CMA EXAM SECRETS HANDOUT

PASS THE FIRST TIME

 ABOUT
ESSAY QUESTIONS 1 CMA COACH
How to tackle essays.

NATHAN LIAO, CMA

Hi! Greetings from sunny California.
I’m Nathan Liao, the founder of CMA
Coach and CMA Exam Academy. I’m
a regular accountant like you who is
ambitious and wants to excel in this
industry. I’ve got a free handout here
for you that’s going to show you the
exam secrets you need to pass the
CMA exam. Don’t be fooled by their
simplicity though. These are powerful
tips that will help you pass the exam
the first time.

If you’d like to get in touch

directly with me,
I can be reached at
nathan@cmacoach.com
or at my blog at
www.cmacoach.com
How To Tackle Essays How to tackle essays.

A S S E S S F IR ST
First, scroll between questions and scenarios within the
essay section. This will help you assess how much time
you’ll need for each essay question.

V E R BS
COMPARE • CONTRAST • ANALYZE • APPLY •
EXLORE • INTERPRET • EXAMINE

Pay close attention to verbs. If it says compare and

contrast, don’t spend your time defining something. Only
do what is asked on the question. Use the same verbs
from a question in your answers.

TIME
Don’t leave questions blank. If short on time, at
least write an outline of your main points. Graders
are looking to give you points, not take them
away. Make it easy for them to give you points by
showing your work.
How To Tackle Essays How to tackle essays.

READ
Read the entire question to understand
all requirements. Skimming through a
question is not enough. Read all of it
before formulating your answers.

concise interpret
logical explore ENGLISH
analyze
contrast
compare
clarity

Answer each question in a clear and concise

manner. Make sure that you use standard
English and write in a logical manner. Focus on
effective organization and clarity. Graders are looking

apply for effective writing skills.

examine clear
organized

BR IE F
Be brief and to the point in your answers.

Bullet points are OK, but be sure to use all the

time available to you.
How To Tackle MCQs How to tackle essays.

O U T O F T IME
If you are running out of time
and can’t complete all the
multiple-choice questions,
take a best guess and answer
them.

Never leave a multiple-choice

question unanswered.

E AR LY
If you finish before the 3 hours are up in
the MCQ section, you can either review
your answers or move straight to the
essay section. If you do the latter, the
extra time will be added to the essay
section and you won’t be able to come
back to the MCQ section.
How To Tackle MCQs How to tackle essays.

JU MP
You can skip questions in this section with the ability to come back to them before going
into the essay portion of the exam.

Answer all the questions that are easy, write down the ones you skipped, and come back to
the tough ones when all the easy ones have been answered.

All 100 questions in the MCQ section have the same score weight so answer all the easy
ones first, leave the hard ones for last.

Important: If you move to the essay section leaving MCQs unanswered, you won’t be able
to come back to the MCQ section.
CMA BENEFITS How to tackle essays.

Respect

Higher Salary Knowledge

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THE
FIRST TIME
CMA TOOLKIT How to tackle essays.

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ESSAY QUESTIONS How to tackle essays.

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