| Final exam review After working my way through all 17
chapters, I’ve amassed an impressive collection of flashcards.
Read more...
|
6/29/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I found the exam questions slightly more direct and
easier to follow than the online post-test questions
Read more...
|
7/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
| So it was down to crunch time. With one week to go, I
fit in as much review as possible. I mapped out how I planned to use my last
week, and decided to focus on the chapters I was scoring poorly on.
Read more...
|
7/13/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Now I’ve finished reading all the textbook material.
Completing this so quickly has given me a temporary sense of relief: I’ve still
got five full weeks for review.
Read more...
|
6/15/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I’ve only entirely read each chapter once and then
gave them a quick skim before taking the test. I plan to invest more time in
review for module 5 before taking the test to see if it helps my score and
confidence in the materials.
Read more...
|
6/1/2012
|
Comments (0)
| As I’ve mentioned, my wife’s been going through a lot
of my flashcards, and it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. She’s actually
started memorizing some of the cards – not just the answers, but also the
questions.
Read more...
|
5/18/2012
|
Comments (0)
It’s
amazing how a week can slip by so quickly, but I think if I added up my total
hours of studying for this week, they would total less than five. I guess I
should look on it as a mini-break and really throw myself into things next
week.
Read more...
|
5/4/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I’m
studying every morning, four nights a week, and at least a full day on the
weekends, so I feel like the time I’m putting in will pay off at the end. Right
now, a lot of that time is going toward my initial reading of each chapter.
Read more...
|
4/20/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I bought a box of 500 lined index cards, and I’ve
already taken a large chunk out of it.
Read more...
|
4/6/2012
|
Comments (0)
| One of my first goals was to determine the most
productive times for me to study. I’m able to get up in the mornings and study
for nearly an hour before I leave for work. I find at this time I’m most alert
and energetic.
Read more...
|
3/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| As most of my experience is with one company, I hope
the CTP will fill in the areas I have not yet experienced, giving me the
technical skills to fully develop my treasury abilities.
Read more...
|
3/9/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The online format of the test is extremely helpful
from a strategic and timing perspective.
The remaining time is in the top right corner of the screen and you can
skip and “flag” or mark questions that you want to go back and review later. I would recommend highly utilizing this
functionality as this prevents you from spending too much time on certain question
Read more...
|
7/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
With the last few hours tonight and
tomorrow morning I’m planning on reviewing my typed notes – looking for key
definitions, lists, terms, laws, agencies, etc to refresh my memory. In addition, I plan on going through about 10
final review questions from the Learning System in the morning prior to leaving
for the exam just to get myself into the test tasking mode. Wish me luck!
Read more...
|
7/9/2012
|
Comments (2)
| Since my last blog, I have finished the three last
modules (4, 5, & 6). In order to
break up the monotony of just taking practice question after practice question
I also reviewed all of the flashcards and definitions.
Read more...
|
5/25/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I have also found the AFP Learning System extremely
useful. I took the Pre-Test for the
second time and my score has increased, but not significantly from when I took
the exam about a year ago before I opened a booked to study.
Read more...
|
6/11/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Tonight I will take the first mock exam on the online
AFP Learning System in order to gauge where I am at in my studies and in
particular the chapters that I will need to review the most. I have three weekends left before the exam
and I believe during the weekends is when I can really get a large amount of
studying accomplished.
Read more...
|
5/28/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Most of the concepts except for
cash forecasting do not relate directly to what I do on a day to day basis, but
certain concepts like issuing commercial paper, long term debt, issuing equity,
MMF investments, fixed income portfolio, FX hedging and management are specific
of my greater Treasury department. The
text has expanded my knowledge and understanding in these areas.
Read more...
|
5/14/2012
|
Comments (0)
| At this point I believe I encountered my hardest
chapter yet, Chapter 10, Payment Systems, Collections and Disbursements. This chapter is extremely dense with
definitions and will require patience.
From my memory recollection I believe it is also the longest chapter as
well – the page count seems to be double, triple, and quadruple some of the
other chapters.
Read more...
|
4/30/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Although I have been previously studying in sequential
order and am only currently on Chapter 8, it was my turn to present to my study
group and therefore I had to skip ahead to Chapter 13 – Financial Decisions and
Management and focus on the details of that specific chapter.
Read more...
|
4/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Specifically,
the Excel document will serve as a formula reference guide which I hope to use
either directly to memorize formulas or can be turned into flashcards. The Word document can also be used later to
create flashcards for definitions of any unknown content.
Read more...
|
4/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| This time around I am still readingthrough all of the chapters and decided to start from the beginning again onChapter 1, but the difference is that I am outlining/ taking notes in MicrosoftWord.
Read more...
|
3/19/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
heard about the SFMTA study group for this December/January testing session via
an email I received and I decided to join the study group for various
reasons. Mostly I was hoping it would
keep me focused and help me track my studying.
Read more...
|
3/5/2012
|
Comments (0)
| While studying the calculations I reverted back
to grade school. When I found myself
struggling with one I actually wrote it at least three times then practiced
solving it with numbers
Read more...
|
6/22/2012
|
Comments (0)
| My first piece of advice
to anyone reading this would be to start earlier than I have on gaining an
understanding of the calculations. I’ve
known about the exam for almost a year now and at this point I feel there is no
reason that I shouldn’t have been looking at the calculations before now.
Read more...
|
6/8/2012
|
Comments (0)
| One positive point is that the when I have
practiced the calculations they are coming to me easier than I thought they
would. I still remember many of them
from college classes so the practice has been more of a refresher for me.
Read more...
|
5/25/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
understand the basic definition of puts, calls, options, and forwards. However, when it comes to answering questions
about the details involved with each of those I get confused.
Read more...
|
5/11/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Currently, my struggles and concerns are mainly
the calculations. I’ve seen just about
all of the calculations in the book before in school but there are just so many
Read more...
|
4/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
As those of you who work in retail
know, December and January are very busy.
We are getting ready to close the year in January and all the
preparation begins in December. Luckily,
I have still made the time on Friday afternoon to study.
Read more...
|
4/13/2012
|
Comments (0)
Just over a month before the exam and time to
step up the studying. I made it through
final exams at school and am now ready to dedicate much more time to the CTP
exam.
Read more...
|
3/30/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The
hardest obstacle I’ve had to overcome over the past couple of weeks has been
work/life balance.
Read more...
|
3/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
My first thoughts as I begin to study for the exam
are “how am I ever going to get through this entire book and retain anything to
take this test?”
Read more...
|
3/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| In
retrospect, I am glad that I took the test when I did, but that is only because
it is over and I passed. I know I did not give myself enough time to
study.
Read more...
|
7/16/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
managed to answer all of the questions in a bit over 2 ½ hours. I quickly
looked to see what I had flagged for review.
Read more...
|
7/2/2012
|
Comments (0)
| After
test four, I took a break. I went to yoga and took a quick run, something I had
been denying myself but I desperately needed for my sanity.
Read more...
|
6/18/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
am continuing to take the tests at the end of the chapters. I am hopeful I am
not just memorizing the answers, however, as the numbers and questions don’t
change.
Read more...
|
6/4/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I am starting again at the beginning, so today I went back
through modules 1 and 2. These modules are a bit like the first few chapters in
a textbook you had in high school; easy as can be but the foundation of
everything that is going to come down the line, so you better have a good
understanding of what they mean.
Read more...
|
5/21/2012
|
Comments (0)
| The
good news is that everything is read now and I can begin studying by review,
which I find much more enjoyable.
Read more...
|
5/7/2012
|
Comments (0)
| But
the bright side is that most of the questions I got wrong are from modules 4
and 5. Furthermore, it shows that the AFP Learning System is posing questions
that test the person’s knowledge who is studying for the test. They are not
“gimme” questions at all.
Read more...
|
4/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Policy
and procedure feel intuitive to me, as does most of risk management, so the
hurdle I have in module 6 will be the learning of the technology standards.
Read more...
|
4/9/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
shifted gears and began to study the later chapters. One thing that I am having
trouble with in the later chapters is trying to make flashcards. For example,
Chapter 16’s “Policies and Procedures” section seems so intuitive it made for
easy reading, but hard to put onto flashcards
Read more...
|
3/26/2012
|
Comments (0)
| What
is my solution to the winter darkness? Stay home longer and study!
Read more...
|
3/12/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I
am two and a half weeks into my study schedule. As usual, things have not gone
as planned.
Read more...
|
2/27/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I decided to take the CTP exam shortly after
starting my current position. When I was hired for the position the CTP
credential was mentioned as something that management in the department would
like me to obtain
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| Ten years into my finance career, I decided to study for the Certified Treasury
Professional designation to ensure I have the technical skills to give me a
professional edge in an international job market.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I decided to sign up for the CTP about a year ago and initially signed up for the last exam window. The
study tool I used was the AFP Learning System: Treasury, 3rd Edition. I
took the online Pre-Test to understand where I needed improvement and then
began studying.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| I will be using the AFP Learning System to study; there are six modules. I intend
to work through each module in two weeks, reading, utilizing homemade flashcards
and using the online tools provided. I will carve out 1 hour in the morning
each day to study
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
| CTP Exam Prep Blogs: Introduction |
| Welcome to the CTP Exam Preparation Blog. We will be
featuring four guest bloggers who, like you, are CTP candidates. Read about
their journey as they prepare for the CTP exam.
Read more...
|
2/23/2012
|
Comments (0)
|