I wrote two articles on how to pass CPIM in four months, I am going to share with you all how you can pass your CSCP examination in 3 weeks. Immediately after passing CPIM, I negotiated for CPIM credential fees with my boss whom I was able to impress about the value of this certificate in the supply chain and procurement field. She ended up sponsoring my CPIM fees. I did not delay investing that for CSCP exam, because I knew CSCP covers around 50–60% contents from CPIM along with Logistics domains. By the way, I am currently working as procurement lead in a manufacturing company.
Even if you haven’t completed your CPIM credential, there are some study strategies by which you can pass it in limited time. If you are working in logistics field or have experience in working in supply chain field or you have majored in supply chain and logistics, it is highly likely you are going to pass it without any stress. As for me, before joining in procurement Dept., I have worked in logistics company for 4 years. I had an advantage, but it does not matter that much. With appropriate planning and commitment, you can nail it.

Key Takeaways:

• How & where to buy Budget Resources (Books, Exam Simulator)

• Study Planning

• Original Secrets to pass CSCP Examination

• Free Resources

My Exam Outcome:

I started studying for CSCP from beginning of November 2021 and passed it on Nov. 28. My score was 304! almost near to the dead zone. The minimum passing score is 300. I barely made it. I took CSCP 4.0, if I hadn’t passed it by Nov. 2021, I would have to write CPIM 5.0. I had another situation; I had a business trip to India scheduled in the first week of December. I took that challenge under huge pressure. Surely, my family suffered from it.

Why CSCP Credential:

One question that ask prospective CSCP exam takers is there any professional advantage if you have CSCP credential. One thing I can tell you is that you are already ahead of other applicant if you have CSCP credential when you apply for Logistics and Supply chain related company. Beside that this credential give you an advantage for your job promotion. Every career site you search CSCP, you will find thousand job results. Here is the one reference from LinkedIn, the results came out 1,591 jobs opening which means those company prefers candidates with CSCP credential for advertised positions.

 

 

 

Let me get into the details of Exam Study and prep.

Resource Guide:

Option One: You have two options, the direct option is to buy resources (Learning System for $1,520 & Exam ATT for $1,425, applies for Non-member) from APICS site resources. APICS has substantially raised the price from this for Non-members. I think it’s better you became a APCIS member.

 

 

Please remember to check credential eligibility. For your reference:

• Possess at least three years of supply chain related business experience OR
• Hold a Bachelors’ degree OR
• Hold one of the APICS Certifications or CPM, CSM or CPSM

Option Two (Affordable Option):

You can buy used books from online. I bought used book from ebay for $200 which included instructor led slides. And I subscribed to PocketPrep for two months at $50 to practice as much as possible before exam. The Test simulator has 600 questions. So, your total cost is $250 instead of $1,520 and ATT fee $995 (Now $1,095 as a member). Though I should not mention it, new CSCP books are available to download in couple of websites.

Where to Buy Resources:

• ebay (Price varies on Version and Availability)
• PocketPrep

Other Sources:

Quizlet

Price: Free

I found a user on Quizlet who made a lot of flashcards with key terminology. 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.

Google

Price: Free

Search Google for practice questions, notes, videos, etc. You can find a lot of free content.

Study Strategy:

Test your Score first:

Whatever Test Simulator you bought or planning to buy whether it is PocketPrep or APICS Learning System. Test your knowledge first to understand your strength and weakness. Technique is to find Strong and weak domain.

Tips for Procrastination:
If you are experience procrastination, please take test or read Instructor-led slides. I used this study tracking excel sheet. you can use it. Download from here.

 

 

Tips for SCM Pro:

If you think you understand the concepts and formula’s, please focus on more Instructor-led slides. It is summary of books.

Excel Exercise:

For formula-based calculation, you can do excel practice. Though it is time consuming but very much effective for the exam.

Exam Prep: Final Week of the Exam

It’s time to review your notes and test your knowledge. I would highly suggest you review all notes and Instructor-led slide. I think exam questions are very much close to Learning System, you better do more test through learning system. At first, take tests by chapter, then by module, finally full test. If you are making mistakes, review the answer as much as possible. Also, take test through PocketPrep and review all the answer.
Even if you are not scoring 80 to 90% in Learning System, that should be fine. Final exam questions are much easier. don’t worry about it. However, at least you should score around 70 to 75%. I was scoring around 70%. For ProcketPrep, you should score around 90 to 95%.

Key terms to be noted:

Quality function deployment, risk mitigation, supply chain event management, SCOR metrics, matrix data, all ISO standards and calculations for inventory turnovers, days of supply, customer service levels.

Exam Day Strategy:

“Don’t panic, take one by one”

Take enough rest on the day before exam, Sleep is one most important element for a fresh brain (Infuse Focus & Defuse Mode). You will need both the Left & Right brain to ace the exam. Questions format will be a combination of multiple-choice, orderly questions and limited fill-in-the-blank for formula type of Questions. Read questions, try to recall from which Module and which chapter question is related to, then answer. Don’t waste your time for difficult questions, keep it for later review. Please don’t spend too much time on Math problems (I had 4–5 problems in the exam) if you are not comfortable.

Final Thought:

To say that recent disruptions have a significant impact on global supply chains is putting it lightly. COVID-19, natural disasters, cybersecurity breaches, trade disputes and more are taking their toll ― which is why the 2022 Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program has a greater emphasis on demand management, supply chain risk and modern supply chain technology trends.