CBCA® Final Exam Study Tips
In this article, you will learn how to prepare for the CBCA final exam:
Exams can be daunting for many people. For this reason, we have created this study guide for the CBCA final exam.
Your success is vital to us as training providers, and in this guide, we'll show you how to thoroughly prepare for the exam to maximize your chances of gaining a first-time passing grade.
Exam Study Tips ^
| Tip | Description | Result |
| Review course material | Re-watch the course content you may have struggled with initially and make other attempts on the course-qualified assessment. | This will help reinforce the lessons and give you more confidence. |
| Review your qualified assessment results | Reviewing your course assessment results can help you understand which areas you're strong in, and which areas you should improve in. | This will help you plan which modules to go over again. |
Review the following courses |
Account Monitoring and Warning Signs Credit Administration and Documentation Completing a Credit Application Be sure to review the completed financial models in detail and be able to connect the assumptions and drivers to the relevant sections of each model. |
These courses cover some of the more advanced concepts which will be tested in the exam. |
| Complete advanced-level electives | It's a good idea to complete at least one level 4- and one level 5 elective course because these will refer to some of the earlier courses and principles to tie back the content. However, note that the exam will not test your knowledge of these electives. | This will help you tie back the content. |
| Take the practice exam | You have unlimited attempts. We recommend taking it as many times as you need to feel confident enough to take the final. The practice exam should be available under Step 5: Exam from the program catalog page if you have completed the requirements. | The practice exam is meant to give you a good idea of what to expect in the final exam. |
Important Concepts to Review ^
The following concepts are crucial to review, as they make up a large part of the CBCA program and will be tested on the final exam.
- Statement of cash flows
- Working capital cycle
- Financial ratios
- Credit analysis ratios
- Analysis of financial statements
- Commercial Loan
- Debt Service Coverage Ratio
- Credit Analysis
- Collateral
We recommend reading through the articles and downloading the files for each.
CBCA® Final Exam Topic Weights ^
The topic weights can vary slightly in the actual exam.
Case Study ^
Important Information About Taking the Exam ^
Tip 1: Location Preparation
- The final exam is timed and takes 3 hours to complete, so it’s important to ensure that you have enough time.
- Sitting for 3 hours can be physically exhausting, so be sure to sit in a comfortable setting with no distractions.
- Have a snack and/or water close to keep you energized and well-hydrated.
- Ensure that you have a stable network.
If you have a brief outage, you can refresh the page and continue with your assessment. However, be aware that the exam counter will not stop during this time.
Tip 2: Check the exam guide
- Check the CBCA Final Exam guide on the requirements and details.
Tip 3: Time Management
- Budget your time wisely when responding to the questions, as they are equally weighted. If the financial models seem to take too long, consider marking them for review and returning to them at the end if time allows.
Generally, we recommend not spending more than 2.5 minutes per question (180 minutes / 60 questions = 3 min per question). Leave the fractions of the minute for checking marked questions at the end.
- While the exam is “open-book” in nature, we recommend limiting your reliance on course material and videos, as this could slow down your progress.
- Don’t panic if you did not pass the exam on your first attempt - it can be retaken after 30 days.