How To Prepare For Apics Cscp Exam

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Zareen Zapata

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Aug 3, 2024, 6:00:05 PM8/3/24

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Many people have asked me how I passed the exam in the first attempt, in a short period of time, and with a full-time job. So I decided to share my experience, provide tips, and give you a brief idea of how this journey looks like.

Having a Master's degree in Supply Chain Management and 3 years of experience in the Supply Chain field, I can confidently say CSCP has given me an extensive understanding of cross-functional Supply Chain processes and frameworks.

The best source to get more information about the certification is the APICS website. It has detailed info on how to apply for eligibility, how much it cost, how to purchase the exam and material etc. I would highly recommend getting APICS PLUS membership. The cost of material and exam is significantly cheaper if you are APICS PLUS member and you can just get a membership for a year

You only need one thing- the APICS learning system. The learning system is comprised of 3 modules. The learning material contains every single topic in detail with an ample amount of quizzes, tests, and flashcards. This graphic below explains it more-

As I said before I gave it 5 weeks' worth of time. I was working full time on weekdays so I didn't have much time to prepare. You can still study on the weekends and easily cover everything in 5 weekends.

Every single paragraph of study material contains number of concepts/terminology/methods. You need to note down the important gist of the concept so that its easier to revise. The study material is comprised of more than 1200 pages so it's very hard to go back and revise it word to word if you have an only short time to prepare for the exam. That's when the notes come in hand.

The simple answer is NO. CSCP learning system is comprehensive of every single term or concept you will ever need to clear the exam. The learning system goes in deep detail with the help of real-time examples.

I would suggest you give any of the 4 tests provided in the learning system- Pretest, Post-test, and 2 Practice exams. I found these 4 exams slightly more difficult than the actual exam so if you score a bit low in these 4 exams, don't be scared.

Completing the whole study material thoroughly at least once is a must. Also, you must take all the quizzes and check the explanation of all the questions you got incorrect to make sure you never get the question on that concept wrong again.

Tip-1: The exam is long (225 Minutes) and it comes with lots of questions (150 questions). Be ready to exhaust your brain completely so it's very important to take proper sleep and eat enough food so that you are ready to sit down and use your brain for such a long period of time.

Tip-2: Use the method of Elimination. Surprisingly it works here! I observed 80% of the questions have 2 choices which can easily be eliminated. Once you eliminate these 2 choices, it becomes much easier to choose the correct answer from the remaining 2.

Despite the fact that it is the most widely recognized education program for supply chain professionals around the world, I could only find a two good blogs with tips and information.
One of them (from 2008) has sound advice and can be found here:

I signed up for the course and was present for ten of the 13 classes, for a total of 30 hours in class. I read and highlighted the material on the weekend before each class for about an hour to two hours.

Now here is the important thing and I wish I knew this from the beginning. The quizzes after each module and the online element are NO INDICATION of how well you are going to score in the exam. The quizzes are designed to heighten your level of understanding of the material.

Just one. May be worth a shot. Before you do anything else, get some card stock paper in at least three colours. Print the provided flashcards front and back, separating each module in a different colour. After that, place each stack in a different place. In my case I had:

After a month I was getting most of them right. Towards the end I could get them backwards. If you try this, it is important that you print them in different colours and keep them in separate locations. At least it worked for my brain.

I read the module on the weekends. I used a yellow highlighter for important parts, a pink highlighter whenever I saw a catchy phrase and blue highlighter whenever the text cited APICS Dictionary definitions. Then I flipped through the class slides, went back and read all lines I highlighted in pink. Did the quizz.

Completed the online portion on Thursdays. My scores for the online components were all over the place, ranging from 30% to 90% on first tries. For some modules in Operations, I would get a perfect score in the textbook quiz and a low 50 online.

Two days before the exam I did all the questions in the Datachem CD. All 700+ of them. I used the option to mark all that did not make sense to me at first. I mean anything that did not seem to have an obvious answer and re-answered them on my second run.

Hey Silvio,
Thanks a lot for sharing such valuable information and tips. I am about to take CSCP exam next month. I really need to have a quick session with you before the final go and before the big day of course.

My name is Shelly and I live in LA. I am planning to take CSCP exam later next year, and debating if I should buy 2014 learning system or wait for 2015 learning system. Do you know if content of books changes every year?

I trust there are small changes every year, but the only real risk is when they revamp and change the format of the test. Unless you find a GREAT deal on he 2014 version, wait for the new one. Keep in mind that APICS merged with the Supply Chain Council this year, so the test content for 2015 may change slightly. You should get your hands on the dictionary and flashcards ASAP. Better to spread knowledge of definitions over time.

1.Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management
2.Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Case Studies
3.Supply Chain Logistics Management
4.Demand-management best practices
5.Principles of Supply Chain Management
6.Introduction to Supply Chain Management Technologies

I remember bringing a calculator in my bag for the test but it was not necessary. Here in Toronto the testing facility gave me one piece of scrap paper (that I was not allowed to bring home after the exam) and one small white board with erasable markers. The testing facility is going to E-Mail you exam instructions prior to the scheduled date. Here is the info I received on what not to bring:

Hey Silvio, thanks indeed for the awesome post, the study and exam tips. I am contemplating to attend the CSCP Jan 7, 2015 course at APICS Toronto Chapter.
I have to questions concerning the Toronto Chapter, how credible is the course? and can we collect the material in advance of Jan 7, 2015?

I purchased directly from the supplier. On eBay you may end up with a disc image and those are not reliable. If you can afford the investment, Get it from the company that puts the questions together. Feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.

I suggest you try to find a newer version of the APICS materials. The exam changed formats a couple of years ago. There is no IT section. There are technology components but not a large part. Please look into it right away. You need to know formulas but the calculations are simple. Although a calculator is provided I dis not have to use it during the exam. They do not test your math skills in the exam.

I am planning to take the exam on Dec. now I have the 2015 version text book. However the test questions I bought from eBay, along with my text book are from 2013. I was bad luck being cheated. Now my question is should I buy 2015 test questions or I can use 2013?

You can use the 2013 test questions. I do not think the 2015 will be any different if you find and order it. Take the time to prepare flash cards. Learning all definitions will give you confidence to pass the exam.

If you have zero work experience in supply chain and you are not very experienced writing long exams, I would say buy the datachem. If you are confident for the exam my advice is to focus on definitions for the next couple of days.

i have the datachem and tonight it is the first time i took the exam and got failed. It makes me panic as i have only a week left for the exam. The quesitons on datachem are totally different with the books and practices. Although you have claimed that the reall exam are different. i am getting even confused.

Hi,
Thanks for so detailed observations about CSCP. I am an engineer with broad knowledge of operations and a little bit of supply chain. I want to switch my career in supply chain management. In this regard, would you recommend to take CSCP or Basics of Supply Chain Management (BSCM) which is one of the modules of CPIM. I hope you know better than me that BSCM is focused towards inside the boundaries of an organization while CSCP outwards. Will be thankful for your urgent response as deadline is very close to register for instructor lead course which I want to take.

Happy New Year Shawn! The BSCM exam is not difficult. You may be able to pass without the instructor led courses. It is the first of five exams for the CPIM designation. I have a feeling it is easy by design, so we are encouraged to pursue the full designation. After the CSCP preparation I wrote and passed the first exam for the CPIM and the first exam for the CPF (Certified Professional Forecaster) with very little preparation. I just bought the reference books. At any rate, knowing definitions was super important! Create a routine to learn definitions (flashcards) and best of luck!