[UAcpa]

I am at the point where I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the CPA exam thank goodness, but I have to keep plugging along. Something that has been a tremendous help for me with these exams was realizing right off the bat when I did not pass the first section I took. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between memorizing the material and understanding it. My method to understand the material has to do with working tons of problems. However, I know of people who work the problems and move on. When I miss a problem I figure out why I miss it by referencing my study materials and making notations in my study book on why I missed it. This is time consuming in a process where time is already precious and our enemy. However, I realized that as soon as I started doing this I could not only see almost every page from the book in my head, but also nail the majority of the problems I have done. Ever since I started doing this things have turned around so much. This is especially the case with Audit and BEC from what I have seen. You really have to know how to apply Audit. They can try to trick you in Reg, but in many cases memorization can be enough. Audit on the other hand is a different story. You absolutely have to know the ins and outs or they are going to trick you time and time again. I really think this makes a huge difference in whether many people pass or fail especially on Audit or BEC. It is easy to do a problem and then do it again and memorize the ones you missed. However, the purpose of the problems are to further facilitate our understanding of this stuff, not our memorization. It is important to take time on the problems and really ensure that they are understood. That is my piece, but I thought I would share a strategy that has been very beneficial for me.

[SusanStudies]

@ UAcpa: I'm really glad you shared what worked for you. I am preparing to take my first section – AUD. I have completed all the lectures for AUD by Yaeger and am just starting to go back through the MCQ in the book to see where my weak points are. For each question I miss I'm re-reading the standards and writing down notes. I really hope this will reinforce some topics. I've also worked most mcq in the Wiley test bank and am scoring decently on them but I'm not confident I *know* the material rather than just being a good guesser. Though, I guess you need some of both those skills to pass this beast.

I have two weeks left until my exam. I think that should be sufficient time to go back through my weak areas and gain confidence.

AUD: 07/11/11 - Passed
BEC: 08/27/11 - Passed
FAR: 01/17/12 - Passed
REG: 04/30/12; Re-take 7/16/12 - Passed

FINISHED!!!!!!!!

[Author]

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