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This year, Amy Ford, Western Illinois University accounting and finance instructor and faculty adviser for WIU's Student Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (SCIMA), decided she would take the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam. "As SCIMA's faculty adviser, I have presented several information sessions to SCIMA students about the CMA exam. I decided last spring that I should take the exam so I could share my experience with our students," Ford noted. In September, Ford found out her score was among the top nine of the approximately 3,500 individuals who took the CMA exam during the May-June 2011 testing period.
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Ford Recognized as Top Performer on Certified Management Accountant Exam

December 21, 2011

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MACOMB, IL -- When Western Illinois University Department of Accounting and Finance Instructor Amy Ford decided to take the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) exam to better advise her students, she had no idea that she would set a record in the process. Ford is the adviser to Western's Student Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (SCIMA).

"As SCIMA's faculty adviser, I have attended many Institute of Management Accountant [IMA] meetings during the past five years, and I have presented several information sessions to SCIMA students about the CMA exam. I decided last spring that I should take the exam so I could share my experience with our students," Ford explained.

The two-part CMA exam assures employers that an individual has mastered the knowledge and skills needed for the job. Comprised of 100 multiple choice questions and two essays, it's a well-respected assessment of advanced accounting and financial management knowledge in four critical areas: financial planning, analysis, control and decision support.

"I started studying for the exam after finals in May. I sat for the first part at the beginning of June and the second part at the end of June," said Ford. "While I don't recommend taking both parts of the exam in the same month, I found that since I teach a lot of the material in my classes, that helped shorten my preparation time tremendously."

Ford took the exam and waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, in late September, the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA) announced the leading performers on the CMA exam for the May-June 2011 testing period. Ford was elated to learn that her score was among the top nine of the approximately 3,500 individuals who took the CMA exam during the May-June 2011 testing period.

"We're so proud of Amy and her outstanding accomplishment," said College of Business and Technology Dean Tom Erekson. "She is among an elite group of professionals who are at the top of their field. This is a wonderful illustration of the ways in which our faculty consistently go above and beyond for the benefit of their students."

When summing up the experience, Ford noted that she was "very lucky that my family was supportive of my efforts to prepare and sit for the exam.

"It was a time-consuming process but was well worth the end result," she added. "I hope to mentor many future students considering the CMA certification."

Learn more about WIU's Student Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (SCIMA) via its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WIU-SCIMA-Student-IMA-Chapter/396456332585.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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