CRA (Other exams) study plan

Map every phase of the sponsored project lifecycle from idea to closeout and write a one-paragraph description of the sponsor-facing and institutional actions at each phase

Identify the core proposal components (narrative, budget, budget justification, biographical sketches, letters of support, and required institutional forms) and explain the purpose of each in writing

Draft a compliance checklist covering the common proposal submission requirements a research administrator must verify before routing for institutional approval

Distinguish the roles of principal investigator, departmental research administrator, central sponsored programs office, and signing official in the proposal process

Compare fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, and cost-sharing arrangements and describe how each affects project setup and monitoring

Outline the elements of a project management plan including scope, timeline, milestones, staffing, and risk mitigation

Explain how effort commitments made in a proposal translate into post-award payroll and reporting obligations

Practice sequencing pre-award and post-award tasks for a multi-year award by building a timeline of required actions

Interpret sponsor guidelines to extract eligibility, deadline, page limit, and cost-allowability requirements

Construct a sample budget with direct costs, indirect costs using a negotiated rate, and cost sharing, and justify each line item

Evaluate when prior approval, a waiver, or a deviation from standard costing is required

Explain the institutional review and routing sequence that precedes authorized submission

Apply the major cost principles to classify expenses as allowable, allocable, reasonable, and consistently treated

Calculate indirect cost recovery and explain the difference between on-campus and off-campus rate application

Identify unallowable costs and describe how they must be excluded from federally sponsored budgets

Explain how a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement governs rate application across awards

Describe award setup activities including account establishment, budget loading, and terms-and-conditions review

Explain the purpose and timing of progress, technical, and financial reports and who is responsible for each

Outline the prior-approval triggers that require sponsor consent during the project period

Summarize closeout requirements including final financial reports, final technical reports, invention statements, and record retention

Explain effort reporting and certification requirements and describe common effort reporting pitfalls

Identify the elements of human subjects, animal care, and conflict-of-interest compliance approvals and when they must be in place

Describe subrecipient monitoring responsibilities including risk assessment, subaward agreements, and invoice review

Outline the components of an internal control environment for sponsored programs including segregation of duties and documentation standards

Perform a cash drawdown reconciliation between sponsor payments, recorded expenditures, and the general ledger

Explain cost transfer rules, documentation standards, and timing limits for moving expenses between accounts

Describe audit readiness practices including supporting documentation, sampling, and response to audit findings

Summarize record retention and access requirements that apply to sponsored project documentation

Apply ethical standards to scenarios involving conflicts of interest, data integrity, authorship, and responsible conduct of research

Distinguish misconduct from honest error and describe the administrator's reporting obligations

Complete two full-length timed practice exams and score each domain separately

Review missed items by domain and write a correction note for each error explaining the governing rule