Summary of “Writing for Exams”

This chapter focuses on the professional exams, including the criteria used to test candidates’ mastery of effective writing. The chapter discusses CPA and CMA exams and how we can become effective in the writing sections of these exams. This chapter also provides us tips for preparing and taking the professional exams.
Writing for CPA Exam
Since 2013, three tasks requiring written responses have been include in the Business Environment Concepts BEC section of the CPA exam. Each of these questions require specific format, usually that of a typical business documents such as memo or letter. The specific writing skills tested on the CPA exam include the following: * Organization * Development * Expression
The AICPA has identified problem solving skills, among others, as important for success on the CPA exam. In the exam, candidates should be able to * Apply professional skepticism * Identify and solve unstructured problems * Develop reasonable hypothesis to solve a problem * Develop creative ways of thinking about situation * Develop logical conclusion through the use of inductive and deductive reasoning
Writing for CMA Exam
Writing skills and critical thinking skills are also essential for success on the CMA exam. CMA exam evaluate a candidate’s ability to analyze, evaluate and communicate, as well as candidate’s mastery of accounting concepts and technical skills. In addition the following writing skills are evaluated in the CMA exam. * Use of Standard English: Proper grammar, punctuation and spelling * Organization: logical and coherent flow of ideas * Clarity: Clear communication of analysis and recommendations
Preparing and Taking the Professional Exams
Taking a certification exam may cause anxiety and writing the responses for different questions may seem daunting. The stress and pressure of the professional exams can be relieved by managing the time effectively. The key is to budget our time so that we can plan, write, and revise our answer. We should take some time to read the question carefully and fully understand what is being asked. In the first few minutes, we have to plan our answer. We must list important points and ideas and number them according to their importance. The next step is the writing the answer. This should take most of our time. We should make sure that our writing is coherent, well developed and organized. Finally, we should leave 3 to 5 minutes for revising our answer.
Writing Responses for Academic Exams
Some of the academic courses we take require us to write response as part of a course exam. Sometimes, these exams are called essay exams or discussion questions. Writing for these kinds of exams help us to prepare for the certification exams like CPA and CMA. It is a great way to learn to write under pressure and approach questions with strategy.
Preparation:
Studying for the essay questions needs a different approach than regular tests. We have to demonstrate mastery of ideas. We would be asked to explain concepts, compare or contrast methodologies, evaluate alternative treatments for a given situation or justify recommendation. The best way to prepare for essay questions are outlining notes. When the notes are ready we should review them and try to guess the answers to the questions which might appear on the exam.
Taking the exam:
We must have a strategy for using our time and composing our answer in order to be successful in essay writing.
Budgeting the Time:
Managing time is critical part of our strategy. We should always follow the steps of planning, writing and revising in order to make the time work on our advantage.
First step is to take a few minutes to read the question carefully and understand what is being asked for. Underlining some key phrases are necessary in order to not overlook anything in particular. Then we can arrange them in order. If we have 30 minutes to answer a question, planning must take no more than 5 minutes.
The next step is to write down the answer. Writing legibly is important and double spacing is key to allow room for editing. The most important objective here is to get the ideas on paper to get credit for what we know.
Finally, we should allow at least five minutes to edit our answer. We should check spellings and grammars. Budgeting time is critical to effectively plan, write and then revise it.
Organizing the Answer:
The goal for this section is to help the instructor read it easily and to receive full credit for what we know. Thus, we should apply one of the primary recommendations emphasized throughout this book: using summary sentences so that our ideas stand out. In an essay question, the key is to begin answer with a thesis statement and to use topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph.
For short questions, answer might be only a paragraph long. In that case, the thesis statement for the answer would also function as the topic sentence for the paragraph
Using Document Design: Sometimes the best way to include several points in our answer in a minimum amount of time is to use the document design principles, especially setoff lists and headings.
Important Points 1. Writing for academic courses is very critical as it prepares us for professional certification exams. 2. Budgeting the time is very important during writing for exams. We have to divide our time so we can plan, write and revise our essay. 3. Organization is key during the writing for academic and professional exams 4. Bullets and lists are allowed in CMA but not in CPA exam 5. The use of Standard English is very critical along with correct spellings and grammar.
Conclusion
Success in writing for exams depend on the mastery of effective writing and critical thinking. We have to practice writing effectively during our academic courses. These academic courses will help us to prepare for the professional certificates like CPA and CMA. Budgeting the time is very critical in essays. Moreover, we have to well organized, coherent and concise while writing.