CPM exam - surprised by how much finance showed up, tips for manufacturing folks

I've been a plant superintendent for 11 years and figured the CPM would lean heavily on operations and maintenance. The financial analysis questions genuinely caught me off guard. About 25% of what I saw touched on cost analysis, variance reporting, or capital budgeting decisions, which isn't exactly my daily wheelhouse.

Studied for 10 weeks, averaging about 90 minutes per day. I prioritized equipment reliability and lean manufacturing since I'm most comfortable there, but I should've given more time to the human resources and environmental compliance sections. Those came up more than I expected and I left several answers feeling unsure.

The scenario-based questions are tough because they often give you two answers that both seem correct from a practical standpoint. The exam is looking for the textbook CPIM-aligned answer, not necessarily what you'd actually do at 2am when a line goes down. That distinction matters a lot for passing.

I ended up with a 73% on the first attempt, which was passing but uncomfortable. If I were starting over, I'd spend at least 3 of my 10 weeks entirely on the finance and HR modules. Anyone taking this for the first time, don't neglect those sections just because they're not your day job.