CRA Research Administrator Exam ExamFOCUS Study Notes 2018/19 Edition - Paperback

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Book updated Feb 2021. According to the Research Administrators Certification Council, the designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) means that an individual has met the requirements of the Research Administrators Certification Council's eligibility requirements and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for a person to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator. Exam candidates would have to pass the written examination developed by the Council and administered in the form of computer testing by the Professional Testing Corporation. The multiple choice based examination would test a broad base of fundamental information required to meet the demands and responsibilities of the profession. The examination is based on the Council's comprehensive BOK, which includes topics listed in http: //www.cra-cert.org/CRAbodyofknowledge.html Simply put, a research administrator needs to act as: a contract administrator a negotiator a project manager a record keeper a bookkeeper The CRA exam attempts to assess the knowledge of academic researchers via MC questions - this can become a problem as practical researchers are not always skillful in taking MC tests. ALSO, you must understand that the CRA exam is not about research skills. It is about the overall administration and management of the entire research effort. Therefore, a lot of "business management" kinds of concept are tested. Having rich academic research background is not enough - you have to be a good administrator and manager as well. Keep in mind, managing a research project is no different from managing a traditional business project. All business concepts, principles and practices would apply. The BOK of the exam has a huge scope. Expecting full and complete coverage of all the knowledge items from a single source is unrealistic. You should use this book together with other study resources!