Ep. 266: Gaby Lahoud - Overcoming Certification Exam Psychological Barriers
Welcome to another episode of Count Me In. I'm your host, Adam Larson. And today, we're thrilled to have Gabby Lahoud, CEO of b certified pro joining us. If you're preparing for the CMA or any other certification exam or looking to sharpen your study techniques, this episode is for you. Gabby emphasizes the importance of understanding over memorization and offers tips on approaching the exam with confidence, managing your time, and overcoming psychological barriers, like test anxiety.
Adam Larson:He also provides practical advice on integrating study time into a busy schedule and maintaining focus on exam day. Whether you're a first time exam taker or seeking to improve strategies, you'll find a wealth of wisdom and actionable tips here. Join us as we uncover the keys to mastering certification exams with Gabby Lahoud right here on Count Me In. Well, Gabby, we're really excited to have you on the Count Me In podcast as we talk around certifications and taking exam and the parts of the brain and that you have to use to get there. And it's just a really exciting subject because people are always trying to get certified and whether it's the CMA exam or another exam.
Adam Larson:You know, there's a lot of psychological things that happen when you're trying to do that. And maybe we can start by talking about some of the barriers that people face as they're trying to get into taking exams and maybe how we can overcome them a little bit.
Gaby Lahoud:Yeah. Sure thing, Adam. First, thank you for having me today. And, actually, the psychological and anti geologic, we're gonna discuss, I believe, more about physiological in a bit. But the psychological barriers are actually the most critical when you're doing any type of exam because you are actually limiting yourself to what you are able to do.
Gaby Lahoud:And I I see candidates who, for example, were a students at the university on a on a university level, and then they failed the CMA exam and say, why? Because they doubted themselves. The biggest problem is doubt. I can't do it. Some self, doubt, fear of failure.
Gaby Lahoud:Fear is the biggest problem. Specifically, if you are a qualified person, if you are a high achiever, if you have passed big exams before, you are afraid to fail. You are afraid for others to see you as a failure, and that might actually be the reason why you failed. Mhmm. And another another big problem is overthinking.
Gaby Lahoud:If you think about it, candidates sometimes just get a simple question or a simple constant, and they start overthinking. There's a trick there, and I wanna, what do I remember about this? So when people avoid doubt, fear fear fear of failure, overthinking, I believe, psychologically, they will be more fit to pass the CMA exam.
Adam Larson:Wow. And and it's so interesting because as you were saying those things, I see those things in my children. And when they're in high school, like my kids are in high school and grade school, and, like, I see them do all the time. I'm like, hey, stop overthinking it. Just do it.
Adam Larson:But interesting because as you grow as you get older and go into the business world, we continue to do that things, and other times, you don't realize that they're overthinking. How do you get out of that? How do you get yourself out of that? How do you, like, work toward getting pulling yourself out of that mindset?
Gaby Lahoud:Actually, the first thing is practicing the law of attraction. I don't know. I I believe everybody, many people have read about the law of attraction, and actually, it's in in in in, religious stuff such as the Bible or any other type of religious book. It's in psychology, physiology, business. So it exists.
Gaby Lahoud:There's an energy in that word that will actually either direct you to pass or to fail. So if you're always gonna be self doubting yourself instead of having self confidence, oh, I'm not gonna pass. I'm gonna fail. I don't think I'm ready. I don't think I'm gonna make it.
Gaby Lahoud:What if what if what if your brain doesn't understand that these are things that you are trying to prevent. Your brain is hearing these things over and over again, and your psychology, physiology, your mindset, your your, unconscious, sub subconscious will think that that's what you want to achieve. And, actually, your brain will help you to fail instead of passing. So practice the law of attraction. Have first I I I always say it, assess your self awareness.
Gaby Lahoud:So be self aware of your capabilities, how your brain works. There's no one rule that fits everybody. Each person is different than the other. So you need to be self aware of your capabilities, how you think, how you move, your time constraint, your your stress, every everything, and held this self confidence. Visualize yourself scoring 45450 over 500.
Gaby Lahoud:Visualize it. Put it in in a visual board, which will which is something that every successful person does. So do that as well. That's that's an that's an achievement. That's a big milestone in your life to pass the CMA exam.
Gaby Lahoud:So what I do and everybody say, I've never seen you stress for any exam in your life. I say, because I don't care if I pass or fail. And, actually, I'm gonna test a little bit more about that. I'm I'm going to enjoy the exam. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm going to test myself. I'm not going to to tell everybody, hey. Listen. I passed. Okay?
Gaby Lahoud:I'm just there to enjoying to to join the exam, and that will release the stress, will, release the overthinking. Just go through it. Have confidence in yourself. I wanna do it. You you need to Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:Have this mentality that I want to do it. Not I have to do it, not I have to do the CMA because I need a better salary. I have to do this. I want to do it because I wanna grow myself. I wanna see myself a successful person.
Gaby Lahoud:That's what I want to do. So that would change the whole mindset.
Adam Larson:That's interesting because a lot of times when people hear, hey, just change your mindset and it changes you. Some people write it off as, oh, that's new age this or that's this or that's the self help mantras. But there's some truth in in science to to change to, like, saying things over and over again to help to help change your mindset. And it's something that not everybody agrees with, but there's proof in the pudding as it it works.
Gaby Lahoud:Yep. Totally agree. 100%.
Adam Larson:So when it comes to things like sometimes people talk about things like test anxiety, and that's something that I hear a lot where we're like, oh, I couldn't I couldn't take it because I I get test anxiety. And, you know, a lot of times, like in schools, they'll say, oh, you know, they have these things to help them out. But what about, you know, you're you're a professional. You're like, you don't wanna admit I have test anxiety. Maybe we can talk a little about that and maybe some different strategies you can use to overcome it.
Gaby Lahoud:Oh, sure thing. That that that's what I was just saying that, I I never I never had the test anxiety, not because I'm I'm different or I'm a super person or I it's just that going back to the mindset. Mhmm. So we make things more complicated. So when you say, oh, I have a CMA exam.
Gaby Lahoud:Oh, that's so complicated. That's big. That's a global certification. That's gonna be hard to pass. I see a lot of people failing.
Gaby Lahoud:Stop making the exam more complicated than what it is. Mhmm. It's not rocket science. A lot of people have passed it with with with little or less skills or less resources than what you have. So there's a lot of more things in our life that are more critical and complex than the CMA exam, and we have overcome those successfully in our lives.
Gaby Lahoud:So the CMA exam is just one additional milestone that we need to pass. So stop making things more complicated. And, again, my mindset is I don't care if I fail. Mhmm. I don't care what other thing.
Gaby Lahoud:People always care what others will think. What if my what will my family think? What will my colleagues? What will my friends? I'm a failure.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm not that smart. That's not an an indication if you are smart or not. Mhmm. Every person has a different approach into achieving something. If you failed a hundred times, if you failed the CMA exam a hundred times and then you passed it, you are a CMA.
Gaby Lahoud:You have this international passport with these three letters. You are a CMA. Everybody would say, oh, that person is a CMA. But if you failed once or you give up, before you fail, if you gave gave up and say, oh, I'm not gonna go through it. I would say, oh, he didn't, he doesn't have the CMA.
Gaby Lahoud:He failed. Mhmm. He quit the CMA. So it's all about mindset. I don't care.
Gaby Lahoud:If I didn't do it this time, I'll do it later on. So a lot of studies also show that when you put pressure on yourself, you eventually tend to fail. So just say, okay. I can do it today. I'm gonna start tomorrow.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm gonna do it tomorrow. I'm gonna make make it better. I'm gonna start with one page and then move forward and always avoid procrastination. Mhmm. That's the biggest problem with text, test anxiety.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. Because you're always postponing things because you are afraid. So just go through it, and things will just break down easily.
Adam Larson:I like that approach of, you know, well, I don't really care. However, you know, when you think about it, sometimes people will say, well, Gabby, I can't afford to take the test a 100 times. I can't afford that retesting fee. You know, what how do you find that balance of, I don't care if I pass or fill, but I need to make sure that I pass, you know, in the right amount of time because maybe, like, money's an issue or something else. You, like, you gotta find that balance too.
Gaby Lahoud:Oh, definitely. But when I say I don't care about failing or pay or pa or passing, that's the mentality that you have to take throughout the end of the exam, not at the beginning. Gotcha. The beginning, you need to put the right strategy. So when when when you still have one day or you are on the exam day, actually, stress on the exam day is more critical than stress throughout the whole studying period.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:Because on the exam day, if you're stressed, that's gonna affect a lot of things, and we might discuss more about that in a bit. But going back to your question, it's all about balancing between building this confidence through time. Confidence doesn't come in one day. You're gonna be stressed at first. No matter what you do, when you start something new, you have a lot of unknown.
Gaby Lahoud:Stress comes from the unknown.
Adam Larson:Yeah.
Gaby Lahoud:Risk comes from the unknown. The less you know, the more stressful you're gonna be. That's why you see a lot of candidates that are super stressed at the beginning of the program. They have a lot of questions. They don't know the answers of what should I do?
Gaby Lahoud:How much should I study? Mhmm. How many hours? I get these questions a lot. So, Kumble, you need to know that confidence is built over time.
Gaby Lahoud:Okay? You need to have the right strategy. I discussed a lot of strategies and I shot a lot of videos with IMA, I believe, 2019. I wrote 6 videos talking about all of these strategies that you need to set to be able to achieve the state that I don't care. I have confidence.
Gaby Lahoud:Actually, when you say I don't care, that comes from confidence. It doesn't come Mhmm. I don't care. I'm just gonna pay and go do it. No.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm I'm talking about I don't care if I fail or pass. It means I have the confidence I'm gonna do it. And in case I didn't pass, that's not the end of the world. Yeah. I can learn from my mistakes.
Gaby Lahoud:I can readjust my strategies. I can improve myself. I can learn new things. I can understand things better. Maybe I failed because there are certain critical things in that CMA that will help me in my career, but I didn't go through them thoroughly or I didn't understand them.
Gaby Lahoud:This is my chance to be better. So you need to have this will give you even this plan. Maybe you need to find the right mentor. Some people don't have that discipline. So you need to find the right person and say, okay.
Gaby Lahoud:I need to find someone that will help me get through this. Mhmm. So when you start building that, you don't have to do it a 100 times. You don't have to do it maybe 2 times. You don't even you you will pass at the first from the first attempt.
Gaby Lahoud:But stress, trust me. The higher the level of stress, the higher the probability of failure. Mhmm. I don't care if you are an a student. I don't care if you have a 100 years of experience.
Gaby Lahoud:I see. I've seen that. I had candidates who are CFOs, and they have years of experience. They are smart, sharp, and they failed the CMA. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:I have students that are fresh graduate and barely know anything, and they pass it. So it's not about just knowledge. It's about the approach. It's about your confidence. It's about the strategy, discipline, studying, having all of that as a bundle.
Adam Larson:You know, that that that makes a lot of sense. And so you mentioned a a number of times that having the right confidence. So what role does confidence come in being successful at an exam?
Gaby Lahoud:Confidence come with having the right progress when you are studying.
Adam Larson:Okay.
Gaby Lahoud:I see a lot of candidates that start with confidence, then that confidence is shattered when they are in the mid or by the end of their studying schedule. Why? Because when they started, they say, oh, I can do it. I understood the first couple of pages. Oh, that's easy.
Gaby Lahoud:That's easy because you just started 2 pages. But when you reach a 100 or 200 pages, that's no longer easy. It's not that the exam is hard. It's not that the material is hard. It's that now you have a lot of information to keep in your head.
Gaby Lahoud:So I use something I call the rolling strategy, and they saw I shot a couple of YouTube videos on that and shared them with every single candidate take the program with us. The rolling strategy, it means how you should study to train your brain to stay efficient throughout your studying pattern and will prepare you to do the exam in the right way. So having the right approach, maybe you have someone that studied a 1000 hours and another one a 100 hours, and you see the 100 hour person pass. And that's that's what I do in all, that's what I've done actually in all of my exams. Okay.
Gaby Lahoud:Having the right strategy will build confidence because you see yourself progressing. The more chapters you take and if you keep going back and forth with the right strategy on how to study and accommodate all of these chapters together because that's what you're gonna be tested on the exam. They They are not going to test you on each subject separately.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:They are all aggregated in one exam. So when you see that as 2 months have passed, and now you you you are able to see the general concept of the exam, you are able to understand all of this material, you still remember things, You are getting better in your multiple choice or essays. The more you practice, the faster you are getting. You are solving a a multiple choice question in 5 minutes. Now you're doing it in 30 seconds or 1 minute.
Gaby Lahoud:That will build confidence. Mhmm. K? And another thing for building confidence is your is understanding your ability to do it for and that's something I always do. Oh, I don't have time.
Gaby Lahoud:Okay. You don't have time. That's fine. Start with 1 page. Just read this one paragraph, then you can't stop.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. You're gonna read the second, the third, and you say, oh, oh, look. I've spent 30, 40 minutes on the past 4, 5 pages. Why? Because you're not stressed.
Gaby Lahoud:You're just doing one step at a time, one small block, and then you feel this energy inside you. Oh, look what I've achieved Mhmm. So far. I I didn't want to study and look what I am, where I am now. And that will start building confidence over time.
Adam Larson:Yeah. I like that. Now we've been talking a lot about the psychological aspect, but you've mentioned in the beginning that you wanted to touch on physiological responses. You know, sometimes like stress or sleep patterns, having trouble sleeping, and and sometimes when you're stressed, you have physical reactions in your body. How does that impact your ability to kinda perform well when you're in the midst of an exam?
Gaby Lahoud:Before I jump into stress and sleep, I want to touch on a subject that always, get my candidates or my friends to laugh, which is food and drinking. Mhmm. What what to eat, what to drink. And that's a major physiological thing specifically on the day of the exam.
Adam Larson:Okay.
Gaby Lahoud:But that doesn't have to be only on the day of the exam. You can practice it early on. And I discussed the 4 hour mock exams within the last month, which I can discuss in a bit, more details in a bit. But what to eat and what to drink is very important on the exam day. Because if you drink too much, you're gonna keep visiting the restroom.
Gaby Lahoud:The time will not stop. And every time you need to go to the restroom, what will happen? You're losing precious time because you need to take permission, get out, go. If there's someone waiting or someone inside, you think you have to wait. Then you need to come back.
Gaby Lahoud:They need to check you, sign you in. You need to go back. Take 4, 5 minutes to get back into the exam mode. And if you're gonna do that a couple of times, you won't have enough time for the exam. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:If you take to literally gonna be dehydrated, that's not good for your physiology. We all know when you get dehydrated, not enough oxygen is passing through through your brain, and you need every single energy in that brain to be able to get you to pass the exact time. What to eat as well. If you eat too much, you're gonna be lazy. All your blood, all your oxygen is gonna be digesting instead of analyzing.
Gaby Lahoud:And if you if you eat too little, then you're gonna be hungry and you're gonna be thinking about food instead of passing the exam. Stress is another big issue in blocking your brain from staying functional effectively and efficiently throughout the exam. And, again, stress comes from everything we just spoke about, from self doubt, from not having the right schedule, from not setting the exam, and so on. Sleep is a big, big issue, and many people cannot sleep before the day of the exam. And then they are tired even before the exam start.
Gaby Lahoud:That's why I always advise everybody not to study the day before the exam or at least stop around noon and just take the rest of the day to have fun. Spend time with family, watch a movie, do your best sport. This will put your body and your brain in a better mood.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:And, actually, it's better to do some physical activity. This will get you tired enough so that you can get enough sleep to be ready for the second day. Because if you're gonna keep thinking, if you're gonna study till the last second, your brain is gonna keep working and it will not let you sleep. Then you're exhausted before even starting the exam. So that's why I have I I suggest everybody just take a break Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:And enjoy it. Get your body tired, get some good sleep, and just go through the exam.
Adam Larson:I like I like the practical application because sometimes, again, people try to overthink it when they're preparing for things. They overthink it, and then you're overthinking so much that before you know it, it's midnight, and you're like, I have an exam in the morning. It's, like, too much for them. True. True.
Adam Larson:True. So what if somebody's been listening to you, and they're like, I'm gonna apply everything Gabby's telling me, and then they get to the exam, and they're like, ah, you know, I've never been in this high stress situation before. You know, they've tried it they've done everything prepare, but when they're in the midst of it, you know, are there some practical things they can do to kinda help maintain focus and concentration when you get to that place? Because essentially, if you've never taken a high, like a high pressure exam before, it's a difficult experience.
Gaby Lahoud:I agree. And that, to be honest, no matter how confident you are, you cannot control the stress the first 10, 5, 10 minutes. No no matter who that person is, even myself. Yeah. And, again, I I I go inside.
Gaby Lahoud:I I don't care. I just come I mean, I'm just gonna enjoy it and see how it goes. But still the first 5 to 10 minutes are very stressful and that's something that your body is just gonna process. Mhmm. So you need to just pass these 5, 10 minute and not let this stress get into you.
Gaby Lahoud:And I have a couple of strategies for that that I always use. Number 1, avoid distraction. Don't look at others because everybody is stressed. If you're gonna look at others and they are stressed, then you're gonna get more stressed. That's number 1.
Gaby Lahoud:Yeah. Number 2, don't let your mind wander. What if how would that happen? Go think about this thing. Just clear your mind.
Gaby Lahoud:Think about nothing. And the thing I do or many people does is pray. Praying always help you to get calm. So if you pray before the before going into the exam, this will help you to get better focus and be more relaxed. Now the first 5 minutes are crucial, specifically that you're starting with the multiple choice question.
Gaby Lahoud:And since you are still in that stressful phase, your brain is still not fully in the zone. You are still working with the subconscious and you want to be able to control that time. So many candidates or actually, if not all of them, the first couple of questions you feel that they are taking forever. They are so complicated. I I I'm not being able to answer them.
Gaby Lahoud:What should I do? That's fine. When you say, okay. I I I I just need 72 over a 100 or 360 60 points over 500 to pass. I have a room for mistake.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. That's not the end of the world. Even if the first couple of questions, I don't know them, That's fine. I'm gonna get to the one that I know, and I'm gonna pass that exam. So once you're drilling, read the question first.
Gaby Lahoud:If you know how to do it, go for it. Mhmm. If you don't know how to do it, just mark it, move the next one. It's fine. Even if the first 5, 6, 7 questions you didn't know, that's getting your brain ready to understand and just to be in the zone.
Gaby Lahoud:That's it.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:And then as you move forward, you're gonna see that your questions are becoming easier and easier to understand and absorb. And this will get you back into the confident state, state. So the first five minutes when someone goes into one question, we we we are wired in one way that I have to to to to solve this question. If I don't know how to solve it, I won't be able to solve the the next 99 question. That's not Yeah.
Gaby Lahoud:And you spend 10 or 15 minutes on just one question and you say, oh, time is flying by. I won't have enough time, and then you're gonna get stressed before even going to the other question. Mhmm. So that's why. Just go through the first couple of fun a couple couple of questions and just let them go through.
Gaby Lahoud:If you don't solve them, do that. If you don't, you're you have a second round. You can go through them again and again and again. That's not a big deal. So just stay relaxed.
Gaby Lahoud:Again, I'm already here. There's nothing I can do. There's no if anymore. Mhmm. There's, oh, I wish I studied more.
Gaby Lahoud:I wish I had more time. That's not gonna happen. You are at the exam. So now you need to practice, I don't care if I fail. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm here. I'm gonna test myself. I'm gonna enjoy it. I'm testing myself. I'm gonna see how much I understood, and I'm just gonna follow the strategy that I've been practicing for the past 2, 3, 4 month, and whatever happens happens and avoid overthinking again, just go through it and things will definitely be better and you have a better chance to pass.
Gaby Lahoud:Do you
Adam Larson:have any strategic tips for somebody who's trying to figure out how to pace themselves? You know, they they get in there. They've gotten over the psychological thing. Those first 5, 10 minutes have gone by. What about pacing yourself?
Adam Larson:Because, you know, a lot of exams like the CMA exam, it's a it's a long exam. You've got the multiple choice, the essays. It's not, you know, you gotta pace yourself to make sure you have enough time to get to everything.
Gaby Lahoud:Oh, sure. I have a lot of search for that. I'm gonna just, give you a couple of them. Okay? Number 1, read the question.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. Don't read the given. With a multiple choice or an essay, that applies to both. There's a lot of information. When you start with reading the information, your brain still doesn't know what to look for.
Gaby Lahoud:Right? Mhmm. You don't know what they are going to ask you. So what will what what will your brain do? Your brain will try to absorb and retain, which means memorize all of this information so that they can use it.
Gaby Lahoud:Once you read the question, you have this self doubt. What if my brain did not capture all the information that are relevant to that question? What you're gonna do, you're gonna read again. Mhmm. You're wasting time.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. Okay? And you're putting pressure on your brain trying to retain all of this information and more maybe 90% of it is irrelevant. So read the question first. Again, if you know how to solve it, solve it.
Gaby Lahoud:I call it solve the easy questions first.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:Or actually to use the right terminology, the practical questions first. Why? Because out of this 100 questions, if you have 10 questions, or I should I say, you were able to answer only 30 questions in the first round. But since they were easy to you, you will be able to answer them in 30 seconds or less, which means on average let's say they took on average 30 minutes, one minute per question, including the others that you are reading and the wasted time. You have, by now, saved yourself 28 minutes because you have, on average, 1.8 minute per question.
Gaby Lahoud:So if you go through the easy ones first, actually, you have saved, you have retained 28 minutes that you can use later on on other thing. Mhmm. This will boost your self confidence and will reduce the stress from time management. That's number 1. In your second attempt, when you're going through the other questions, don't try to go over the one that you already solved.
Gaby Lahoud:The one that you already solved, follow your first instinct. That's done. Mhmm. Now I'm gonna go through the others. The others, you have 2 options.
Gaby Lahoud:You read the question. I know how to do it. It's gonna take some time. Just go and do it. Take the time that need that it needs 2 minutes, 3 minutes.
Gaby Lahoud:It doesn't matter. Finish it. Don't let it actually take more than that. If you don't know it, you read the question, nada. You read the given, nothing.
Gaby Lahoud:You read the options, again, nothing. Choose one letter. I use this strategy, which means never leave any unanswered question based on IMA suggestion. Never leave any unanswered question. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:I call it use the same option. So what I do is before I go to the exam, I pray. The first letter that comes to my mind, let's say my lucky letter for the day is c. So I don't know it's c. I don't know it's c.
Gaby Lahoud:Any question that you don't know, if I choose all of them c, at least a couple of them would be c. Right? Number 1, I got some grades on something that I don't know. That's a bonus. Number 2, I didn't waste time.
Gaby Lahoud:I kept this time for my assays. Mhmm. And the same thing applies to the assays. Never leave any unanswered question. The second strategy that I always stress on, and I'm I'm gonna discuss it in a very condensed way, is the 4 hour exam.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. The before your actual exam, at least 1 month. Why do I say 1 month? Because you cannot do it every single day. You can do it one day per week, which is mostly your day off or it's a holiday.
Gaby Lahoud:So as if you are sitting on the exam day, avoid any distraction, remove your cell phone, no food, no drink, practice your physiology, what to eat, what to drink, and so on, and just go through a 100 multiple choice question without knowing the answers and 2 essays. Time yourself and keep practicing that. This will create a habit. This will create a routine that will make it, oh, I've been there. When you go sit on the example, I know exactly what to do.
Gaby Lahoud:I know which question I need to answer first, which question next. I've been through that process. I know time management. I'm gonna pass it. I've done it before.
Gaby Lahoud:Okay. It's not something new. I can do it. And this will boost your self esteem, and you know exactly what to do each step as if you are just going through something that you have been doing for forever.
Adam Larson:I like that. And if you're doing that 4 hour exam, when you get to that first any of you've never done high stress exam or a high stakes exam, like a certification before you get into that room, even if you've never been in that room before, you've put yourself in that situation. So you've already prepared your brain to get there. And that has a makes a world of a difference than somebody who's never tried that before.
Gaby Lahoud:Yep. 100%.
Adam Larson:So I think this has been a great conversation. I really hope people can pull some tips in there. And please check the show notes and get in touch with Gabby if you have more questions and and get in touch with him. But lastly, before we end, maybe we can talk about, like, a comprehensive, like, pre day exam. You talked about this a little bit, but a a pre day exam routine that it kind of encompasses all the things we've touched, like psychological, the physiological preparation and strategies for candidates.
Gaby Lahoud:Great. Actually, it's not only a pre exam day. It's a pre exam schedule before the actual exams. So the pre exam day is very important actually, and the exam day is very important. But the first thing that all I always tell anyone, to create a schedule, you need to have an exam date, and that's the biggest problem that everybody missed.
Gaby Lahoud:Okay? Nobody set the exam date. I have time. I have time. I'm gonna set it.
Gaby Lahoud:I'm gonna start studying and see when I go, then I set my exam date. That's the biggest problem. You cannot set a schedule if you don't have an end date. You cannot finish a project if you don't have to have a delivery date. The same thing here.
Gaby Lahoud:So set your exam date, say I'm gonna do my exam in 4 month, and now you have a schedule. Now you can start breaking your studying, pattern into blood. The the the first thing I do, which because since I don't know any concept that I'm about to study, that's something new for me. For those who are taking the CMA exam for the first time, they are going to the CMA program for the first time. A small tip that that I always use is just take the book.
Gaby Lahoud:Let's say it's 300 pages. I have 100 days, So that 3 pages per day, just keep it simple.
Adam Larson:Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:So on average, I should finish 3, 3 pages per day. Start with that, at least. Okay? Or actually give yourself a buffer. Let's say, you wanna study for 3 month or for 1 month, and then you're gonna practice for in a couple of month.
Gaby Lahoud:So I'm gonna try to condense that into this period. And then and now you know how many pages you need to cover per day on average because everybody keep asking me how many hours should I study. It's not about the hours. It's about the information that you need to absorb and understand within this period. Mhmm.
Gaby Lahoud:You might spend 10 hours on one topic or you might might spend 10 hours on a 100 topics. So time is not the essence here. It's about having the right schedule and getting through everything. A big important routine that I always found valuable for those who are working because I see a lot of people I was working 3 jobs when I took the CMA exam. Even when I took the CFA exam, I was working 3 jobs.
Gaby Lahoud:So it was impossible for me to find time to study. What I do, I wake up 50 10 or 15 minutes earlier than my early my my morning routine. So let's say I wake up at 7. I'm gonna wake up at 6:45. And this 15 minutes, I don't study.
Gaby Lahoud:I just read, what I've studied before. I read my summary, my notes. Why? Because once you wake up, you are still in that phase when your brain is still absorbing. Right?
Gaby Lahoud:So I just read them. Your my brain is still fresh, and, unconsciously, my brain is gonna keep thinking about them all day long. Mhmm. And I tell you, for example, throughout my lunch break, I read more information, and I study whenever I have time. Before I sleep, I read again the summaries.
Gaby Lahoud:Not the same ones, maybe other summaries. Why? Because when you sleep, your brain is gonna be dreaming and thinking about them. And if there's any problem, they are going to break it down. In the early morning, I'm still fresh.
Gaby Lahoud:Those tips will trust me. Trust me. I didn't have time. Mhmm. I couldn't even afford to to spend 5 more minutes studying when I didn't have time.
Gaby Lahoud:But these tips actually went a long way. Okay? Again, practice, practice, practice. When you are answering a multiple choice on an essay, don't just try to find out what was the right answer if you answered it wrong. Even if you answered it right, try to know why it was this way.
Gaby Lahoud:Why the answer was a, not b. Even if you got it right, a, maybe your thinking was wrong, but eventually it led you to the same outcome. You need to understand what you are studying. You need to understand what you are practicing. Oh, I did wrong here.
Gaby Lahoud:I did what why? You need to have this why. This why should be always with you. Why they are analyzing it this way? How this is connected to this one?
Gaby Lahoud:Why this is different than this one? Why this is right? Why this is wrong? And then you understand. Don't memorize, understand what you are studying.
Gaby Lahoud:Mhmm. Understanding will help you to pass the exam and to apply what you learned in your career. Memorizing will not help you in either. You might pass the exam, but definitely it will not help you to use this information in real life. And a lot of what you learn in the CMA actually is applied in the business world.
Adam Larson:Well, Gabby, I don't think we could end on a better way. I just really appreciate you sharing your expertise and knowledge with our audience today.
Gaby Lahoud:Thank you very much, Adam, for having me today, and best of luck for everybody in your CMA exams. If you have any you can reach out to me through IMA or just look me up on LinkedIn or send me an email. Looking forward to hearing, about your success in life. Thank you very much.
Announcer:This has been Count Me In, IMA's podcast, providing you with the latest perspectives of thought leaders from the accounting and finance profession. If you like what you heard and you'd like to be counted in for more relevant accounting and finance education, visit IMA's website at www.ima net.org.
