Test-Taking Tips and Strategies

Test-Taking Tips and Strategies Improve Your Performance on APICS Certification Exams

Before the Exam • Make sure you understand what ‘Scaled Score’ is. Read the document titled ‘Understanding a Scaled Score’ from APICS. • Review Exam Content Manual and sample questions. • Use APICS Practice Question Booklets and Datachem CDs to take mock tests.

Take the day off before the exam to relax and review study materials. • Get a good night’s rest before the exam. • If testing in the morning, allow enough time to go over your study materials one last time. • Eating something before the exam is also recommended.

Wear comfortable clothes. • Plan to arrive at the test center at least 1 hour before the exam. • If taking public transportation to the exam centre, use the time to review practice questions. Drink some coffee to wake up your brain during the journey!

What to Carry? • Take 2 forms of specified IDs to the exam – one with photo. • At least 4 HB pencils – well sharpened. • A sharpener. • An eraser. • A non-programmable calculator (with square root function). • If noise bothers you, take ear plugs.

Before You Open the Question Booklet • Place a watch on your desk such that current time is always seen. • Do a memory dump as soon as you sit down: formulas, dates, etc. (You are given clean note paper. Write down all of the formulae you have been memorizing immediately after you sit down. Then you won’t be trying to recall details when the stress is highest.)

Know how much time you have: • CPIM Basics: • 105 questions – 180 minutes. • CPIM DSP, ECO, MPR and SMR: • 75 questions – 180 minutes. • CSCP: • 175 Questions – 240 minutes. • Plan not to spend more than 30-45 seconds on each question.

Divide the total time in three (almost equal – little large, medium, little small) passes: • Pass 1: • Answer all questions leaving out difficult questions. Mark answers on question booklet itself. • Pass 2: • Review answers and transfer to answer sheet. • Pass 3: • Answer difficult questions (??) and check your work.

Keep four sharpened pencils ready. • Keep an eraser ready. • Keep a calculator ready. • Plan to use the entire time allotted in completing the exam.

After You Open the Question Booklet • Do not grab your pencil immediately. • Turn the answer sheet over and put it on one side. • Quickly scan through all the questions to get a “feel” of the paper. • Be ready for test taking. Stay calm and focused during the test. • Grab your pencil!!

Answering Strategy • Allocate time to every question. • Check regularly that you are on time. • Don’t rush. You will make unnecessary mistakes. • Read the question and all the answers. Pay particular attention to the wording of the questions on the exams. Read carefully!!

Read the question and answers again underlining the keywords. • Eliminate answers that are definitely wrong. • Make a tentative selection of the right answer. Don’t pick the first “good” answer; select the BEST answer. • Read the question and answer again to confirm your selection.

Don’t over think your answers. Be logical; sometimes the best answer is based on logic. • Mark (?) any answers on the exam that you are unsure of, continue with the exam, and then revisit them before submitting - sometimes other exam questions will jog your memory.

Don’t dwell on difficult questions, rather mark (??) it and come back later. • If you see the first few questions are giving you trouble, skip over to the next question until you find one you are confident of the answer. This will build your confidence and enable you to get the "feel" of the exam.

Remember that there is no penalty for a wrong answer (no negative marking). • There is a 25% chance of guessing the right answer. • Answer ALL questions even if you have no time to read.

Answering Technique • APICS likes answers that suggest empowerment, information sharing, speed, flexibility, feedback, partnerships, Lean/JIT, quality, etc. • APICS exams do not involve complicated mathematical calculations. • You need to think laterally. • APICS teaches us that nothing is clear-cut and straight-forward.

You should forget how you do things in your business. Think of BEST PRACTICES according to APICS. • Don’t let experience get in your way! (There is the right way, the wrong way, their company way, my way, and the APICS way! Don’t let experience mislead them from the APICS answer.)

Never say “never”— nor “always”. • Watch out for “EXCEPT” and “NOT”. • Beware of the obvious. Some questions will look too easy, too obvious and you will spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out the “trick.” However, there will be some easy questions -- at least from your point of view.

Conversely, you should at least spend a few seconds to make sure that the apparently easy question isn’t really somewhat more demanding than it seems on first reading. • Every item has four answer choices. Two are “throwaways”, one is almost right, and one is the best .

Sometimes, you must pick the “least obnoxious answer”. • On “Roman Numeral” questions, select/eliminate carefully. Then pick your answer. If your answer doesn’t match a selection, attack the problem logically. Sometimes you get lucky!

Why People Fail? • Not reading and following “How to Prepare for an Exam” document from KnoWerX carefully. • Procrastinate until the last minute to study. • Procuring insufficient or using wrong study materials. • Studying from Study Notes or Participant Guides ONLY.

Selective studying. • Not studying the Exam Content Manual and sample questions. • Following someone else’s path of preparing for exams. • Not knowing the underlying concepts. • Not practicing mock tests through Practice Question Booklets and/or Datachem CDs.

Trying to predict test questions. • Carelessness—not paying attention to the words in each question. • Not setting a schedule. • Using only the work experience and academic knowledge to answer the exam. • Not knowing the considerations when changing your answer.

Marking answer on a previous/next question number on the answer sheet. • Not checking the last step or comparing your scratch calculation to the answer selected. • Not transferring answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet.

Technique for Answering Questions

Make Predictions Increased supplier quality problems prompt the customer to … What do you think the right answer is, before looking at possibilities?

Make Predictions Increased supplier quality problems prompt the customer to … A. change specifications of supplied itemsB. change specifications of productsC. carry less safety stocksD. carry more safety stocks

Answer the Question Small-lot production is best achieved by doing which of the following?A. making cellular production layoutsB. reducing set-up timesC. increasing number of work centersD. implementing a Kanban system

Benchmark Production lot splitting may result in which of the following trade-off? A. Increased customer serviceB. Increased work center efficiencyC. Increased cumulative setup time D. Increased manpower costs

Valid Information Which of the following systems would be most appropriate for managing an inventory of tyres purchased by an automobile manufacturer for use in the assembly of several models of a car?A. periodic ordering systemB. reorder point systemC. MRP systemD. two-bin replenishment system

Avoid “Fact Traps” Under the lean production concept, which of the following is true?A. Smaller capacity machines are deployed.B. Products are produced only to customer orders.C. Space is reduced on the shop floor.D. Fewer products are produced.

Milk the Question Which of the following systems would best perform the functions of production planning, resource planning, arriving at an agreed game plan and resolving conflicts among various functions A. Demand management B. Sales & Operations Planning C. Master Scheduling D. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)

The Trap of Familiarity Which of the following software capabilities is used during order entry for make-to-stock products?A. available-to-promiseB. forecastingC. selecting features and optionsD. sales bill of materials

Eliminate Answers Which of the following techniques / systems are typically used in lean manufacturing systems? I. Produce to customer ordersII. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)III. Kanban IV. Input Output Control A. I and III onlyB. I and IV onlyC. II and III onlyD. I, II, III, and IV

Eliminate Answers Which of the following techniques / systems are typically used in lean manufacturing systems? I. Produce to customer ordersII. Material Requirements Planning (MRP)III. KanbanIV. Input Output Control A. I and III onlyB. I and IV onlyC. II and III onlyD. I, II, III, and IV

Brainstorm In a lean production environment, Ishikawa diagram is included in training so that employees may use it to identify which of the following? A. the most frequently occurring defectsB. out-of-control operationsC. potential factors causing defectsD. the flow of work through the plant

Test-Taking Tips and Strategies