CPSM study plan

Map the end-to-end sourcing process into a step-by-step flowchart, labeling the inputs and outputs of each stage

Define in your own words the core procurement vocabulary you will be tested on (specification, statement of work, make-or-buy, total cost of ownership, lead time)

Compare competitive bidding, negotiation, and direct-negotiation approaches, and state when each is appropriate

Draft a requirements package for a simple purchase (specification plus evaluation criteria) and critique it against three quality tests

Build a cost-versus-price analysis worksheet and apply it to two worked cost breakdowns

Prepare a negotiation plan (targets, walk-away, tradeables, concession sequence) for a single-source supplier scenario

Explain the lifecycle stages of a contract and the controls that apply at each stage

Write five original practice questions on Domain 1 topics and answer them without notes

Diagram how category management links spend analysis, sourcing strategy, and supplier segmentation into one integrated cycle

Construct a supplier scorecard with at least four weighted performance categories and define the data source for each metric

Describe how quality, inventory, and logistics decisions interact with sourcing decisions in an integrated supply chain

Translate five stakeholder requirements into procurement actions and note the conflicting priorities you had to resolve

Integrate risk, compliance, and contract-management considerations into the workflows you built in weeks 1-3

Identify your three weakest Domain 1 and Domain 2 sub-topics by taking a timed self-assessment

Re-teach each weak sub-topic aloud in under five minutes without prompts

Log every missed item in a written error journal with the correct reasoning and a rule you will apply next time

Articulate how supply management strategy aligns to and enables overall organizational strategy, using two examples

Compare organizational structures for the supply function and state the trade-offs of centralized, decentralized, and center-led models

Outline a talent-management cycle covering competency modeling, development, and succession for a supply team

Diagram a change-management approach for a transformation initiative, identifying stakeholders, resistance points, and communication cadence

Explain how technology and data (e-procurement, spend analytics, automation) enable supply transformation, and name the adoption risks

Design three metrics that would prove a supply transformation is working, each with a baseline and target

Connect leadership behaviors to supplier relationship and integration outcomes across Domains 2 and 3

Answer 15 mixed-domain practice questions under time pressure and score them

Complete a full-length timed practice exam under realistic conditions

Analyze results by domain and sub-topic to rank your remaining gaps in priority order

Re-study only the top three gaps and verify improvement with targeted question sets

Rewrite the highest-value error journal entries into a one-page 'rules I keep breaking' sheet

Re-take targeted question sets for your three prioritised gaps and confirm each is now at 80% or better

Run a second timed full-length practice exam and compare scores against week 7

Recite the core decision frameworks for each domain from memory in a 10-minute recorded explain-back

Finalize exam-day logistics: appointment, identification, timing plan, and a short pre-exam review sheet