75 CPA is spot on. It is impossible to ask someone how much to study, because everyone is different. Some people are not effective studiers, therefore they will require more time. Some people know how to get the most out of every minute of studying, and require less. I definitely did not keep track of hours, BUT the professor who made CPAreviewforFree told me that I could pass any section with 60-100 hours of study. So you can keep that as a baseline. This is a typical study method that I have used on each section and it may or may not help you.
I will use AUD for example.
1) Read a HW multiple choice section worth of material in one section, then do all the HW for that section. Read the next, etc, until you finish all of the HW for a section. (I skipped supplemental the first time around). For every question you get incorrect, make a word document and begin to type in the main points of the material that are essential to getting that question CORRECT. Took me about 7 days total.
2) Go back, RE-READ everything and do the same entire process again, but do the supplemental this time around. This takes significantly less time, because the notes are already prepared. You should find that you begin to get more questions right (Sometimes a huge difference).
3) Work EVERY question on CPAreviewforFree for the section you are on. I look at each section he lists on his site, and break it down into the corresponding Becker chapter. I then take notes from CPAreviewforFree questions, and include them in my notes.
4) From there, I am pretty much done with Becker HW MC questions. Maybe I will go back and redo any problematic sections. I then work through every SIM, takes 1-2 days. Take notes.
5) I will do the first practice test all the way through. I will then take the randomly generated tests that you can do on Becker. Usually includes 100 MC questions. I just pound through those.
6) I do the second practice test, repeat the first, take notes. Then take the second exam again. I keep doing randomly generated tests and quizzes.
7) Finally, the day before the exam, I review all the sims again, and READ MY NOTES. At this point, you should be able to pass the exam with just your notes, seriously. If you supplement them with everything you consistently get wrong, you will reinforce the material. It is better to re-read these notes 1-2 times a week, to keep reinforcing it.
This took me about 30 days per section, maybe 5-7 hours a day? If you have a plan, and know what you need to get through by the test date, you will be more efficient. No plan is not a good idea in my opinion.
Hope this helps a bit. Just ONE way out of MANY to study!
Dan
FAR: Took 7/1/10 VA: 90
REG: Took 8/2/10 VA: 96
AUD: Took 8/31/10 VA: 96
BEC: 10/10/10
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