Hi Haleema,

congratulations! on passing part 1 and 3,As for part 2 it's a core part and also the longest part so 2 months wouldn't be enough to prepare this part,Part 1 and 3 are not that much difficult as Part 2.Gliem is the best so just follow Gliem, study each unit carefully, however,there are some sub-topics in Gliem which you could Skip because they are not important. You have to focus on everything because as you know questions in real exams are randomly selected ,so for everbody it's different.well as for how many hours to study, so according to me I would recomend 3 hours daily but again it depends on your personal capacity and capability.

Regards,

Falak

Part 2 is more difficult than Part 1 and Part 3, as it will involve a lot of complicated calculations over a wide scope, such as cash flow , diluted earnings per share, pension accounting, cost variances etc. So 3 months of dedicated study is required. Please note that Part 4 questions always come from Part 2. A solid knowledge on Part 2 will pave your way to pass Part 4.

I would like to thank you all for your comments. I wish that other candidates can also share with us their experience and knowledge about CMA part 2.

Its much easier when you know exactly what you should do in order to success in passing exams. It can save you time and effort, specially when you don’t know how to start.

I think a good plan is the key to open any closed door.

Ramy,

What do you mean by "certain areas?" I'm also preparing for part 2.

JW

hi

i am preparing Part 2 exam also and now study investment chapter ,can anyone share me the the soft copy of valid US GAAP related to investment ( including consolidation) , i want do a comparison between IFRS and China Gaap.

Thanks a lot

HaiYan,

I actually have an electronic book that my accounting professor used regarding IFRS and US GAAP. But it may not be applicable to China. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to redistribute the document. But if you only need the investment chapter, I'd love to send the relevant information to you.

JW

Just as an FYI, I used Gleim for Part 1 and failed the first time.  I then purchased Hock materials and immediately passed.  I am preparing for Part 2 now using Hock.  I feel like I will be super prepared for it when I am done, although there is an amazing amount of information covered in this one exam. 

It will take me about 6 months to prepare as I can only devote about 2 hours a day to studying.  You can prepare in 2 months if you have more time to commit to studying daily. 

I'm going to try for Part 2 again in a couple of months. It'll be my 5th (!) try. 460, 480, 490, and then 460 again.  I passed Part 1 and Part 3 quite easily but having big problems with Part 2.

Timing is of no issue to me. I am able to read and answer all 140 questions in 2.5 hours, giving me a comfortable 1.5 hour to go through all the questions and answers again.

Material shouldn't be an issue as in my job I do management accounting.

I use all my accounting books, Hock, the Q&A book and other material to study and when I do a mock exam I always pass.

I believe the problem is my concentration span. I have a short concentration span so putting me in a room facing an old computer for 4 hours straight is making me "bored" (so to speak), which then leads to concentration loss. Unfortunately if I take a break during the exam, I can't stop the clock, so taking a 10-15 minute break to refresh myself is basically unfeasible. Also if I take a long-ish break I'm afraid the examiner might think I am cheating.

Does anybody have any tips to help me get over my short concentration span issue? I have tried taking the exam in the morning and in the afternoon and I prefer doing it in the afternoon as I will start it with more juice in the brain (I'm not a morning person) but then tend to fade away as the hours go.

I really need to pass it this time, otherwise I will end up frustrated and giving up on the whole CMA.

Thanks for any tips!

-indra-

Dear Indra,

Don't lose hope.In your next attempt,you will pass.

Part 2 is the toughest part and it test your competency in Management Accounting & Reporting.

Inaddition to Gleim ,IMA material, etc., etc, ,go thro' Wiley's IFRS & GAAP atleast once.

Good Luck

Babu I Razack CMA

Hey all,

I've been following this thread since it was initially posted. Thanks for all the advice. I passed my part 2 yesterday with a 520. I found the percentage they gave in statement of learning outcome or whatever it's called not very accurate. Gleim dedicated 9 out of 20 study units in its book to cover external financial accounting but only about 25 questions on the test were actually related to that. The exam was really concept oriented. sometimes it was simply the definition or characteristic of a certain concept. time was a little of an issue for me. I only finished 20 something questions by the end of the first hour. But I caught up later on and had about 25 minutes reviewing. I didn't take a break though. I only used Gleim. I know they didn't do a good job explaining the questions after each study unit (sometimes it was like A is incorrect because B is correct) but the outline provided a good study guide. I recommend learning with discretion. Scan the book before you start and make sure you know your strength and weaknesses. I don't like doing tons and tons of problems. If you can read through the entire book and review the questions you did wrong, that's almost 1000 practice problems under your belt already. I didn't even touch the CD-ROM that came with the book. Anyways, good luck to all of us on the journey.

JW

Hi Haleema,

I think two months are enough. You have to solve all question in the CD.

good luck.

Can you please let me know which material you used? Geliem or IMA? Have you spent a lot time on doing exersies?

Many thanks in advance.

Na

I consider Part 3 as an interesting part! You need to focus on calculations coz you will find many. Part 3 take less time to prepare, it is shorter than Part 2.

From my own experience it does not take more than two months including the revision.

I think you will enjoy Part 3 and you shall learn a lot. Please do focus on everything and don’t skip since the exam is not the same for everyone. Do practice questions as much as possible coz the timing is the main game for all CMA exams.

Good luck

Winston - I feel your pain.  i muddled through part 1 and eventually passed without a great study schedule.  I began part 2 studies the same way (studied some at night), however, my turning point has been getting up at the crack of dawn (5am) and studying 1.5 to 2 hours before work.  I really wasn't learning effectively at night because my brain was fried after being at work all day.  Some people learn well at night, so it is really just a matter of finding the time of day that works for you ans even though it is tough sticking to it at least 5 days a week.  At least that is the case for me.  I never study Fridays and I try to get 2 hours in on Saturday & Sunday.  I also look through the upcoming chapters and make a schedule of when I think I should be complete, working backwards from the date I want to take the exam.  On this current schedule, it will take me about 9 months for Part 2 so I just wanted to give you that FYI.  Some people with more free time or perhaps a lot of management accounting experience can get through it faster.  All the other parts are shorter and part 1 took me about 4 months.  also, I would only prepare for one part at a time.  The exams are incredibly difficult - much more so than I realized upon going into this.  happy studying!

Courtney

I think you need to get minimum of 72% correct answers, which means 100 question out of 140.

Wile your revising read the summary of each topic and then practice questions and improve your efficiency in each part. Don’t move to the next part until you get the minimum score achieved. You need a study plan which indicate the topics you will finish per day in order to stay on track and finish on time.

Good luck!

Well, I did the Part 2 exam yesterday for the 5th time. After 460, 480, 490, and 450 I finally got 590!

In terms of preparation, I used Hock and my old accounting books (Cost Accounting and Intermediate Accounting). I revised about an hour or two per day for about a week before the exam (in between doing the yearly budget exercise as well! - bad planning on my behalf). In terms of timing, I finished the first round of all questions with 1h30 minutes left, took a 10 minute break to drink and refresh myself, then reviewed all the incomplete and marked questions. I hit "end" with literally 1 minute left but I never felt like I did not have enough time.

Anyway, Part 2 is done now Part 4 and hopefully before the end of this year!

Dear Indra,

Congratulations!!! on passing part 2 and refer my mail dated 18th Aug.(I mentioned ,you would pass in the next attempt)

For every failure, there is success and you have proved ,you could do; really a

very good score you have got. Wish you advance greetings for your success in part 4 exam.

Babu  

I hope Indrajana's luck rubs off on me as I am taking part 2 tomorrow. I, too, did Part 1 and 3 first and now I find Part 2 to be a challenge in terms of the vast amount of material that needs to be covered. I am using Gleim.

Hello, All

I think the best way to pass CMA exams is solving Qu in the CD

BR,

HELLO

My name is Hassan i am Pakistani and now in these days in Saudi Arabia. Last time I appear part 3 CMA examination but unfortunately fail I have too much study but I don’t know what happened?  please any one will give me suggestion do I again qualify for part 3? I am afraid, is it will be waste of time or not

Please I have special request to all those who have pass part 3^rd what should I do? Will they guide me how to pass?

Please contact me via on my email address dreams448@yahoo.com  or send me sms on 0092-3338767697 or sms me on 00966562122001.

Hassan

Hello Hassan

I have passed Part 3 during the last window in Jeddah after I failed in Feb. 2010. I think, If you have studied 100 hours and solved 1000 multiple choice questions, there is very less chance to fail. specially multiple choice questions are so important.

Try again and Insha Allah you will pass it. Its not difficult really.

with regards,

Asim Ali