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Top 10 Memory Techniques to Easily Remember CMA Formulas
Preparing for the CMA (Cost and Management Accounting) exam requires focus, dedication, and smart strategies. One of the biggest challenges students face is remembering all the formulas from subjects like costing, financial management, marginal costing, and standard costing. With so many to learn, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
But don’t worry there are simple and effective memory techniques you can use to master even the trickiest formulas. In this blog, we’ll explore 10 powerful and easy-to-use memory techniques that will help you remember CMA formulas quickly and for a long time.
Use Mnemonics
Mnemonics are memory aids that use short phrases, acronyms, or rhymes to help you remember complex or lengthy information easily. They simplify learning by turning hard-to-remember data into fun, relatable clues. Students often use mnemonics to memorize formulas, sequences, and lists in subjects like science, math, and accounting.
Example:
To remember the types of cost: Fixed, Variable, Semi-variable, think of the phrase: “Funny Very Silly“
You can create your fun phrases. The more personal and funny they are, the easier they’ll stick in your mind.
Relate Formulas to Real-Life Examples
Relating a formula to a real-life situation makes it more meaningful and easier to understand. This connection helps your brain link difficult concepts to everyday experiences. As a result, you’re more likely to understand the formula deeply and remember it for a longer time.
Example:
The formula for profit = sales – cost can be related to your personal budgeting:
Think of your monthly pocket money (sales) – your expenses (cost) = what you save (profit).
Make and Use Flashcards
Flashcards are an effective study tool that supports active recall. By writing each formula on a separate flashcard, you create a handy way to test yourself anytime. Reviewing them daily helps reinforce your memory and improves long-term retention of key concepts.
Use one side for the formula and the other side for the meaning and example.
Revise in Short Intervals
Instead of reading formulas once and forgetting them later, follow the spaced repetition technique: review the same formula after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and so on.
This tells your brain that the information is important and helps store it in long-term memory. Even 10 minutes a day can make a huge difference.
Teach What You Learn
Explaining a formula to someone else is a powerful way to strengthen your understanding. Teaching forces your brain to break down the concept clearly and fill in any gaps in your knowledge. The more you practice teaching, the more confidently and accurately you’ll remember the formula.
If no one is around, teach it to yourself aloud or in front of a mirror. You’ll be surprised how well this works!
Use Visual Aids and Mind Maps
Visual learning helps your brain process and remember information more effectively. By using colors, shapes, and flowcharts, you can organize formulas in a way that makes patterns and relationships easier to see. This visual approach turns abstract concepts into clear, memorable images.
Draw a mind map for each chapter. Place the chapter title in the center and branch out to different formulas with examples.
Group Similar Formulas Together
Organizing formulas by topic helps create a clear structure in your mind, making it easier to locate and recall them. Grouping related formulas allows your brain to recognize patterns and build connections. This method speeds up memorization and improves your overall understanding of the subject.
For example, keep all marginal costing formulas together, and then separately revise standard costing formulas.
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Create Stories Using Keywords
Storytelling can be a fun and effective way to remember CMA formulas. By creating a funny or unusual story using the keywords or elements in a formula, you make the concept more engaging and memorable. The weirder the story, the better your brain holds onto it!
Example for EOQ formula: Imagine a business owner named Eoq who is trying to balance ordering costs and carrying costs to save money.
Listen and Learn
Record yourself reading the formulas and important points. Listen to them during your free time while walking, traveling, or even before sleeping. This is especially helpful if you’re an audio learner. Hearing the formulas again and again helps them stick naturally.
Solve Questions Using Formulas Regularly
Nothing strengthens memory like consistent practice. The more you use formulas in solving numerical problems, the more familiar and natural they become. Practice helps you understand how and when to apply each formula, making recall faster and more accurate during exams.
Use past year question papers and mock tests. Practice 2–3 questions daily from each chapter. Application builds confidence and helps recall the formula instantly during exams.
Remembering formulas is not about studying harder it’s about studying smarter. Use these techniques consistently, and you’ll notice a big improvement in how well you remember and apply CMA formulas. Pick the techniques that suit your learning style, and stick with them.
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