CBF exam review session at Credit Congress.(extra credit)

Although for many Credit Congress attendees the first official event is the opening General Session on Monday morning, there is a group of delegates that begin their Credit Congress early on Sunday morning with exam review sessions for the CBA, CBF and CCE designations.

I have had the privilege of co-instructing the CBF Exam Review Session for the past two Credit Congresses, most recently in Las Vegas. As busy as Bally's is on a Saturday night, it was a 180-degree turn on Sunday at 7:30am as I walked past quiet slot machines, seeing few people as I made my way to the room in the convention area reserved for the session. My co-instructor, Mary Ann Blackmore, CCE, was already there, setting up. Since the review sessions were the only things going on, I peeked in the next room and saw credit icon Jim McIntyre, CCE writing on a flip chart for his CBA Review presentation that morning. As usual, Jim was impeccably dressed, versus my casual attire--Jim's idea of business casual is wearing a polka dot tie with a business suit. Jim's Credit Congress plate is always full since he also teaches the Business Credit Principles Certificate Sessions that run through the entire Congress.

The CBF is probably the most misunderstood designations of the three and often viewed as a stepping stone to the CCE designation. While the CBA requirement to sit for the exam is based solely on the successful completion of three courses, the CBF requirement adds three additional courses (Business Law, Credit Law and Financial Statements: Interpretation and Credit Risk Assessment), along with achieving 75 Career Roadmap points. This additional commitment is often perceived as a difficult barrier for many CBAs to work toward the CBE However, attaining the CBF not only acknowledges the mastery of both business law and financial statement analysis, but also demonstrates participation and commitment to the credit profession. If this was an easy achievement, the prestige and pride of being a CBF would be greatly diminished and there would be no need to have the exam review.

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What exactly motivates the CBF Review attendees to get up so early on a Sunday morning to spend four hours reviewing material that prepares them for the exam? I categorize the attendees into two groups: those taking the exam that afternoon and those who plan to take the exam in the future. While the ultimate goal is the same for both groups, the motivation and study strategy is different.

Those being tested later in the day use the review as a final study tool that will help them relax and organize the material in their minds. Since the class is designed as an overview of the subject material on the exam, the attendees should be ...