Cpim Exam Content Manual 2017
Was updated late 2017 to include a selection of Technology Enhanced examination questions. In the CPIM Exam Content Manual (version 6.0), APICS state. Streamlined CPIM exam preparation. System follows the APICS Exam Content Manual (ECM) Version 6.0. Author: Tania Created Date: 10:53:32 AM. Download APICS CPIM DSP Exam Prep 2018 and enjoy it on your iPhone. • The APICS CPIM Exam Content Manual. California DMV Practice Test Prep 2017 Education.
After passing the first of five exams for the certification, I created this post to share my experience with the processes and offer suggestions those who are looking to get certified. I was inspired by on Reddit. Before I begin, keep in mind that APICS is reconfiguring the CPIM certification process, going from five exams to one exam. More information is available. However, as of writing this, the new configuration is not available so taking five exams is still required. My understanding is that the BSCM exam will not change, so this post should still apply after the reconfiguration. I outlined below the studying material I used and my thoughts on the exam (TL;DR near the end).
I studied about 4-5 hours a week for three months and closer to 15 hours the week before the exam. Depending on your work/school/life balance, it could take longer or shorter. I recommend singing up for the exam after finishing the textbook but leaving a few weeks to review the material. Study Material Kit Price: $550.00 (Plus Member Price), $875.00 (Non-Member Price) The BSCM textbook by Brian Willcox is part of the APICS CPIM Self-Study Kit which includes five textbooks, one for each module (BSCM, MPR, DSP, ECO, SMR). The kit also includes the CPIM Exam Content Manual (ECM), which is an outline of the content for the exam, and the CPIM Exam Simulator (more on this later).
Cpim Exam Content Manual
I recommend getting the kit because it is cheaper than purchasing individual modules and is critical to learn the material. The textbook covers most of the material you’ll need for the exam.
I have my issues with it, though. It has a lot of grammatical and spelling mistakes. The descriptions for some concepts are poorly written and confusing. Some math-based examples are not great either. A few sections are straight up copied and pasted from a previous section, so it’s the same exact content without further explanation. For the high price tag, I was expecting a higher quality textbook. Nonetheless, it is essential to have this textbook in order to pass the exam.
It does cover all the content on the exam, but I said most earlier because the poor explanations for some concepts will need to be learned elsewhere (online). Price: $35.00 The app is free on iOS and Android, but it costs about $35.00 to unlock all 500 questions. I highly recommend this app. I prefer this over the official Exam Simulator (more on this below). The questions are well-written, cover a lot of content, and have solutions with clear explanations and references. Price: Included in Self-Study Kit This is included in the APICS CPIM Self-Study Kit.
Compared to Pocket Prep, the wording and content of the questions are more similar to the actual exam. However, the explanations and references on Pocket Prep are much better. For studying and learning concepts, I recommend Pocket Prep.
To get a better feeling of the real exam, I recommend the Exam Simulator. Both are great resources. When opening the Exam Simulator page (link sent via email after purchasing the kit), you’ll have three options: Self-Paced Practice Exam, Time Practice Exam, and Final Exam Simulator. The first two will show you the correct solution and a simple explanation. The last one (Final Exam Simulator) will not show you the solutions after completing.
I felt that this wasn't a great studying tool because I could not see what I got wrong nor could I see the correct solutions. You will get a pass or fail score at the end, which does help gauge where you stand for the real exam. Price: Free I highly recommend using this app because it has the official terminology and definitions found on the exam. The app has a handy flashcard feature that shows terms only found on the BSCM exam. It's free so just download it and use it! Price: Free I found a user on Quizlet who made a lot of flashcards with key terminology and concepts for the BSCM module. I recommend reviewing all the flashcards before the test.
If you don't know at least 70% of the terms, you're probably not ready for the exam. Price: Free Search Google for practice questions, notes, videos, etc. You can find a lot of free content.
I found several with 100+ practice questions that were helpful. The Exam Price: $190.00 (Plus Member), $290.00 (Non-Member) The exam is three hours long, but I finished in a little over one hour. Make sure to read the to know what to bring to the exam. The exam is done on a computer with a digital on-screen calculator. I was given a whiteboard and marker for scratch work. You will receive your score immediately after finishing the exam.
The exam was about what I expected based on the APICS Exam Simulator (same format, similar questions). A good portion of questions were basic terminology you should know. The more challenging questions were difficult to understand or had answers that all seemed correct but one was better than the others. I just had three math-based problems, which was much fewer than I expected. I scored the worse in Section III: Transformation of Demand into Supply and Section IV: Supply. The minimum passing score is 300 and the maximum score is 330.
I got a score close to 300. I was close to failing, but that was on me for not studying enough. If you fail, don’t stress about it. You can retake it a few weeks later (but you do have to pay again). Keep doing practice questions (Pocket Prep, Exam Simulator, online) and you’ll be much more prepared!
Conclusion TL;DR: I recommend reading the self-study textbook, learning the terms, and doing a lot of practice questions. The exam was reasonably challenging and similar to the APICS Exam Simulator. Feel free to comment if you have any questions. I will make other posts for the remaining exams once I’ve completed them. I hope this was helpful.
Edit: Edit:. Thanks for this!! I was on the fence about starting to study for the CPIM late 2016 and heard there was a new exam format being released in 2017 so I decided to wait.
Lo-and-behold, APICS announced that the new format was coming out in Q3 of 2017 so I could have studied in 2016 and got it over with. I gambled and I lost, but this is definitely a great review, I will definitely be using a lot of these resources to study. Also, with the discounts that one receives for being a Plus member, it almost doesn't make sense to not get the membership if you want to get this exam. The savings in the study material alone will pay for the membership itself. I have nothing to compare it to, as I never to CPIM.
I think the most difficult part for me was the terminology/how they worded the questions. I do not have a supply chain bachelors, but I've been in supply chain for 6 years now as an analyst or above (promoted from customer service). Our company uses WAY different acronyms and terminology, such as we call Production Planning 'logistics.'
I'd expect if you've down CPIM, this should be moderately easy. I took the test in August and got 299/300 - so this time around I pretty much focused on the questions in each section and re-read the pages I missed to understand if I missed a concept or misread the question. Then I re-read the questions and understood what they were asking for.
This time around got a 324, so I was pretty pleased. It was a difficult test for sure; I've done the ACT and the LSAT, and my hand was shaking at the end of this one hahah. I just took BCSM today and passed with a 304. I only bought the Exam Simulator from APICS, all other prep was through my university classes. I took Operations MGMT,Supply Chain MGMT, and then Project MGMT with the same 2 professors (both are high up in APICS, one is on the review board IIRC). Only started studying for BCSM about a week ago, but with class I can say technically for 1.5 years. I wouldn't really consider myself studious (rarely read the textbooks, never studied, but showed up to class and paid attention).
About a year ago, I stumbled through OpMGMT back when I was a lazier version of myself. Still lazy, just less so. Never really had a good handle on the fundamentals, but had a really good professor. I would say I was at the point of having basic knowledge of all aspects, but refined knowledge of none.
Did a lot better when I got to Project/Supply Chain MGMT, mostly through interest and liking my profs. Still not reading the textbooks or studying, but understanding everything and doing well on the tests. Not the way to go with BCSM. Read the textbooks, study the material.application is huge there, wish I had the motivation to solve that problem sooner. I probably aged a year or two from the BCSM stress, but I'll definitely be studying up for the rest of CPIM.
Apics Cpim Exam Content Manual Free Download
Our prof required APICS membership and used BCSM as one of our tests. We really didn't expose ourselves to any APICS-oriented questions until about 2 weeks before the exam. I studied about 7-8 hrs for BCSM in total. Brushed up on types of Planning, MPS, MRP, EOQ, ROP, ToC, Drum-Buffer-Rope, forecasting, push/pull, and inventory in general from my textbooks. I would say I only just nailed the fundamentals, and I was lucky to barely pass.
2018 Cpim Exam Content Manual
Glad I came across your review of the self-study kit. Will have to look into other avenues for the 2nd test. I assume you'll also be waiting until after December so you just have to take 1 more test to complete CPIM?