[Anonymous]

Becker Question –

Has anyone found the live classes to be too fast?

I’m studying for FAR and just completed 2 weeks, up to F4. So far I’ve been able to keep up but it’s been rough and there are a lot of things, like the appendix sections, and even some sims, that I haven’t had a chance to look over. On top on that, I’ve only completed 3/4 of the homework for F4, which I plan to do tonight. F5 starts tomorrow Tues, and F6 on Thurs.

I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up this pace, working full time, so I’m thinking of pushing my test date back and doing one section a week, instead of 2. I’ll start this week and complete F5.

This will give me 4 weeks to review after it’s all said and done.

Thoughts?

Also, any recomendations on how to review would be great! Thanks.

[MRSJLeon917]

I also work full time and I was not able to keep up with 2 chapters a week. Of course, I just finished busy season at work because I work in a large corporate tax department so our federal was filed on September 15th and we had 240 state returns to do so I was working around 60-75 hours a week for over a month.

I tried to do 1 chapter a week, and then start on the next chapter. I would watch the video, do the MC & SIMS, write notes, and re-work the MC & SIMS. This was something I liked to do to see how writing the notes helped my score (and it did in every circumstance) and I figured it couldn't hurt to work the problems multiple times.

I've only had about 2 weeks for review due to my work schedule but one of the weeks I've been off of work so my full time job has been reviewing FAR. My approach to review has been to write the NINJA notes, re-review all my notes from Becker that I wrote and re-work all the problems. I took a final exam at the beginning of my review time and took another one yesterday. From re-working the problems and taking the final exams, I focused on the areas that I was consistently getting questions wrong on.

I am taking my exam today and still don't feel ready but I don't think I'd ever feel ready for this exam. When I took Audit in May, I also didn't feel ready but I ended up with a 91 so I'm hoping for the best here today 🙂 Good luck with your studies. I think you need to just work at a pace you feel comfortable with and that will be the most effective for you learning and retaining the material – it's different for everyone!

AUD (5/25/2012): 91
FAR (10/22/2012): 89
REG (11/28/2012): 89
BEC (01/05/2013): 82
Ethics Exam: 90

IL Licensed CPA - 7/15/2013

A long journey, officially DONE!

[Anonymous]

MRSJLeon917,

Thanks for your reply. I'm only working 40hrs / week so I can't imagine doing this during your busy season. But, from what I've gathered searching around this forum, is that people usually make up what they don't get to on the first pass, at the end. In other words, they spend their review, reviewing, but also going over stuff they just didn't get to.

I believe I could do that also, but I just feel like I don't retain this stuff as fast as others. Right now my schedule looks like this:

Mon – Read book 3hrs

Tues -Class (Lecture) 4hrs

Wed – Homework M/C 3hrs

Thurs – Class (Lecture) 4hrs

Friday – Homework M/C 3hrs

Sat – Homework (All day) 8 hrs

Sun – Homework / read (until my brain hurts) 8hrs

The problem is, I can only do my M/C questions after work from about 6:30 – 10 and for me, I can't get the homework done before the next class. In other words, 3.5 hrs isn't enough time to complete the M/C questions for 1 section! So…I spend the entire weekend completing the homework and re-learning the trouble questions (a lot of them), take notes, and watching lectures for both sections. I can easily spend 2.5 hrs on 25 questions.

Over all, I feeling like I'm flying through this stuff and it's taking every minute of my free time to do so. My first pass through my homework questions are ranging from 50 to 70, which seems low to me.

So, hypothetically, at the end of this, I will have gone through every section, scored ~60% on all my homework, and have to go back to review what I had trouble with, which by my scores, is everything, lol.

I think I need to slow down.

(Oh! and good luck on your exam!)

[jokami]

@DEPBrain

I completely understand were you are coming from… Where I took the live classes, the professors let us record them, so I did that. I remember my first class to be very overwhelming and tiring. Even though I did found them “hard” to keep up, when I started reading the material and listening them again they got slower, if it makes any sense to you.

If they let you tape/record the class do it. Once you here them two or three times; you'll start to understand the material in a different way and get the “groove” of it.

I guarantee you when you listen them for a fourth time you will recite them with the professor.

B - 62, 70, 72, 79!!!
A - 68, 81
R - 70, 82
F - 84

"The limit to your abilities is where you place them" - Fortune Cookies

[jelly]

Try the CDs (do they even offer those anymore?). You can pace it at your own speed, at least. The classes do go fast, and it's a waste if you're tired when you go.

Couldn't pass again!

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. Maybe I should've worded it differently but I'm not necessarily talking about each class being too fast. 4 hrs is plenty. What I'm having trouble with is the 2 chapters a week. The schedule is too fast, not the classes.

Either way, I've decided to take it down to 1 chapter a week.

Thanks!

[HustlinHustlin]

I felt the same way. I took the classes last November and only went to two courses. For me, it was more valuable to watch ole Gherty and Olinto and be able to pause and take notes than to constantly backtrack in my class to try to catch up. That's just my opinion though, it would be much more effective if I didn't work fulltime plus some. I value my pjs, dinner at home and desk a whole lot. So don't feel bad if it isn't working for you.

B 71 - 79 EXPIRED
A 69 - 75 EXPIRED
R 65 - 48 - 45
F 56 - 61 - 65 - 64

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, Wiley Text and Ninja Notes

"The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream" -311

Experience - Done, like WAAAY done.
Still need 30 more credits, in basket weaving (gotta love new CA requirements)

[HustlinHustlin]

I felt the same way. I took the classes last November and only went to two courses. For me, it was more valuable to watch ole Gherty and Olinto and be able to pause and take notes than to constantly backtrack in my class to try to catch up. That's just my opinion though, it would be much more effective if I didn't work fulltime plus some. I value my pjs, dinner at home and desk a whole lot. So don't feel bad if it isn't working for you.

B 71 - 79 EXPIRED
A 69 - 75 EXPIRED
R 65 - 48 - 45
F 56 - 61 - 65 - 64

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, Wiley Text and Ninja Notes

"The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream" -311

Experience - Done, like WAAAY done.
Still need 30 more credits, in basket weaving (gotta love new CA requirements)

[HustlinHustlin]

I felt the same way. I took the classes last November and only went to two courses. For me, it was more valuable to watch ole Gherty and Olinto and be able to pause and take notes than to constantly backtrack in my class to try to catch up. That's just my opinion though, it would be much more effective if I didn't work fulltime plus some. I value my pjs, dinner at home and desk a whole lot. So don't feel bad if it isn't working for you.

B 71 - 79 EXPIRED
A 69 - 75 EXPIRED
R 65 - 48 - 45
F 56 - 61 - 65 - 64

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, Wiley Text and Ninja Notes

"The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream" -311

Experience - Done, like WAAAY done.
Still need 30 more credits, in basket weaving (gotta love new CA requirements)

[RedBullRacing]

I feel you OP. I struggle to get more than 30-40 questions done a night. Hard to work 8 hours or so then come home and try and bang out a bunch of questions. My FAR exam is in 1 month and honestly I don't think I'll be 100% ready at that point.

I'm hoping that I will make up time after all the lectures doing progress tests. I keep telling myself they just cannot test you on every single little concept. The main goal for me is to be able to qualify for the Becker Promise just in case I fail.

BEC - 85
FAR - 72, 80
REG - 79
AUD - 81

Used only Becker. Let the book burning begin!

[Anonymous]

RedBullRacing,

I started doing F5 this week as my only chapter for the week. So far its going ok but I will say my motivation seems to be a little less doing one section a week, instead of two. Now if I don't meet a particular goal for the day, I'm like, Its ok, I'll just get it done tomorrow. Where as before I was like, I have to get this done tonight!..type of thing.

I think there's some value in sticking with the becker schedule but FAR is just too much material for me to knock out in 6 weeks. This is also only my first exam so I can't say how well craming it all in actually works or not. People seem to say not to try and learn everything in FAR and just hit the questions hard and learn from them. If thats true than the 2 chapter a week thing might have worked just fine. Either way, I'm passing this thing on the first try no matter what! lol

[Author]

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