Most candidates preparing for the CRA® exam are doing so alongside proposal deadlines, closeout queues, and audit requests. A study plan that assumes two uninterrupted hours every evening usually collapses the first time a sponsor issues a short-turnaround deadline.
The six-week schedule below is designed around four 30-minute weekday sessions and one 60- to 75-minute weekend block—roughly 3 to 3.5 hours per week. Treat it as an adaptable template rather than a rigid prescription: if you already work daily in post-award financial administration, you may move faster through Week 4 and spend an extra week on pre-award sponsor rules or research compliance.
The Weekly Rhythm
Keep the structure of each week identical so you never spend study time deciding what to do:
- Session 1 (Weekday, 30 min): Read the Field Guide chapters for the week's focus domain and run a 10-question untimed topic drill.
- Session 2 (Weekday, 30 min): Run a 15-question drill on the second topic cluster in that domain; bookmark any question where you hesitated between two options.
- Session 3 (Weekday, 30 min): Practice 10 calculation or scenario-heavy items and write short contrast notes for any misses.
- Session 4 (Weekday, 25–30 min): Run a Missed + Bookmarked review drill from earlier in the week.
- Session 5 (Weekend, 60–75 min): Take a mixed 35- to 50-question timed block covering everything studied so far, followed by a 20-minute review of rationales and primary citations.
Six-Week Domain Map
| Week | Primary focus | Key topics to cover | Target practice volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Baseline & Domain 1 (Part A) | Take the 20-question diagnostic; Funding sources, NOFO/solicitation analysis, eligibility, and award mechanisms (grants, cooperative agreements, contracts). | Diagnostic + 55–65 items |
| Week 2 | Domain 1 (Part B) | Proposal development, budget preparation, person-months and NIH salary cap math, submission rules, and pre-award cost authorities. | 65–75 items |
| Week 3 | Domain 2 (Legal & Sponsor Interface) | 2 CFR 200 Subpart D, prior approvals (2 CFR 200.308 & NIH GPS), subawards vs. procurement contracts, intellectual property (Bayh-Dole), and human/animal/export compliance. | 65–75 items |
| Week 4 | Domain 3 (Financial Management) | Cost principles (2 CFR 200 Subpart E), MTDC and F&A rate calculations, cost sharing (2 CFR 200.306), effort reporting (2 CFR 200.430), program income, closeout (2 CFR 200.344), and Single Audit (Subpart F). | 70–85 items |
| Week 5 | Domain 4 & Cross-Domain Calculations | General management, records retention (2 CFR 200.334), property management (2 CFR 200.313–314), audit resolution, and a dedicated pass across all calculation types. | 65–75 items |
| Week 6 | Full-Blueprint Integration & Weak-Spot Review | Mixed timed sets across all four domains weighted 30% / 25% / 30% / 15%, plus targeted drills on your remaining Missed and Bookmarked items. | 90–110 items |
The 15-Minute Minimum & Catch-Up Rule
Busy weeks happen. When a proposal deadline or institutional closeout takes over your calendar, use two rules so a missed Tuesday does not turn into an abandoned month:
- Never try to "double up" three missed sessions on a single weeknight. Reading 90 minutes of regulatory rationales when you are already fatigued leads to skimming and low retention.
- Drop down to a 15-minute maintenance session instead of skipping entirely. Answer 5 Missed or Unseen questions on the Study page and read the full rationale for each one. On the weekend, fold the remaining topic into your cumulative block rather than restarting Week 1.
A Simple Weekly Planning Worksheet
Copy these four lines into your notes at the start of each week:
- This week's domain & two target topics:
- Four 30-minute weekday slots on my calendar:
- One weekend mixed-block slot:
- Two rules or thresholds I confused this week (and the citation that separates them):