For those who read my post, I wanted to share a quick update. I received a message from the SCCE and they responded about my theory regarding the grouping of questions. See the inquiry and response below. I would recommend to not do this practice since this is guidance coming from the SCCE certification board.
Message: I was concerned about one of the comments you made about the "grouping" of questions you experienced in your exam and made an inquiry to our certification board. I wanted to share their reply with you:
Certified Board Reply: Questions are scrambled and placed in random order on each exam, so any grouping of question topics is coincidental. It's great when people share their tips and tricks; however, if you ever have questions on the exam structure or content, please contact CCB staff.
------------------------------
Zabebah Mohamed
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 11-30-2022 11:54 AM
From: Zabebah Mohamed
Subject: Thanks to Cait, I passed the CCEP (Read for Tips)!
I am so happy to share that I passed the CCEP!
Backstory:
I originally took the CHC exam a few years ago right after I attended the healthcare basic academy. Unfortunately, I did not pass but thankfully, did not give up. I end up taking the same CHC exam at a PSI location and still did not make it. I then made a goal to take the CCEP instead, in hopes that the non-healthcare exam will do me justice, and it sure did! I attended the @Caitlyn Tobey study group last year, and I must say that I truly believe that this study group is what made me pass. I knew that the knowledge of the exam wasn't why I failed. It was the actual "how to take this type of exam" that I needed to know! You must join her class. At the very least, review the information that is posted on this group.
Tips:
- The very first time I failed was most definitely due to timing. You must remember that this exam is timed, and you cannot stay stuck on one question for a long period. If you see yourself getting stuck on a question, skip it, and go back to it later.
- Read the questions carefully, but do not think too hard. The problem as to why I couldn't pass this type of exam is that I kept bringing my real-world experience into the exam. You MUST separate the two. What you do in your job may not be what the exam is looking for. You must think "in a perfect world" and you must follow the books verbatim. Many of these questions are coming directly from the Compliance 101 book, or the FSG and other documents. Make sure you know your stuff and understand what the authors are saying in these books because it will be on the exam.
- Know the differences between the highlighted words on the exam (ex: FIRST, BEST, NEXT). Cait explains this well, and again, her tips help you know how to take these types of exams. If you know these rules, you will pass.
- There is a running theme on this exam about what compliance should do; therefore, you must know the various roles that DO NOT live with compliance and that will help you rule out so many answers (ex: HR disciplines, Legal advises, etc.). Once you master all the compliance responsibilities, it will help you with nearly 80% of this exam.
- In this last exam, I noticed that there were a bunch of questions related to a similar topic extended for a few questions. For example, if there was a question on training, the next three questions were on training. I sort of used this to my advantage because if there was an answer, I was unsure about, I would go back after completing a few questions on that topic to change my answer (ex: questions 10-12 were 100% about training, and I was unsure of my answer in question 9, so I changed it because it made sense that the answer was in fact related to training). Keep in mind that I only did this if I was hesitant about the two best answers. I am not 100% sure if this worked in my favor, but at the moment, it made sense based on my gut feeling. Maybe this is something Cait can help shed light on. I will say that I rarely go back and change my answer because your first answer is probably the correct answer, but I would only go back if I was 99.9% sure that I needed to change it.
- I have known many people that passed this exam without studying and some that studied so hard yet couldn't pass. My advice would be to understand the material. You may be able to pass this exam after sitting in the academy, but please do not be discouraged if you do not pass. The exam is written in a certain way, and when taking it, it always seems like there are two best answers. Read the material! Review the items in this library, read the Compliance 101 book, review the binder (if you attended the academy) and make sure you read the FSG. Many questions come straight from the FSG.
- Although the CCEP and CHC exams are slightly different, they are both written the same way. I believe these tips can still apply regardless of the exam you are taking. The CHC exam just has more healthcare-specific concepts (ex: HIPAA) that you will need to study.
Lastly, I posted some of my study materials. I made myself some flashcards utilizing many questions found from multiple sources. You can use mine as reference, but the way you will master this exam is if you create your own. Having a study buddy may also help keep you accountable and on track. Some of the questions I found were on the exam, not 100% verbatim, but the concepts are the same. Master the concepts and you should pass. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via email at zabebahm19@gmail.com.
------------------------------
Zabebah Mohamed
VP, Associate Compliance Manager
Comerica Bank - Corporate Real Estate
------------------------------