[rdubs]

While studying for FAR using Becker CPA Review, did you

•Take notes while watching the lectures
•Simply watch the lectures
•or even watch the lectures?

I ask because I feel that I am going too slow when studying and watching the lectures. So, I began simply only watching the lectures, but this has now caused me to not really be actively listening.

Struggling to find a happy medium with efficiency, studying effectively, and understanding the material.

Any suggestions, especially with notetaking using Becker? Is it even worth it?

[Tncincy]

@rdubs, What you are expressing is common. But I think Becker tells you what to underline if you are following along with your book or notes. Make notes on things you don't want to forget, formulas, definitions, etc. I think they may even say “this is important to know” during the lecture. I am not using Becker, but I know how you feel, I've tried to not taking notes during lectures, but needed those notes while doing mcq's. Then I took more notes after doing mcq's so don't rely solely on memory. I realized, I couldn't rewrite the book, so I had to focus on the important and listen carefully. The ninja audio helped because of being able to hear the topics over and over again until it stayed in my subconscious. Rewriting the notes/ninja notes helped me narrow down what was important as well. So, the answer to your question..lol taking notes is not a waste of time.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[accountantsteve]

I used Roger, but from my experience, when I found myself more productive when I took notes while studying. It definitely takes a little longer, but you will comprehend the material more and save you time when it comes time to review before the test.

[Sam]

Take. All. The. Notes. Well, do what works best for you. But I'd say notes were one of the biggest contributors to my passing all the exams. Often the topics from the lectures made sense in the moment, but then the MCQs and Sims would be a whole different ballgame. And I'd inevitably forget things over the course of going through all the material, especially with beasts like FAR & REG. Taking notes is not only another way to take in/reinforce the information, but it also gives you something to come back to later. And if you took the notes, there's a good chance you'll understand that more easily than pulling up a lecture or course outline again when reviewing. I struggled the most with REG, so when reviewing,I rewatched a lot of lectures and took new notes, which refreshed and reinforced the material even more.

It's definitely tedious, slow, and far from fun, but that's often a good sign that you're doing something right with studying, regardless of what it is. Good luck!

[Author]

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