[Stay_Positive]

I have never really tracked the number of hours I study, but I’m wondering now if it will be beneficial. I’m re-taking FAR in April and REG the end of May. Does anyone track the number of hours they study on a regular basis?

BEC - 69, 66, 78 (exp), 82
FAR - 69, 72, 66, 76
REG - 64, 66, 72, 80
AUD - 77
Ethics - 95
Waiting on License to be issued!!!

[whatamidoing]

No, I don't, and I don't really see the benefits of it. If I study 100 hours or if I study 500 hours, I look at my progress based on how well I know the material and how well I'm doing on progress tests/flashcards. To each their own though.

F - 85 (11/2012)
R - 87 (1/2013)
A - 92 (2/2013)
B - 90 (4/2013)

DONE!

[Getting a CPA]

I agree. I have been studying FAR for over 300 hours and will clock 400+ by the time I finish. And I am just now “getting it”. Others would find 6 months and 400 hours ridiculous, but I am 35 and never worked in accounting…and I didn't get great grades in school. BUT I am learning it and understanding it like never before. Study hours mean nothing I think…

[Stay_Positive]

But it seems like you are both tracking your total number of hours on some level, which I am not. I just want to make sure I at least study a minimum, and I guess I wouldn't know that unless I tracked it somehow.

BEC - 69, 66, 78 (exp), 82
FAR - 69, 72, 66, 76
REG - 64, 66, 72, 80
AUD - 77
Ethics - 95
Waiting on License to be issued!!!

[MintsRGood]

I like to track hours because I tend to procrastinate and it keeps me accountable to my study schedule! I'm not concerned with how long it takes to learn a topic, but it's important to spend as much time as possible on a daily basis preparing. I know if I don't set a “minimum hours” goal for the week then I will kick the study can down the week until Sunday and then spend the whole day cramming…which is terrible, stressful, it makes me feel guilty, and doesn't yield me a passing score (as evidenced by my 71 on Audit). For REG I committed myself to put in a minimum of 20-25 hours per week for approx. 6 weeks. It kept my stress level down and my prep consistent, which I think is a big key to passing.

I think it's important to take an honest look at your best/worst study habits and plan accordingly. I do agree with the other posters that there is no magic number of hours to gauge your preparedness! Only you know what is best for you!

Good Luck Everyone!!!!

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
-Some people dream of success...others wake up and work hard for it!!!
-The cowards never start and the weak die along the way!
-You better work, b***h!
-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[Anonymous]

I think tracking the number of hours can be good for some people.

I don't track my hours to the T, but I am cognizant of about how much time I put it. I have taken two of the exams following the hours recommendations of others. That was helpful to me. It let me set my priorities and do what I needed to do in that time frame.

For example, I took about 80 hours for BEC and 120 hours for REG which seem to average. I passed both exams with a small margin (83 and 79)… Which tells me I studied the perfect amount of time.

I am doing Far now and am planning 120-140 hours.

[randomCPA]

Number of hours means nothing…. I studied with Yaeger and they recommend ridiculous hours. I studied maybe a third of what they recommend and passed 3 tests on my first try (haven't taken # 4 yet)

[silliepanda]

I am going with no. You could study study study but if you aren't comprehending .. what's the point?

BEC - TOO MANY FAILS TO LIST! July 2015 I WILL GET IT!
AUD - AUG 2015- NEVER PASSED!
FAR - LOST CREDIT
REG - PASSED

[testsz]

I think it all depends on what you want to accomplish in a day. I track my hours because on top of a full-time job, I exercise daily, cook my own food, and even intake general business knowledge.

The benefit of not only tracking, but establishing limits on how much you study daily is you are more committed to that particular time slot. I try to study 2 to 2.5 hours a day on the weekdays and 8 hours a day on the weekends. I try to focus really hard on those time slots so I have time to do other equally important tasks.

[no.cruncher]

On the very first page of all my chapters, I always write down the date, where I'm at studying, and the times I spend reading, taking notes, doing multiple choice, etc.

I never really go back to look at them, but it does mentally help to see the column of data generated, and lets me know I've put in the time. I literally fragment my my studies in spurts of 30min-1Hr… hence the growth of my “columnar day” 🙁

xx/xx/xx X:XX AM – X:XX AM

@ Home X:XX AM – X:XX AM

…………..X:XX AM – X:XX AM

…………..X:XX PM – X:XX PM

…………..X:XX PM – X:XX PM

***The one thing it does help with, is when it comes to review time, by glancing @ the date I studied and time, I get an idea of how much I have to refresh. If it was over a month ago, definitely worth rereading chapter. Really helping out this week as I prepare for BEC this coming Wednesday 🙁

FAR - 7/16/2012 *76 : 2.5mo [Exp. 1/2014]
AUD - 8/31/2012 *82 : 1mo
REG - 11/27/2012 *83 : 2.5mo
BEC - 2/27/2013 *80 : 2.5mo LET'S DO THIS!!!
Ethics - 3/13

[ 2011 Kaplan Self Study - Textbook, MP3s, FlashCards ]

CMA... Hmmm...???

[KnightsCPA]

I track the hours of studying I put in mostly because I did it with the first exam, and it holds me accountable. I try to study 4x the amount of hours the lecture videos are, and it has worked so far.. Usually I go a bit over the 4x amount.

FAR - 83
AUD - 81
REG - 92
BEC - 87
ETHICS - Done

[Stay_Positive]

@ no.cruncher – I really like that approach. Actually I like everyone's feedback, and I think I will begin incorporating it into my routine.

Thanks as always another 71 folks!

BEC - 69, 66, 78 (exp), 82
FAR - 69, 72, 66, 76
REG - 64, 66, 72, 80
AUD - 77
Ethics - 95
Waiting on License to be issued!!!

[Author]

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