[Sassmaster1960]

Hi there,

I am new here but I have already taken FAR and AUD and failed both…

FAR I knew was coming because I didn’t study at all… I just couldn’t find it in me… After getting through a few sections I stopped and the time came and I took it and failed.. Badly..

When I took AUD I studied a bit more and got through most of the material but very superficially… I kept switching study strategies the whole time… And at the end ended up doing only questions over and over in the last few sections which I liked better but felt like cheating.. I got a 63..

I used the ninja audio for audit and I noticed it’s what helped me Remember most of what I actually used on the exam..

Now I am still at square 1.. I’ve only been working for a little over a year since i graduated with my bachelors in accounting..

Lacking motivation severely… I get home from work (full time at a very well known private company) and all I wanna do is watch something dumb or sleep or just lay there and rest..

we have a very busy season from now until February.. But I have to take AUD and BEC before March… Or they will expire (bad planning on my part)..

I am using CPAExcel, but I was always the person in class taking notes like crazy from what the professor taught, then doing problems.. I never read my textbook..

Now I find it hard to read and take notes from there… I want to just do problems but then I feel guilty like I may pay the price later… The videos in cpaexcel are pretty repetitive from the slides so it doesn’t feel like a class lecture…

I am at a loss on what to do… I do enjoy the ninja audio a lot, and plan on using it but when it comes to me review course I’m not sure what’s the most effective way to use it while not spending hours and hours on each section..

I suppose I shall say I was above average in school… Did very well.. But wasn’t always studying.. I studied a few days before a test and did and redid problems and from there tried to grasp each concept for the theory part..

But this exam isn’t something I can study for in 3 days… And I no longer even feel smart… I am just desperate to hear tips, maybe some tough love and inspirational stories!!!

Thank you for reading all that!

Edit: I must also add… I am not married (but do have a boyfriend) and don’t have any kids..

Technically this is my best time to get this out of the way but I lack the drive..

and my main question was… Is it even necessary to read the text? is it possible to pass by doign a lot of MCQs?

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Sassmaster1960]

Also!! I have AUD on Jan 30 (2nd time and havent even started studying for it!!) , and BEC (first time) on Feb 28…

I can't move those dates.. this is about the worst time at work to study since I stay late often but I mean, a lot of you work in public firms and overtime is the rule.. so I know it's doable if I just find the right strategy..

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[silvercamaro77]

I don't think there's anything we can say or do to give you the motivation to study. We all have reasons we don't want to study some more valid than others, but we all have to pass the same test regardless of anything else (unless we decide not to be CPAs).

I don't think you'll ever be successful by forcing yourself into what you think the study routine should look like. You're not a textbook reader, so own that and do something different instead of trying to force yourself to do so and don't feel guilty for doing it your way.

There are people on here that have used the NINJA MCQ as their primary source for studying, the key is to actually put time into each question so that you understand why each possible answer was wrong and right. Also, read through the other material available in the answers of the MCQ. Using them like that is not cheating it's just a different study method.

I actually prefer working the MCQ, too because I tend to need a scenario in which the information is relevant before it sticks for me. If you're just working MCQ to feel like you're making an effort, but you aren't spending time on each question to understand it and all it's possible answer choices completely, then you are cheating yourself.

Honestly, I think one of the hardest parts of sitting for the CPA exam is figuring out what study methods work for you because it's not necessarily the same study approach we used in school.

AUD- 95
FAR- 75
BEC- 83
REG- 85

Officially done! Exclusively used NINJA for BEC, REG, and FAR

[Anonymous]

You sound almost Identical to me.

I am terrible at reading a book and remembering what I read. I learn best being lectured too. Plus In high school and college I was good at math but mostly because I could watch a teacher do a problem and just repeat it step by step. I never really knew the reason why I was doing what I was doing. This caused me to struggle a lot with Accounting problems.

I passed using gleim. I did use cpaexcel for FAR.

The good news is you can pass the test just doing questions. I honestly never read a book. Cause I knew it wasn't the best use of my time. I listened to lectures and did questions. The thing that helped me most was reading why each question was wrong. I seriously just did question after question. People say to study for 150 hours or whatever I just did 2,500 questions and then took the exam.

As far as the motivation thats just something you have to find in yourself if you really want it. For me I worked 8-5 my wife worked 5 am to 4 so I would spend time with her for an hour and a half after work she would go to bed and I would study till I passed out. That was literally my schedule for years. You either want it or you don't.

[silvercamaro77]

Also, for reference, I have 2 kids (ages 2.5 and 1), a husband that works in retail (so different hours every day and different days every week- not always home to help/take the kids so I can study), a full-time job in financial reporting at a mid-sizeish public company (we also have overtime during the busy periods), and I spend about 1 hour driving to work each way. On a regular day that I don't get up early or stay up late to study I'm usually up from 4:45AM until 8:30PM.

The point is that some people have easier schedules to work with and some harder. Making the time is up to you.

AUD- 95
FAR- 75
BEC- 83
REG- 85

Officially done! Exclusively used NINJA for BEC, REG, and FAR

[Sassmaster1960]

@silvercamaro77

Thanks for reading all that! and you're right I suppose most study methods work, IF you trully dedicate effort into understanding the material.. whether it's through text, audio, problems, etc..

Now I just have to find motivation within me to make myself study.. I KNOW i have a deadline.. but it doesn't feel like one… and it's hard to get my priorities straight lately but I will hopefully find taht within me soon!

@ajmallie

Well that makes me feel better! that at least it's doable to pass without actually reading th ebooks.. but still putting in effort…

Since you used CPAexcel you may understand what i mean, when i say that i may just do problems.. and then for each section do sets of 30 in the EQ tutor so it scrambles up each section within the square for me.. if that makes sense..

Not sure if you did that, what do you think?? 🙂

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[kujayhawks02]

As others have said, only you are going to be able to get motivated for this. To pass the exam you have to want it, or at least I did, no way I was passing this with minimal effort.

As far as CPA Excel goes, I used it exclusively except on BEC where I supplemented with Ninja MCQ because I needed some extra help. I didn't read any of the books except part of Reg and that was only because I was on a 10 hour road trip through pretty remote areas of the country making my other study habits impossible. My routine was to watch the video lectures and take notes on them. Good notes. Take the PQ's then the EQ's. I took them in study mode first and made sure I understood the answer then again in test mode and made sure I understood why the other 3 were incorrect. I didn't really use their flash cards or the book at all. I felt pretty well prepared for all my exams using this set-up.

Good luck to you and I hope you figure out if/how you want to tackle this thing, because that is truly the key to passing it.

FAR - 79
BEC - 72, 79
REG - 75
AUD - 84

[Anonymous]

That FAR book from CPAExcel makes me laugh. its by far the thickest book I never opened. I went through the outline went straight to the questions answered them. If I got less than 70% I listened to the lectures then went to the EQ tutor and tried again. If I did better than 70% I just went to the next set of questions in the outline.

One thing that helped me was setting that goal of 70%. It made me try hard on each question because I didn't want to listen to the lectures…..Especially the long 15 min ones. Plus the lectures seemed to work better for me when I was listening for areas that I knew I was weak.

The CPA exam is awful though. It really makes you evaluate yourself.

[Sassmaster1960]

@kujayhawks02 Thank you! I think I may try that method of note taking from lectures, with PQs and EQs, I have tried the study mode and do like it..

@ajmallie In combination to what I said above, i like your 70% goal as an incentive to actually try in the quetions.. i do notice i can get lazy and think “oh well if i get it wrong, itll show me right answer.. ” etc etc…

and I agree the books are massive espeially for FAR, and i focus for like 5 minutes reading and then i don't even know what i am reading.. blah!

and sorry, but when you said you “went through the outline before doing the questions”.. doyou mean you read the slides??

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Sassmaster1960]

and so far i want to say thank you to everyone that has replied!!

I know I have to find the motivation within me, I just don't know where it is!! I was hoping there was a secret key hehe that someone had found!!! but I supose what drives us to pass this exam is different for everyone.

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Fanalyst]

You sound exactly like me. I actually felt bad about my lack of motivation considering I didn't have kids or a wife and knew there were people working full time jobs with busy families. But I was like you, once I got home from a busy day of work, I just wanted to crash.

My best advice, and I think it is an underrated piece of advice, is to go to a library to study. Yes its not convenient and it takes more time out of your day to drive there, but there is no doubt in my mind that most people are more productive at the library. When I tried to study at home I always found a way to put it on the back burner. I'd say “Ok, just one more episode on Netflix.” “One more night of relaxation, then I'll hit it hard tomorrow.” “What's one more night of studying really gonna do for me?”

I did this for every single test I took, and I spent $140 on reschedule fees because I would have to push my test back when I clearly knew I wouldn't be prepared. However, I also figured it out in time for every test and made the commitment to just bite the bullet and go to the library every single day for 2 or 3 weeks before the test. Was able to pass all 4 on the first try.

If you truly can stay focused at home and don't need the library, great. But I think most people would have a hard time convincing me that a place specifically designed for studying isn't the best option.

[Sassmaster1960]

@fanalyst

Wow thank you! Good point! All those excuses you mentioned while you're at home are me exactly… It was scary haha

I do have a desk at home but it's in my room so my bed just seems appealing or I browse the web… So I could see now how the library could become my best friend since I wouldn't want to waste time online when I drove all the way there… And I wouldn't have Netflix *tears*

I will definitely give that a shot and bite the bullet like you said!

Would you say you studied on average 2-3weeks for each part? And if so, did you also read everything and did MCQs? Or any other study method??

Thanks again!

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Last Chance CPA]

I spent almost 5 months reading both CPA Excel books. I had been out of school for a number of years, so I had to get the basics. That was an awful experience, but I think it really gave me the foundation I needed to do well on the MCQs. Avoid the video lectures if you can, except for Pam Smith, CPA Excel has some very bad lecturers…

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Fanalyst]

My method isn't necessarily one I would highly recommend, but it was pretty efficient.

For everything but FAR, I spent about 3 weeks total (BEC more like 2). For the first couple of study sessions, all I did was write word for word the Ninja Flashcards. This kind of introduced me to the topics I would be studying and gave me a very high level understanding. Then, I skimmed a chapter in the book and answered MCQ's (I used Wiley Test Bank). I tried to do one chapter a day, and maybe 2 chapters if they were short. When I skim, I mean I literally just kind glossed through looking for easy notes to take. Most of my learning came from the MCQ's.

Once I finished all the chapters, I just starting answering MCQ's in 20 question increments and occasionally writing something down if I thought it would help to write it out. I answered between 50%-60% of the Wiley Test Bank MCQ's available for each chapter and made sure I was consistently scoring 65% or above before moving on. Literally did not study a single simulation (I think I looked at a couple, but never actually practiced them).

Then, I always scheduled my test for the afternoon and took the whole day off to study in the morning. I would go through all of the flashcards as the last thing I did. I am 100% sure that this last desperation move allowed me to pass REG. I went through the flashcards minutes before leaving the library, and at least 3 questions I was able to visualize the answer because I had just seen it. Passed with a 76.

For FAR I did the same, but also watched all of the Yaeger videos on top of that. So I spent probably 8 weeks on FAR, but a lot of wasted time with the videos. I figured out that the videos really didn't help me enough to justify doing that again for the other sections. But the reason I say I wouldn't necessarily recommend my method, is that my scores were 82, 78, 76, 77. So I cut it pretty close.

[Sassmaster1960]

@fanalyst

Thank you for such a detailed response!!!

It sounds kind of like what I was planning on doing 🙂

I think I might look into those ninja flashcards.. Since I really do like the audio so doing that wouldn't hurt either, but the way you put it it seems effective enough! Even if you cut it close, it was a pass! And higher than what I've gotten so far haha so wouldn't hurt to try it!

Thanks so much!

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Sassmaster1960]

@fanalyst

Thank you for such a detailed response!!!

It sounds kind of like what I was planning on doing 🙂

I think I might look into those ninja flashcards.. Since I really do like the audio so doing that wouldn't hurt either, but the way you put it it seems effective enough! Even if you cut it close, it was a pass! And higher than what I've gotten so far haha so wouldn't hurt to try it!

Thanks so much!

Link: Current CPAexcel Discount Codes

AUD - 11/19/15
FAR - TBD
REG - TBD
BEC - TBD

“If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas Edison

[Author]

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