CMG FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS™

Building Better Businesses

CMG 360 Assessment™

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CMG 360 Assessment™ Certification Exam

An 80-question certification exam covering the full platform. This is a free beta \u2014 register to begin, no payment required. Pass, and your details carry over to the CMG 360™ platform to complete your signup.

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CMG Financial Solutions™ · Certification Program · Confidential

CMG FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS™

Building Better Businesses

CMG 360 Assessment™

Certification Exam

Instructions. This exam covers the entire CMG 360 Assessment platform. It has 80 questions across nine sections. Select the one best answer for each. A passing score is 80 percent (64 of 80 correct). Answer every question before submitting.

0 of 80 answered

Section 1 · Foundations and Philosophy

1. The CMG 360 Assessment reads a business from which two vantage points?

AThe inside (COMPASS) and the outside (BEACON)BTop-down and bottom-upCHistorical and projectedDFinancial and legal

2. “Two perspectives, one strategy” refers to:

ATwo advisors reaching one viewBThe inside and outside assessments resolving into one prioritized planCTwo exams and one certificateDTwo markets and one product

3. CMG stands for:

ACertified Management GroupBCorporate Margin GuideCCourse Made GoodDCapital Markets Group

4. In the navigation metaphor, Course Made Good is:

AThe direction the owner points the businessBThe track the business actually achieves once the market and blind spots act on itCThe fastest route to a saleDThe average of all seven domains

5. Random Excellence holds that:

AExcellence is purely a matter of luckBOnly large companies can be excellentCMost businesses are world-class in some areas and weaker in othersDA company should focus only on its strengths

6. Complete the principle: “A company moves at the speed of its ______.”

Abest domainBworst domainCnewest domainDlargest domain

7. Because competence is uneven, COMPASS:

ASamples one domain and infers the restBReads all seven domains, not just the strong onesCGrades on the strongest domainDAverages the domains together

8. At its core, the assessment measures the gap between the company and:

AIts own budgetBWorld-class companies in its field, benchmarked to similar-size industry peersCIts largest competitor onlyDLast year's results only

9. Separating outcome from process matters because:

AProcess is easier to measureBA good outcome can come from luck or skill, and only skill repeatsCOwners prefer processDOutcomes are always unreliable

10. “The multiple is a score, not luck” means:

AValuation is randomBMultiples do not matter at saleCOnly luck sets valuationDA company's valuation reflects the domains COMPASS measures and can be earned

Section 2 · How the Platform Works

11. The assessment process begins with:

AIntake and context captureBRunning the COMPASS diagnosticCBuilding the BEACON market readDDelivering the report

12. A COMPASS domain score is produced by:

AA fixed rule applied to the YES, NO, and N/A answersBThe AI's judgmentCThe advisor's estimateDThe owner's self-rating

13. Why do the same inputs produce the same output?

AThe instrument, scoring, and report format are standardizedBThe advisor sets the scoreCThe platform averages many AI runsDEvery company is scored differently

14. The AI in the platform is constrained so that it:

ADecides the domain scoresBReplaces the diagnosticCWorks only from the structured data and never fabricates a number or sourceDWrites the scores from memory

15. A defined, proprietary part of the method is:

AHow the exam is gradedBHow the inputs are structured and presented to the AI, the same way every timeCThe color of the reportDThe length of the questionnaire

16. The platform also uses AI to:

ASet the priceBStore the dataCApprove the advisorDDetermine what world-class and successful companies in the market actually do

17. Although a client provides fewer than 250 data elements, the platform:

AMakes a single AI requestBUses no AICBreaks the work into thousands of small, tightly-scoped AI operationsDRequires thousands of client inputs

18. Decomposing the work into thousands of small operations, then drawing them together, is what makes the assessment:

AFaster to sellBShorter to readCCheaper to runDContext-aware, weighing every answer and financial scenario against the others

19. Client information entered into the platform is:

AEncrypted in transit and at restBStored unencrypted for speedCEmailed to the clientDPosted publicly

20. Who can access a given client's data on the platform?

AOnly the certified advisor who owns that engagementBAny advisorCThe client's competitorsDThe general public

Section 3 · Context-Aware Diagnostics

21. Context-Aware Diagnostics says a score must be read against:

ALast year's score onlyBThe exam rubricCThe advisor's moodDLifecycle stage, market, and owner intent

22. A low Systems score in a young, fast-growing company is:

AAlways a red flagBA scoring errorCImpossibleDOften a normal growing pain for that stage

23. The market layer of context is where:

ABenchmarks are ignoredBIntake endsCThe plan is signedDCOMPASS meets BEACON

24. The four elements of owner intent are goals, aspirations, concerns, and:

AConstraintsBCompetitorsCCapitalDCuriosities

25. Two owners with the same margin gap can get different findings because:

AThe benchmark changedBTheir industries differCOne score was wrongDTheir concerns and curiosities assign the gap a different priority

26. The intake opens with:

AThe 160-question diagnosticBThe financial uploadCThe Five CMG Owner QuestionsDThe market sizing

27. An owner worried about a financing deadline should have the assessment lead with:

ASystems and technologyBMarketing spendCThe metrics a lender underwrites and the covenant ratiosDThe org chart

28. The Owner Curiosity section exists so that:

AThe exam is longerBThe advisor is gradedCThe report can lead with what the owner most wants to understandDThe price is set

Section 4 · COMPASS

29. The COMPASS acronym is formed from:

ASeven random wordsBThe seven domains, in orderCThe advisor's initialsDThe report sections

30. Which of these is a COMPASS domain?

ALegal & ComplianceBCash & CapitalCMarketing SpendDTax Strategy

31. The COMPASS diagnostic consists of how many questions?

A60B100C200D160

32. Each COMPASS question is answered:

AOn a 1 to 10 scaleBYES, NO, or N/ACIn an essayDBy the advisor only

33. A COMPASS domain score is:

AThe advisor's opinionBA dollar figureCThe share of applicable questions answered YES, on a 0 to 100 scaleDThe number of employees

34. A domain score of 82 falls in which band?

AWeakBCautionCUnscoredDStrong

35. The COMPASS scoring band cutoffs are at:

A40 and 60B50 and 70C60 and 80D33 and 66

36. A domain score of 47 is:

AStrongBCautionCNot possibleDWeak

37. The overall COMPASS picture is best read by:

AAveraging the seven scoresBThe strongest domainCThe floor, the weakest domainDThe newest domain

38. Financial benchmarking compares the company against:

AThe prior year onlyBA single national averageCCompanies of similar size in its industry, measuring the gap to world-classDThe owner's targets

39. At the assessment stage, the financials are:

AUsed as the company keeps them; add-backs and normalization are later workBRestated and normalized before scoringCAuditedDIgnored

40. Which financial documents are required to run the assessment?

ATax returns onlyBA business planCFive years of audited statementsDAn income statement and a balance sheet; tax returns are helpful but not required

Section 5 · BEACON

41. BEACON is:

AThe inside diagnosticBThe outside assessment of the marketCThe financial statementDThe prioritized plan

42. BEACON is more than a market size because it:

ACounts employeesBSets the domain scoresCAudits the booksDReads how the company goes to market, its product, pricing, capacity, scale, and geography

43. The BEACON questionnaire consists of about:

A22 questionsB100 questionsC160 questionsD7 questions

44. The two BEACON question sets are:

AMarkets the Company Serves and Market NuancesBCash and MarginsCCOMPASS and BridgeDGoals and Concerns

45. SAM is narrowed from TAM primarily by:

APricing and scaleBCapacity and geographyCThe owner's goalsDCompetitor revenue

46. SOM is narrowed from SAM primarily by:

APricing and scaleBCapacity and geographyCLifecycle stageDThe tax rate

47. BEACON sizes a market:

ATop-down from an industry headlineBBy competitor revenue onlyCBy the owner's estimateDBottom-up from real units, counts, and prices

48. The no-fabrication standard requires that:

AEstimates are avoided entirelyBSources are optionalCOnly round numbers are usedDEvery figure rests on stated assumptions and cited sources

49. For a middle-market company, the competitive landscape usually centers on:

ANational giants onlyBInternational markets onlyCThe regional players contesting the same workDNo competitors

Section 6 · The CMG 360 Assessment and the Bridge

50. The CMG 360 Assessment combines:

ACOMPASS (inside) and BEACON (outside)BTwo years of financialsCTwo diagnosticsDThe owner's and advisor's opinions

51. The Bridge is built in three columns: a COMPASS gap, what it means internally, and:

AWhat closing it unlocks externallyBWho owns the fixCThe cost to fixDThe deadline

52. The Bridge turns a diagnosis into:

AA case for action tied to a market prizeBA scoreCA tax returnDA quiz

53. Which is part of the standard CMG 360 Assessment deliverable?

AThe COMPASS table and BEACON summaryBA press releaseCA payroll registerDAn org chart only

54. The appendices of the assessment make it:

ALonger for its own sakeBConfidentialCAuditable, so any figure can be traced to its evidenceDOptional

55. Which is a CMG brand standard for the deliverable?

AEm dashes encouragedBBare “360” preferredCAny color schemeDNavy and gold, trademarks on marks, no em dashes, never bare 360

56. Within the deliverable, the advisor's judgment goes into:

AThe executive summary and the recommendationsBThe scoresCThe benchmarksDThe market sizing

57. The assessment follows a standard format so that:

AEvery assessment is recognizable and completeBIt looks expensiveCThe AI runs fasterDThe exam is easier

Section 7 · Understanding and Using the Output

58. A finished CMG 360 Assessment should be read:

ASection by section in isolationBSummary onlyCBackwards from the appendixDAs a whole telling one story

59. The difference between a finding and a recommendation is:

ALengthBWho writes itCA finding says what is; a recommendation says what to do about itDThere is none

60. The prioritized plan spans:

A1, 2, and 3 monthsBWeekly incrementsC12 and 24 monthsD3, 6, 9, and 12 months

61. The near horizons of the plan usually target:

AThe strongest domainBThe floor domain, the highest-leverage fixCCosmetic itemsDThe owner's favorite project

62. The order of the journey from diagnosis to the other side is:

ABuild, Diagnose, Navigate, StabilizeBDiagnose, Stabilize, Build, NavigateCNavigate, Build, Stabilize, DiagnoseDStabilize, Diagnose, Navigate, Build

63. In the journey, Stabilize means:

ACash, margins, and controls firstBGrowth and acquisitionsCA sale or transitionDNew systems only

64. An owner planning to sell in a few years should learn that:

AStrong revenue guarantees a strong multipleBValuation is unrelated to operationsCA buyer discounts the floor, so strong revenue alone does not guarantee a strong multipleDThe plan is irrelevant

65. An owner who wants to acquire other companies often finds that:

AThe pipeline is the only constraintBAcquisitions never workCThe constraint is their own internal readiness, not the pipelineDCOMPASS does not apply

66. An owner concerned about margins may be surprised to learn that:

AThe issue is often pricing, mix, or cash conversion rather than costBMargin is always a cost problemCMargins cannot be measuredDOnly revenue matters

67. An owner concerned about future revenue may find that:

AThe market is often fine and the constraint is their own go-to-marketBThe market is always the problemCRevenue cannot be forecastDBEACON does not help

68. The assessment connects to a company's valuation by:

AIssuing a formal appraisalBShowing the multiple tracks the same domains COMPASS measures, and what closing gaps is worthCGuaranteeing a sale priceDIgnoring value

69. Re-running the assessment over time produces real progress measurement because:

AThe advisor adjusts itBThe score always risesCThe market is stableDThe instrument does not drift, so a later read is directly comparable to an earlier one

Section 8 · Industry Application

70. Across industries, what changes in the method?

AThe seven domainsBThe BridgeCThe context, the benchmarks and interpretation cues, carried by Context-Aware DiagnosticsDEverything

71. Industry adaptation is carried by:

AA separate method per sectorBContext-Aware DiagnosticsCA different examDNew domains

72. In construction, Cash & Capital is dominated by:

AInventory turnsBRetainage and progress billingCSeasonalityDUtilization

73. Sector financial norms are drawn from:

AThe owner's estimateBA single national figureCRMA and industry dataDCompetitor guesses

74. The industry index is best used as:

AA script to memorizeBA replacement for BEACONCA reference library extended with sourced researchDA scoring shortcut

Section 9 · Limitations and Professional Conduct

75. The CMG 360 Assessment is:

AAn audit of the booksBA tax filingCA diagnostic; it is not an audit, a valuation, or a guaranteeDA legal opinion

76. When platform output and the advisor's opinion differ, the advisor should:

ARewrite the scoreBInterpret the score in context rather than override itCDelete the scoreDIgnore the platform

77. Which is an absolute data-integrity standard?

AEstimate scores when data is thinBNever fabricate output; if data is missing, the assessment says soCUse top-down market figuresDSkip sourcing when rushed

78. Client information may be used:

AFor CMG marketingBSold to partnersCShared with other clientsDOnly to produce that client's assessment

79. When a client asks about data security, a certified advisor should:

APromise it is completely secureBRefuse to answerCState accurately what the platform does and route deeper questions to CMGDSay only that it is confidential

80. The brand-and-data-integrity agreement formalizes:

AConfidentiality, brand standards, honest representation, and the integrity standardsBPricingCThe exam formatDThe org chart

CMG Financial Solutions™ · Certification Program · Confidential

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You Passed

You scored out of 80

You have met the standard for CMG 360 Assessment™ certification. Well done. Continue to the platform to activate your credential and get started.

Continue to the CMG 360™ Platform

What happens next

Create your account on the CMG 360™ platform.
Sign the certification license and the brand-and-data-integrity agreement.
Start running assessments for your clients.

CMG 360 Assessment™ Certification Program

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You scored out of 80

A passing score is 64 of 80 (80 percent). You did not meet the bar this time, but you can review and retake the exam.

Before you retake

Review the certification study guide, module by module.
Focus on the sections below where you scored lowest.
Read for how to use the method, not to memorize it.

CMG 360 Assessment™ Certification Program