full-time job soon after graduation. It is always better to pass the professional exams before you start a full-time job. Also, student candidates get large discounts when registering for their exam compared to working professionals. With that in mind, I plan to sit for the first part of the CMA exam in May/June of next year. Regarding the studying materials for the exams, IMA professionals strongly recommended using either their official study guide or Gleim materials. I have seen Gleim materials at the computer lab of my school. They are also recommended by my professors; therefore, I thought I should give it a try. I hope I can pass both parts of the CMA exam the first time after studying with the Gleim CMA test prep materials.

 

Welcome CMA Exam Blogger Ashley G.

January 4, 2013, by No comments yet

Written By Guest Blogger Ashley G.

Greetings, fellow readers! My name is Ashley, and I will be documenting my studying process for Part 2 of CMA exam. I am currently in public accounting, which eats up a lot of the time I would like to allocate to studying. My other time commitment includes losing weight. Oftentimes, speakers from various exam software vendors will tell you one of the worst things you can do while studying for an exam is also losing weight. Well, in my case, there is no other option because I have severe back problems. I have been told by my doctor to lose some weight and strengthen my abs. As a result, my need to balance studying with the other factors in my life is essential.

Let me also start out by saying that the CMA exam is not new to me. It’s more like the monkey on my back. I started sitting for this exam back in 2009 when it was 4 parts. I was interning at the Big 4 accounting firm where I currently work. After passing Part 1 and then failing Parts 2 and 3 by only a few points, I postponed my studying for the CMA in order to finish the CPA exam before the exam format changed. I completed the CPA exam in September 2010. Following the CPA exam, I sat for and passed Part 1 of the CMA exam (under the 2-part model) in April/May 2011. Following this exam, I had several life-altering events happen to me. I chose to get back on the horse in June 2012. I ended up failing Part 2 by only a few questions. I then chose to take a break so that I could get my finances back in order (and hopefully not pay for another failed attempt at Part 2).

This brings me to November. I plan to start studying in December and sitting for the exam in the January/February testing window.

I hope to hear from a lot of my readers throughout my studies. Feel free to pose questions or make comments, and I will respond to them in my upcoming blog entries.

 

My CMA Testing Experience & What You Should Know About The CMA Exam

January 3, 2013, by 4 comments

 

Written By Guest Blogger Jason S.

Greetings –

So it’s the morning after I took the CMA exam (Part 1) and I am still completely drained. If you don’t know much about the CMA exam, it begins with 100 multiple-choice questions, which you have 3 hours to answer. After the multiple-choice questions, there is the essay section, which you have at least 1 hour to complete (plus any carryover time from the multiple-choice section). However, the interesting thing about this exam is that if you do not score 50% on the multiple-choice questions, you do not get a chance to take the essay section.

The exam started off pretty much how I expected. I was really nervous for the first 10 questions, but then I settled down (somewhat) after that point. I did get a good rhythm after the first 10 questions, but my rhythm was surprisingly interrupted when I noticed (after the first 50 questions) that I was taking too much time. When taking the exam, I try not to watch the clock too much, but I had to look at it after the first 50 questions to see if I was on pace (which I thought I was). I knew I was taking too much time because I only had about 1 hour 26 minutes left. If I was on pace, I would have had 1 hour 30 minutes left to finish the remaining 50 questions. At this point, I started to panic a little, but I had to calm myself down quickly because I needed to finish the last 50 questions. The last 50 questions did go much quicker, and I was able to finish all 100 questions with about 7 minutes to go on the clock. However, I did mark 7 or 8 questions along the way, so I went back and reviewed the marked questions for the last 7 minutes before moving onto the essay part.

I hit “submit” with a few seconds left on the clock and hoped that I would see the essay section pop up. It did. At this point, I knew that I had a fighting chance to pass the CMA exam. Remember, if a candidate does not achieve a 50% score or better on the multiple-choice section they cannot take the essay section, but the computer does not show your exact score for the multiple-choice section. I had exactly one hour to complete the essays.

The 4 hours it took to complete the exam seemed more like 4 minutes, but I had similar thoughts when I took the CPA exam 5 or 6 years ago. Overall, you need to expect the unexpected (which is what the Gleim system talks about) and try to work as efficiently as you can. Once it’s over with, you try not to think about the exam very much and patiently wait for the results. It appears that the results might take up to 6 weeks before being released, but I’m hoping that they come sooner than that. Hopefully, in a few weeks, I can announce to everyone that I passed Part 1 of the CMA exam, and I can then get to work on Part 2.

Kind regards,

Jason S.

 

Multiple-Choice Focus Approach

November 14, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Greetings –

When I started these blogs back in the summer, time was definitely on my side. This was because I had months to go before I was even going to take Part 1 of the CMA Exam. However, as I write this blog, time is definitely NOT on my side. I have little over a week to go until I begin taking the CMA Exam. To be honest, I pretty much feel how I did when I took the CPA exam, years ago. I feel somewhat anxious, somewhat confident, somewhat not so confident, but I feel that it is time to get Part 1 out of the way. I don’t feel super confident when it comes to the essay part but I’m starting to feel pretty confident when it comes to the multiple-choice questions.

When I look at my performance history on my Gleim Test Prep software, I have done approximately 5,500 questions over the last few months (covering all 10 study units). It has taken me a little over 100 hours to complete all the questions (I have completed most of the questions multiple times). When I first began doing all the questions, my weakest area was budgeting. As I approach the finish line, my weakest area is variance analysis. I think I completely understand the budgeting questions but still struggle with memorizing some of the equations from variance analysis. Yes, there are a lot of formulas and calculations you must know for the exam, but overall I think I know most of them.

For my last week of studying, I will go through all of the study units again, but I will only focus on the questions that I marked from the last time. This will make me only focus on areas that I see as needing attention, plus I will go back over some of the notes from the book that did not show up in the multiple-choice questions. I really feel like I can kick some butt on the multiple-choice questions (as long as I can work effectively and efficiently) and then give everything I got on the last two essay questions.

This multiple-choice focus approach is somewhat how I approached the CPA exam and it ended up working out. I’m pretty satisfied with the work I have put in so far and am hoping for good health, a clear mind, and extreme patience for the next 10 days or so. In my opinion, one of the key items to success is to trust that you have done enough studying and not panic when exam day comes around.

Kind regards,

 

Jason S.

 

Slow Going in the Summer Heat: EA Exam Studying

September 19, 2012, by No comments yet

 

Written By Guest Blogger Amy W.

It’s been a busy week. My daughter just left to go back to college, so of course the past week has been a whirlwind of activity. I stood just outside the line of fire, offering advice (not welcome) and her favorite foods (welcome). Now she’s back at the University of Maryland and the house is quiet…well, almost quiet, as my son is still here for another two weeks.

Despite all this activity, I’ve managed to complete one section and complete a 100-question test per day. Through this, I’ve already gotten myself into Study Unit 5. So far, so good. But I am concerned that I am simply memorizing the answers to the questions, which is not what I want to do. There aren’t a lot of test questions in Part 3 when compared to Part 2. So without intending to do so, I find that I’m remembering the answers. This isn’t good.

So I’ve decided to add some additional requirements to my daily study. As I did in Part 2, I’m going to create my own written worksheets that summarize the material in each section. The theory here is that the act of re-creating the material will help lock it into my brain. I have to really push myself at this point. It’s been a long, hot summer of studying and I’m fairly burned out, but I’m determined not to fail at this last gate. After Part 3, I’m done with the EA Exam and then I only have to start job-hunting for the coming tax season.