[Nahla2016]

I am using Becker for Regulation. I started with Ethics as that was the first chapter I read in another source before switching to Becker( I was not done with it). So I am watching the lectures and writing notes and today it took me more than 4 hours just going through my notes from the one hour and half lecture and the book. I like the lecture because I could understand what is going on and simplify some of the wording for me. I am not even half way with the lecture. How can I be fast and productive with lectures and the book? I want to start using Ninja multiple choice questions for each chapter. It seems very time consuming. I reduced my working days to only two days a week and I still don’t feel as productive as I should be.

[Credit Revenue]

I always do much better understanding the lectures and the book after I do MCQ's for a while. I might would read through the chapter quickly. Do a bunch of MCQ's and then either reread or listen to the lecture. You will be able to skip some sections because you already understand them from MCQ's. You will have a foundation and the lectures will make more sense. With that being said…there are 1000 ways to accomplish this. Ultimately, you will have to find what works for you. Studying for these exams is a developed skill. You should read the NINJA way as well. Everyone is different.

A - 79 expires 4/30/16 need a pass on REG
B - 78
F - 80
R - 83!!! Can live again!

[Anonymous]

For me, I've found that if I try to take notes out of a book I'll be there all day, since there's nothing to keep me moving so I just sit there and take notes that are almost a re-phrasing in my own words of everything on the page. So, I don't take notes from books, cause I get too slow if I do. For lectures, if you take notes while you watch and don't allow yourself to stop the video to take more detailed notes, then the speed of the lecture will keep you moving along, and will make sure that you don't spend too long on any one area. It will also make sure you're just hitting the high points in your notes. So, if you do that, then the lectures + notes will only take as long as the lecture by itself, and the book without notes will only take as long as it would take you to read the book, since there's no notes involved at all.

If you meant that re-writing your notes is what took your 4 hours, then I'd wonder if re-writing is really necessary. For me personally, taking the notes is what helps me learn; re-writing, reviewing, etc. doesn't help me as much. If you find you don't have time to re-write, then try skipping the re-writing part and see if you're still learning as well as you were before.

Keep in mind, though, that everyone's learning style differs. I'm not a heavy notes person. My CPA review was all books and MCQs, no lectures at all, so since I don't do notes from books, that means I didn't do notes at all. My academic note taking has only been in lectures (so, university classes, things like that). So, my advice would work well for someone who also doesn't rely heavily on notes, but wouldn't be as good for someone who really counts on having their notes-based learning.

[Author]

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