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Helpful
Hints and Books to Read
Robert Koon shares his strategy
for studying for the certification examination. He
declared:
Here's my 'top-secret' - method of study. The obvious basis
is the Study Guide.
Next, I ordered the 'Articles' book from NAPM. This
is the key. The articles are divided by MODULE and are in the order of the
study material. I would read one or two TASKS of each module, then I would
read the ARTICLES in the book. If you look at the end of each TASK on
the
BIBLIOGRAPHY, you will see listed articles they used. Some of these
are in the book, and others are NOT. By reading the articles, YOU REMEMBER
THE MATERIAL BETTER THAN THE STUDY GUIDE ALONE (hint,hint,hint). I then
went to the NAPM.org web site (to the members-only section) where you can
use the ARTICLE search engine for the ones not in the book (unfortunately,
a few are not in either). Finally, a week before I take the test I would
do the actual computer diagnostic test (get a copy from Barbara O.) and
see which TASKS were my weak areas and spend the final days on those. It
has seemed to work on the first three modules, and I'm using on the
last. (By the way, I have found the second to be the hardest so
far).
Koon went on to state: As we learned
in the seminar, the book by Leenders & Fearon, Purchasing and Material
Management, is a good 'other' source for negotiation and strategy
discussions. Also, one final piece of advice on studying. Do not start off
using the diagnostic test, wait until you have really studied the material
then use it to see your weak TASKS. Review these areas before the test. I
don't think memorizing the diagnostic test will help you. I can only
remember a few on the actual test that were close copies of the practice
test. As others who have taken it will tell you, there are numerous
versions of each MODULE and opinions will vary. You must know the subject
matter. Finally a disclaimer: these are my observations and it's a good
idea to get multiple opinions on study habits and see what works best for
you. Call 800-888-6276 ext. 401 to order materials. Good luck to all those
who are studying.
Brenda Nelson-Porter, CPP,
MIT
C.P.M. Chairperson
Co-Pro D
Chairperson
Co-WebMaster
770-471-0174
brigettes@netzero.net |