CMA Final Paper 20A study plan

Map the full Domain 1 syllabus into a one-page cost-classification tree covering fixed/variable, direct/indirect, and relevant/irrelevant cost behaviour

Solve 25 cost-volume-profit problems by hand, including multi-product break-even and target-profit with tax effects

Build a personal formula sheet linking contribution margin, margin of safety, operating leverage, and degree of operating leverage

Explain aloud, in under five minutes, why sunk costs and allocated common fixed costs must be excluded from relevant-cost decisions

Work through 15 make-or-buy, special-order, and keep-or-drop decisions using an incremental analysis template you build yourself

Apply throughput accounting and theory-of-constraints logic to a bottleneck scenario and rank products by throughput per constraint minute

Contrast activity-based costing with traditional absorption costing on one product and quantify the margin distortion

Draft a 300-word memo recommending a transfer-pricing method, defending it against two alternative methods

Reconstruct the structure of a full set of financial statements from a trial balance, including statement of changes in equity

Compute and interpret 12 ratios across liquidity, solvency, profitability, and efficiency, and link each to a business narrative

Apply revenue-recognition five-step logic to three contract scenarios, including over-time versus point-in-time

Analyse one annual report's segment note and identify three accounting-policy judgements that affect comparability

Compute net present value, internal rate of return, payback, and discounted payback for five projects and reconcile ranking conflicts

Adjust project cash flows for depreciation tax shields, working-capital changes, and inflation consistently

Evaluate a lease-versus-buy decision and a capital-rationing problem using profitability index

Quantify sensitivity and scenario analysis on one project's net present value

Explain how cost of capital is estimated, computing weighted average cost of capital from given component costs and target weights

Link capital-structure choices to weighted average cost of capital and firm value using two competing theories

Work through 10 foreign-exchange and interest-rate hedging problems using forwards, futures, and options

Reconcile a project appraisal done in nominal terms with one done in real terms to confirm identical net present value

Build a risk register for a mid-sized manufacturer with eight risks scored on likelihood and impact, each with a named control

Distinguish preventive, detective, and corrective controls across five process examples and identify the control weakness in each

Apply the fraud-triangle and governance-committee structures to two short ethical dilemmas and reach a defensible recommendation

Outline how sustainability and integrated reporting metrics would change one company's performance narrative

Map direct versus indirect tax concepts to the exam syllabus and note which computations are tested in numerical form

Compute taxable income adjustments for depreciation, capital allowances, and disallowed expenses in three scenarios

Work through value-added tax or equivalent indirect-tax computations, including input-credit eligibility and exemptions

Summarise transfer-pricing and tax-avoidance rules at a conceptual level in a one-page reference

Complete two full-length timed mock papers under exam conditions and log every error by domain and cause

Re-solve all previously wrong questions from weeks 1 to 7 without notes and confirm at least 80 percent accuracy

Rehearse the three highest-frequency calculation chains until each is completed correctly in under four minutes

Finalise a one-page exam-day sheet covering formulas, decision rules, and time allocation per section