@kmartella – I used Becker for AUD as well, and I found out last night that I passed (first try).
Here is what I did:
– Listen to Gearty lecture for each section. Highlight what he tells me and also write my own notes in the margin. My own notes consist of explanations of the material or just flat-out reteriation from the book. It helps to do this with important points. Good thing about Becker is that it emphasizes those important points.
-At the end of each section within a chapter, I do all the MCQ for that section. I hear about other people waiting until the end of the entire chapter to do all the MCQ – that doesn't make sense to me. It's much better, IMO, to do the MCQ right after the lecture, when the material is fresh in your mind and you can apply it.
-While I'm doing the MCQ, I type up notes about the MCQ's. Even when I get questions right, I still write down the question's explanation. I basically write the question in “Fact” form. And I write down the explanations for the wrong answers too, and WHY the wrong answer is wrong. I rarely have time at the end to go back and review these notes (but it would be awesome if you made time for them because I think it would help even more). However, the fact that I typed them up and thought out the questions, kind of ingrains into my head. Disclaimer: This is VERY time-consuming. But it worked for me, and I have passed three sections as a result of this method.
-At the end of my review, I go through the text and write down the “Pass Keys” onto flashcards to review. Since Pass Keys are important points from the section, it helps to have those memorized.
I feel that Becker was really good for AUD. (Wasn't so good for REG, though). So I suggest you stick with it and just adjust your method a bit. I'm not sure how you studied so I can't say if you did something wrong or right. All I can do is tell you what I did.
Also try the final exams (there's 2 of them). There's also a bunch of SIM practice questions. I tried a few of them, they were helpful. When preparing for SIMS though, it is best to just know the material really well. Also, remember that you can research things in the Authoritative Literature tab on the ACTUAL EXAM. Which is a major plus, and you should definitely take advantage of it.
Good luck! Hang in there!
BEC - Passed (11/27/2010)
REG - Passed (02/26/2011)
AUD - Passed (05/30/2011)
FAR - TBD (07/29/2011)
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