As a courtesy to individuals interested in taking a CDFM certification examination, ASMC provides a list of suggested reference sources for exam preparation; however, this list is not exhaustive and ASMC does not endorse any specific person, product, resource or service as a means of preparing for or achieving certification.

ASMC strongly recommends a minimum of three months of study and review, including the original DoD guidance listed in the CDFM Module 1-3 Exam Reference List as well as any of the resources listed below. Candidates should use the CDFM Examination Blueprints–not the EDFMTC textbook to identify any areas of weakness and secure the necessary resources to adequately prepare for the examination. Important Note: No one study tool should be considered the only basis for exam preparation.

CDFM™ Module 1-3 Exam Reference List

The following is the list of references that ASMC’s CDFM exam subject matter experts used to develop the exam questions:

  • Budget Concepts and Budget Process (FY 2016)
  • CFR—Code of Federal Regulations (All)
  • 5 CFR 1315—Prompt Payment (1 Jan 2002)
  • 5 CFR 2635—Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (1 Jan 2011)
  • DoD FMR / DoD 7000.14-R—Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation (DoD FMR Volumes)
  • DoD Issuances (All, including Directives and Instructions)
  • DoDD 1404.10—Emergency-Essential (E-E) DoD U.S. Citizen Civilian Employees (10 Apr 1992)
  • DoDD 5010.42—DoD-Wide Continuous Process Improvement (CPI)/Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Program (15 May 2008)
  • DoDD 7045.14—The Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Process (25 Jan 2013)
  • DoDI 1100.19—Wartime Manpower Mobilization Planning Policies and Procedures (20 Feb 1986)
  • DoDI 1400.32—DoD Civilian Work Force Contingency and Emergency Planning Guidelines and Procedures (15 Jan 1987)
  • Financial Report of the U.S. Government (2015)
  • GAO Comptroller General Reports and Decisions (All)
  • GAO-14-704G / The Green Book—Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (10 Sep 2014)
  • GAO-16-464SP / The Red Book—Principles of Federal Appropriation Law, Third Edition & 1st two Chapters of Fourth Edition
  • GAO-12-331G / The Yellow Book—Generally Accepted Government Audit Standards (GAGAS) and Annual Updates (1 Dec 2011)
  • How Our Laws Are Made found on congress.gov website (Google key phrase: “How Our Laws Are Made congress.gov”)
  • OMB Bulletins (All)
  • OMB Bull 15-02—Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements (4 Aug 2015)
  • OMB Circulars (All)
  • OMB Cir A-11—Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget (30 Jun 2015)
  • OMB Cir A-94—Guidelines and Discount Rates for Benefit-Cost Analysis of Federal Programs (29 Oct 1992)
  • OMB Cir A-123—Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control (21 Dec 2004)
  • OMB Cir A-136—Financial Reporting Requirements (4 Aug 2015)
  • Public Laws (All)
  • PL 103-62—Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (3 Aug 1993)
  • PL 103-356—Government Management Reform Act of 1994 (14 Oct 1994)
  • PL 111-204—Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (22 Jul 2010)
  • PL 111-352—GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (4 Jan 2011)
  • US Codes (All)
  • 5 USC—Government Organization and Employees
  • 10 USC—Armed Forces
  • 18 USC—Crimes and Criminal Procedure
  • 31 USC—Money and Finance
  • 32 USC—National Guard
  • 37 USC—Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services
  • 41 USC—Public Contracts
  • 50 USC—War and National Defense
  • U.S. Constitution—The Constitution of the United States of America

Download a pdf of the CDFM Module 1-3 Exam Reference List here.


CDFM Practice Test Mobile App

The CDFM Practice Test mobile app (also available on web) is an assessment resource for individuals preparing to take the CDFM exams. This tool is designed to help build your confidence and identify areas in which additional exam preparation may be needed.

$59.99 gives you 3 months of 24/7 access to:

  • 320+ practice questions in all CDFM exam module 1, 2, and 3 domains.
  • 380+ flashcards featuring important acronyms you may encounter on the exams.
  • 240+ glossary flashcards to ensure you’re familiar with the necessary terminology.
  • The CDFM Candidate Handbook and additional resources to help you prepare.
  • The ability to create custom quizzes and tailor your learning.
  • An advanced progress-tracking tool that indicates how you are performing on each question and in each domain.
  • Mobile App and web access.

View more information here.


ASMC Textbooks

The textbook used in ASMC’s Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training Course (EDFMTC) provides extensive information on all the competency areas addressed in the Module 1, 2, and 3 CDFM exams. The textbook used in ASMC’s Module 4 Acquisition Business Management Course—the “Module 4 Addendum”—provides detailed information on the competency areas addressed in the Module 4 CDFM exam. Both textbooks can be purchased on the ASMC website at www.asmconline.org/pd/textbooks.
Important note: there is fiscal law content on all CDFM exams. In the EDFMTC textbook, the fiscal law content for all three modules is compiled in one Fiscal Law chapter.


DOD’s Resources Management Universities and Schools

Selected elements of the curriculum at these educational institutions, such as the US Army Finance School at Ft Jackson, the Defense Financial Management and Comptroller School at Maxwell AFB, the Syracuse University Defense Comptrollership Program, the Defense Resources Management Institute, the Defense Acquisition University, and the Naval Postgraduate School, will contribute to preparation for the examinations.


Group Study at Local ASMC Chapters

Contact your local chapter president or program committee chair for details.


COURSES
Important Note: Training courses are not meant to be a sole source of preparation for the CDFM exams.

ASMC’s Enhanced Defense Financial Management Training Course (EDFMTC)

The EDFMTC is a 5-day, 40 hour intensive review of DoD financial management taught virtually and all over the world, typically on U.S. military bases. It was developed in the year 2000 with the goal to broaden the students’ overall understanding of defense financial management. The course content is presented in 3 sections that correspond to the 1, 2, and 3 CDFM exam modules and knowledge areas.

The course is highly regarded by DoD and has been aligned to the DoD Financial Management Certification Program. View course availability and information on hosting an EDFMTC for your group here.

ASMC’s Module 4 Acquisition Business Management Course

ASMC provides a 2-day training course emphasizing the Defense Department’s approach to acquisition of major systems. The course provides an overview of the defense acquisition system, review and approval procedures, milestones, and program management terms. The course has been aligned to the DoD Financial Management Certification Program. View course availability and information on hosting a Module 4 Course for your group here.

ASMC’s Module Refresher Courses

ASMC offers 2-day individual module refresher courses that focus on one module area at a time and follow the format of the EDFMTC textbook. These courses have been aligned to the DoD Financial Management Certification Program. View course availability and information on hosting Refresher Courses for your group here.

ASMC’s Fiscal Law Courses

ASMC offers 1, 2, and 3 day fiscal law courses. These courses are also available for chapters or organizations to sponsor. View course availability and information on hosting a course for your group here. ASMC’s fiscal law courses are aligned to the DoD FM Certification Program. Note: there is fiscal law content on all three of the CDFM Module 1, 2, and 3 exams.


DoD Financial Regulations

In addition to specific, official documented references (these are the source documents for the examination questions), other supplemental study materials are recommended. As you work through the different competency areas, you may find the majority of references are already somewhat familiar to you. Most prevalent are the DoD Financial Regulations, better known as FMRs. Don’t forget to review Volume 1 of the FMR for definitions. The FMRs are all downloadable for free at comptroller.defense.gov/FMR.

OMB Circulars and US Codes

Another common reference is the OMB circular. These are also easy to download by going to https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars. All of the original legal citations from 10 US Code and 31 US Code are available through the fiscal law section or by going directly to http://uscode.house.gov. Simply enter the title (i.e., Title 10 or Title 31) and section number, and the search engine will provide the text.

DoD Publications

All DoD publications, instructions, directives, manuals, etc., are available at https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Forms-Directives-Instructions.

DoD Green Book, Red Book, and Yellow Book

The DoD Green Book (Standards for Internal Control of the Federal Government), Red Book (Principles of Federal Appropriations Law), and Yellow Book (Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards) are available at https://www.gao.gov.

Army Cost Analysis Manual

The Army Cost Analysis Manual, which covers common cost estimating topics, and is available at https://www.asafm.army.mil/Portals/72/Documents/Offices/CE/20200330%20CAM.pdf.