"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."

Last week, the world lost one of (in my opinion) the most influential teachers in sports (and elsewhere), the legendary Coach John Wooden, who led my alma mater, UCLA to an unsurpassed 10 national championships in men's college basketball. Coach Wooden (shown above with Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) is famous for many quotations, but one that applies to CIPM candidates right now is in the title of this blog post: "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."

The examination window for the Fall 2010 period is now open (and has been since May 1st), yet the exams will not happen until October, which I'm sure seems to be far off in the future to some.

I strongly urge candidates to begin studying for the CIPM exams as soon as possible. The curriculum is broad, and learning the material over time (rather than cramming in the final weeks before the exam) will help you obtain a deeper understanding of the material, and give you a greater chance of success (i.e., passing the exams). Do not underestimate the number of hours of study required. I have heard various quotes regarding the recommended study time for each exam level, but for most people I think those estimates are on the low side.

So, enhance your chance of success by starting your studies now - you'll be glad you did when you are taking the exam!