[Anonymous]

I had a minor meltdown last week (and yes, I let that be known on here while it was happening) because I’ve been having a horrible time retaining info for BEC, which I now sit for in less than 2 weeks. However, I realized the problem with my studying strategy, corrected it, and am happy to say that the information is now sticking with me and I’m on my way to finishing all of the material up this week. That only leaves about a week to hammer out all of the MCQs and WC questions in the WTB, but I’m hoping that’s enough because I have already been doing MCQs each time I finish a section.

I thought I’d share my new strategy in case it helps anyone else out. If you are a visual learner, do NOT feel obligated to watch the lectures that come with your review course, regardless of how much you think you need them because you invested in them. That has been my biggest problem thus far- watching and taking notes throughout the lectures and then having to go back and re-read my notes multiple times just to grasp the basics of the concepts covered. Obviously if you learn best by lectures this advice isn’t for you, but even Roger, as great as he is, cannot get through to my brain that way. I am now just reading the BEC book cover to cover and find that that has been the key to truly understanding the concepts for me. The lectures just feel very rushed in comparison to the smooth flow in the book and all of the mnemonics from Roger can be found in the book, so the lecture is really just a reinforcement of the book concepts. Again, great if you can learn that way, but for a visual learner the books are by far the superior method of understanding the concepts. I also have the Wiley books and I do have to say that while they’re amazingly comprehensive, they are dry enough to make straight reading difficult (at least for me), so having the Roger books to read has been a great tool.

And now my plug for Jeff’s NINJA Notes. They ROCK! Seriously- once you read through the concepts or watch the lectures or however you learn, using the NINJA Notes to tie all of the concepts together in a quick and concise way is awesome. I’m no longer focused on taking my own notes but instead supplementing the already provided NINJA Notes with info from the Roger books that wasn’t included with the NINJA Notes that I feel is relevant. But still…they’re GREAT. I cannot stress that enough.

So, in summary, as a visual learner I am now effectively employing the following studying strategy:

1) Fully read the Roger book for each section (refer to Wiley book for more info on a given topic)

2) Supplement the NINJA Notes throughout the reading with other relevant info

3) MCQs, MCQs, and more MCQs in the WTB

4) WC questions and Simulations in the WTB

5) Final review with supplemented NINJA Notes in the final days before each exam

Hopefully this strategy will allow me to pass BEC on the first try! I believe that it’s going to be the most difficult exam for me as I haven’t taken very many general business courses (I was an undergrad Bio major), so I’ll be thrilled when it’s done and passed (even if not on the first try). I’m actually looking forward to studying for REG a lot more since I actually enjoy that material. 🙂

[Anonymous]

The reason none of us learned anything about accounting in college compared to what we learn while doing the CPA prep is because college professors like to lecture and give you a book to read. This is passive learning where you just hope to “get it” based on someone cramming information into your head.

Using a test bank or software make you prove to yourself you understand the material and is a more active approach to learning. Plowing through the book to get a decent understanding and getting to the MCQs is a good strategy. I haven't used lectures but I could see myself zoning out and not having them being very beneficial.

[Author]

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