I hesitated momentarily before I clicked that final "next" button on the screen in front of me at the Pearson VUE testing center in Washington, D.C.  I was just about ready to submit my final responses to the ISM Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) bridge exam.  Once I clicked that button, I knew I wouldn't be able to review any of the questions or change any of my answers.  I was worried—I had sweated and toiled on almost every exam question over the past couple of hours.  I knew I would have to wait another 30-days before I could re-take the exam if I failed it.  I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and clicked the mouse.  I turned my head away as the screen blinked before me.

When I first walked into the exam, I felt a little uneasy because I had been sick for the two days preceding the exam and hadn't been able to do much final cramming.  I tried to find a little solace in the fact that I had studied for the exam pretty thoroughly and even took the diagnostic exams to learn where my weak areas were.  About 20 minutes into my three hour time limit, I became even more uneasy as I quickly realized that ISM wasn't making the Bridge Exam a rubber stamp hurdle to achieve the CPSM designation.  Not only did I have to reach deeply into my memory of what I had studied, I found myself using every one of my tried-and-true test-taking tactics to best the exam.  I was reading and re-reading questions to clarify the problem stem.  I was breaking down each of the answers, using the power of deduction to get to the best response.  I was flagging questions for review and re-review.  It was painfully obvious to me that ISM clearly took the exam seriously and intended to really challenge test-takers on their knowledge—broad and deep—of supply management expertise.  It was also obvious that just memorizing all of the exam study materials likely wouldn't be enough to pass the exam—practical experience in supply management is an absolute must.

When I looked back at the screen, my fate was instantaneously sealed.  Whew!  I was relieved that I passed and I was glad it was over.  Now on to the more mundane task of preparing the paper work for my CPSM application.

My message to ISM:  Your exam study materials were spot-on and good for you that you came up with an exam that really tests the skills and knowledge of CPSM candidates.