FAR cost or pricing data specialist exam — TINA exceptions are killing my practice scores
I work in contracts for a defense subcontractor and my supervisor pushed me toward the FAR certification to formalize what I already do day-to-day. I've been studying for about 3 weeks and feel decent about the general FAR structure, but the Truth in Negotiations Act provisions and cost or pricing data thresholds are genuinely tripping me up. There are so many exceptions and I keep confusing which applies where.
Current practice score is around 63% and I need to hit 70% to pass. I'm putting in about 2 hours per night after work, but on exhausted nights I'm retaining almost nothing. Thinking about compressing remaining study into longer weekend sessions instead of daily short blocks.
I'm strongest on competition requirements and procurement methods. Weakest is definitely the cost accounting standards interaction with TINA — specifically when CAS coverage kicks in alongside the pricing data requirements. Has anyone found a resource that explains that overlap clearly without going full law review article?
Also not sure how much to weight contract administration material vs pre-award content. My day job is almost entirely post-award but I assume the exam covers pre-award heavily.
The TINA threshold changes got me on my first attempt. Make sure you're studying current dollar thresholds and not outdated prep materials — they've shifted a few times and some study guides haven't caught up. I failed at 68% partly because I had the wrong numbers memorized.
Don't underestimate the small business programs section. It was maybe 10% of questions but I'd barely touched it and it cost me. Read through the 8(a) and HUBZone provisions even if you don't work with them regularly.
Weekend intensive sessions worked better for me than nightly 2-hour blocks. I retained way more in a 5-hour focused Saturday than in a full week of tired evening studying. Your instinct to shift the schedule sounds right.
Pre-award is probably 55-60% of the exam. Even if your job is post-award, you need Parts 14 and 15 cold. The CAS vs TINA threshold overlap is genuinely complex — I made a one-page cheat sheet with both sets of thresholds side-by-side and it helped a lot for scenario questions.