CMA Final Paper 16 study plan

Build a one-page formula sheet covering contribution margin, break-even in units and dollars, margin of safety, and degree of operating leverage, and solve 10 practice problems using it without notes

Distinguish absorption costing from variable costing by computing operating income under both methods for the same data set and reconciling the difference to fixed overhead in ending inventory

Explain how the four external financial statements articulate, tracing one transaction (a credit sale) through all four

Draft a personal study calendar blocking six weekly hours and log actual time for the week

Prepare a full master budget sequence (sales, production, direct materials, direct labor, overhead, cash) from a single scenario and check that the cash budget ties to the pro forma balance sheet

Compute and interpret all major variances: material price and quantity, labor rate and efficiency, and overhead spending, efficiency, and volume

Classify each variance as favorable or unfavorable and explain which manager typically owns it

Identify the behavioral and ethical risks of using variances as the sole performance signal

Apply responsibility accounting by assigning each cost in a sample company to a cost center and labeling it controllable or noncontrollable for that manager

Compute return on investment, residual income, and economic value added for two divisions and explain why the rankings can differ

Explain the limitations of ROI as a divisional measure and how residual income changes investment incentives

Work 15 multiple-choice items on performance measurement under timed conditions and review every miss

Compute net present value, internal rate of return, payback, and discounted payback for the same project and explain when the methods disagree

Adjust a capital budgeting analysis for depreciation tax shields, working capital changes, and terminal salvage value

Perform sensitivity analysis on discount rate and cash flow estimates to identify the break-even assumption

Explain how the cost of capital is estimated and why the weighted average cost of capital is the right hurdle rate for average-risk projects

Calculate the weighted average cost of capital from component costs of debt, preferred stock, and retained earnings, including the tax adjustment on debt

Compute and interpret liquidity, solvency, activity, and profitability ratios from a set of financial statements

Apply the DuPont decomposition to explain a change in return on equity across two years

Analyze a lease-versus-buy decision and a make-versus-buy decision using relevant costing

Apply a structured strategic analysis framework to a named company: industry forces, internal strengths, and the resulting competitive position

Perform a SWOT analysis and convert it into at least three specific strategic initiatives with owners

Compute activity-based costing rates for a product line and compare the resulting unit cost to the traditional allocation

Identify value-added versus non-value-added activities in a process and quantify the cost of the non-value-added steps

Build a balanced scorecard with at least two leading and two lagging measures per perspective and a stated cause-and-effect chain

Compute the cost of quality across prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure, and explain the optimal trade-off

Evaluate a transfer pricing scenario under market price, cost-plus, and negotiated methods, and identify which minimizes tax and incentive problems

Design a segregation-of-duties matrix for a small company's cash receipts and disbursements and flag the gaps

Map the elements of the COSO internal control framework to specific controls in that matrix

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and record per-domain scores

Rank domains by accuracy and re-drill the two weakest with 20 targeted items each

Rewrite the formula sheet from memory and check it against the week 1 version

Review every missed item from the entire plan and write the underlying rule, not just the correct answer

Finalize an exam-day plan covering time per question, flagging strategy, and a calculator check