I'm planning to take both CRM parts within the same testing window if possible. I've been in records and information management for about 9 years and just got employer approval for the exam fees. I passed my CIP last year so I'm hoping some of that prep overlaps, but the CRM domains look notably different, especially Part 2.
Part 1 (Management Principles and the RIM Program) feels more familiar - I work in governance and compliance so the policy and program design elements are basically my day job. Part 2 (Technology and Related Issues) is where I'm less confident. I haven't worked hands-on with enterprise content management systems in a couple years and digital preservation is an area I've read about but not practiced.
I've been averaging 2 hours a day for 3 weeks on Part 1 material. I'm thinking I'll need to at least double that when I shift to Part 2. Has anyone taken both in the same testing window? Is the scheduling through ICRM complicated?
Part 2 has a lot of questions blending technology with legal admissibility and litigation hold. I studied them as separate topics and got caught out. Scored 74% first attempt, 81% on the retake once I understood the overlap.
The CIP overlap with Part 1 is real but don't get overconfident. The CRM tests application depth in a way the CIP doesn't - you need to be able to design retention schedules and justify them, not just define them. I'd call it 65% overlap, not 90%.
I took them 6 months apart rather than the same window - Part 1 in spring, Part 2 that fall. Glad I did because Part 2 took way more prep than expected. The storage media lifecycle and digital forensics sections were almost foreign territory for me.
ICRM scheduling through Pearson VUE is pretty standard. You can book both in the same week if seats are available at your testing center. I'd just caution against back-to-back days - I sat Part 2 the morning after Part 1 and it was too much.
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