[Lauren3404]

I am currently using Becker to study for FAR and I have a question about note taking. I will listen to a topic in a lecture, then go back and read/take notes. Right now I am essentially rewriting what Olinto or Gearty tells me to underline or highlight and personally for me, the process is taking forever. Sometimes I can’t even get ten pages done in an hour. Is this normal or am I being inefficient? Should I just read the lectures and then rely on the Becker notecards to study instead of going back and rereading my notes? I also have some printouts of other people’s notes they have taken to use instead of my own.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

AUD - 68 ~ FAR - 5/24 ~ REG -? ~ BEC - ?

[JennyBankers]

Personally, I would spend more of your time doing the MCQs and making sure you understand the MCQs then I would on taking notes.

It depends on how you learn when it comes to the note taking but I think you are spending way too much time on notes instead of on the MCQs which really help you learn the material and pass the exam.

AUD 96 ~ FAR 97 ~ REG 98 ~ BEC 92 I'M DONE!!!!

[Anonymous]

I haven't taken notes outside of what is in the book itself. When I review I skim read the book focusing in on the highlights, notes, and passkeys.

Mostly my prep has been to do MC questions until my eyes are bleeding.

[financeguy]

Dale, what does RTCDQ stand for?

AUD - 81, BEC - 74, 80, FAR - 82, REG - 81
Done!

[Anonymous]

it says right underneath. Read The Cocka-Doody Question (meaning, make sure you read the question and fully understand it before you start answering it)

[financeguy]

damn, I was hoping for some secret brainwashing method to stick this material to my brain

AUD - 81, BEC - 74, 80, FAR - 82, REG - 81
Done!

[The GaJone]

When I watch the Becker lectures I don't highlight, underline, or take notes, or any of that crap. I did that for the first 2 chapters of FAR and realized that I was focusing too much on trying not to miss something they did and I wasn't actually paying attention to the lecture at all. So now when I watch the lectures, I just sit there and stare at the screen and let it all soak in as much as possible. I don't even have my book open during the lectures; I just try to focus on what Olinto/Gaerty are saying. I feel like I learn a lot better this way.

FAR: 81 (1/20) AUD: 88 (2/27) REG: 91 (4/19) BEC: 75 (5/20)

[Anonymous]

I'm also using Becker. I watch the lectures and highlight/note what they tell you to. After the lectures for the entire Chapter, I read the Chapter on my own and take notes. It is quite time consuming, but I find it to be helpful. I review my own notes periodically while I'm studying the next chapters.

I think it has alot to do with your own learning style. This has worked for me for the 2 exams I've taken, so I'm sticking with it. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Yup, Read the Cocka-Doody Question. My accounting professor in college gave that advice the first day of the first class with him. He had it on one of those little wooden name plates people have on their desk even. He'd bring it with him on test days. So much of the pain-in-the-assness (new creative wording) of the exam is with the tricky way they ask questions. I've added my own twitst of RTCDA for Read the Cocka-Doody Answer. That was after a question with a double negative in it that had answers with double negatives. Talk about a brain killer.

Still, it is a great saying to keep in the front of your mind when working CPA questions.

[Anonymous]

Lauren3404,

I'm using Becker too. I watch the lectures and then take notes on my own. It does take forever (probably a good 6 hours per chapter), but it's my own personal condensed version of the book. I squeeze as much onto a page as possible… I'd much rather read 15-16 pages of handwritten stuff than to flip through an entire chapter in the book. I ask myself each and every chapter if it's worth the time I'm spending on it… maybe not… but for me, I learn it that way. Once I've finished all my notes for that chapter, I hit the MC questions and I really don't have to refer back to the book much. I passed BEC and FAR this way, but I didn't pass AUD the first time. From what I've read on other posts, I'm guessing I didn't re-do enough MC questions. I'll be taking REG in 2 weeks and re-taking AUD the end of May.

[kewinnett]

That is exactly what I was doing – rewriting the book! But it does help me retain. I am not good at retaining simply from reading and certainly not with these volumes of materials.

I have changed how I do it (although I caught myself doing it the old way today with the first chapter of audit). I go straight to the questions and then develop my notes from the questions. The answers often times have information in them that is not in the book and will click in and make me understand something.

BEC 80 (03/01/10)

REG 89 (02/17/10)

AUD (taking 05/15/10)

FAR (?) took 04/19/2010

[Author]

Replies