[Anonymous]

I have yet to take my first section, I take REG on Tuesday morning 10/9/12, my 24th birthday of all days, and while I will never feel totally prepared for this exam, this forum has helped keep me sane. I work in an office full of people who either already have their CPAs or have given up on taking it. This is the only place I can lurk and read about others feeling the same pain as me.

The reason I’m posting is because until recently I’ve had a major problem putting together the energy/focus/motivation to keep my mood up when studying for 3-4 hours after work each night. I did great in school but never studied for anything until the night before the exam. Yeah, pulled many all-nighters in my day but I ended up just fine. After I’ve already spent a full day stretching my brain at work, still trying to figure out what I’m doing actually, I get off and come home only to stare at the Becker lectures and immediately start yawning and my eyelids get heavy. I get adequate sleep but mental exhaustion trumps my efforts.

I know many of my friends got prescribed adderall to take the test, but I was thinking of a route that doesn’t require a medical prescription. The past few days I took off work, and get Monday off as well. Pure adrenaline has kept me going recently, but I need help keeping that energy/momentum into AUD section which is a month after REG. I am not so much concerned with the healthiest way to stay alert, but the most effective.. Ten cups of coffee a day? A little exercise? Caffeine pills? Give me your secrets.

Fight on crew, we’ll make it through this thing, and we won’t stop until we do.

[Rebecca_AZ]

My 3-4 hour study sessions usually involve short bursts of studying (20-30 minutes) mixed with short breaks to get up to fix a snack, get a drink (water or coffee), etc. You really don't need to sit in one place for the full 3-4 hours. I get fidgety and actually lose my concentration. The short break (5 minutes or less) to get a drink of water or fix a snack usually helps me concentrate for another 20-30 minutes. A snack with protein in it helps me stay awake. Don't drink too much caffeine or you won't sleep and then your memory will suffer. I usually only drink coffee in the morning with the occasional coke in the afternoon. (And by occasional I mean maybe one every other day – I don't drink a lot of soda)

As far as keeping my motivation up – its difficult at times but I combat that by mixing up my studying. For example, when I couldn't possibly watch another lecture, I would switch to either making notecards or reviewing them if I had already made them. When I can't write notes anymore, I do multiple-choice questions. All are still considered studying because you have to read the material to write the notes/notecards and you are absorbing it even if you don't think you are.

Some days you just have to say enough is enough and quit studying earlier than you planned because your brain just needs a break. And those longer breaks (a day or half a day) are very restorative.

At this point, since you're taking the test on Tuesday, I would be doing non-stop multiple choice questions and re-reading the material or re-watching the lectures on the areas where you're not scoring as high as you would like on the multiple choice questions.

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I passed in 2012!

BEC - PASSED - I'M DONE!!!
AUD - PASSED (finally!!)
REG - PASSED (Twice - lost credit first time)
FAR - PASSED!

[OhWilson10]

Colb,

As Rebecca mentioned, try the study bursts. I have not began studying for the CPA but I just finished my Masters online while working full time, in only 11 months. There were many nights that I came home to study and had very little to no motivation or drive to study or complete my assignments.

Most of it is just making yourself mentally get involved and focusing on the goal. However, I found that the studying in bursts helped me. I downloaded a timer for my MacBook and set it for 20-30 minutes and then took a 5-10 minute break. I felt a lot of time I would keep checking the time to see how long I had but I would then get involved and keep going. It was just another “driver” to keep me going. Best of luck.

"The only rule is it begins"

[MeaDebitum]

Wut is a mackbook?

[Katydid]

How do you feel Colb? Did you do well?

Olinto and Gearty are really easy to fall asleep to. Multiple choice questions on CPA legal liabilities are as well. But what Rebekah mentioned earlier helps me as well. Switching it around. Sometimes I can't take the sound of Gearty's voice anymore, so I'll switch back to the book and read a couple of pages. Take notes. And then turn to the flashcards. I found when I get really tired, notes help wake me up. The actual act of either typing or writing something out requires a greater level of focus than a multiple choice question or highlighting something. I've also found that doing a little bit throughout the day helps as well. 20-30 minutes before work doing a booklet of homework questions. Flashcards at lunch. I've even started recording myself reading the material and replaying it on my commute. You'll find a groove and it'll work for you.

B-74,84 (Expires 1/31/14)
A-79 (Expires 7/31/13)
R-72,83 (Expires 4/31/14)
F-80 No more expiration worries, I'm Done!

[Anonymous]

It's a bitter sweet feeling. I went in expecting to do utterly horrific. I thought I'd fail with a 30% just based on my grasp of the hardest tax concepts, but only a handful of the hardest areas from the homework/review were on the exam. While I completely bombed one of the simulations, I was extremely surprised how well the rest went for me. I'm expecting a 55%-75% and a second attempt at the start of next year that will seal this one up for me.

In the mean time I have AUD and BEC before the end of the test window. Gulp.

[Author]

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