[Anonymous]

Hey Guys,

How are you all? I just joined here so I want to say HI EVERYONE first I plan on taking the FAR Exam Feb 22,23, or 25(I have not set a date yet) I purchased the full course live instruction package from Becker. I am hoping to get my 2013 material tomorrow (according to Becker 2 weeks ago, I should have it by 11/18)

I start my Becker review in the beginning of January. I work two jobs (accounting and bartending) but just told my one boss (the bar owner) I will be unable to work once class starts.

I am going to run through the lectures and do all of the notes between 11/18 and Jan 7 before class starts. This way I can run through them, take all of the recommened notes adn this way I can pay 100% attention in class and not have to worry about taking notes. My study schedule will look like this:

Monday – Review Class Notes from the previous week, and hit multiple choice from previous week again (3-4 hours)

Tuesday – LIVE CLASS (1) About 4 hours long

Wednesday – Multiple Choice for Class (1) – About 3-4 hours.

Thursday – LIVE CLASS (2) About 4 hours long

Friday – Multiple Choice for Class (2) – About 3-4 hours

Saturday – Go back and hit all of the multiple choice for both sections of class that week that I may have gotten wrong. (The amount of time it will take to do this will vary from week to week but I will make sure to get atleast 2-4 hours of studying/multiple choice questiong)

Sunday – Scan All Material from previous weeks. Just read the text book from the previous chapters to keep everything fresh. This is more of a day off than a study day (Since this is my “day off” I probably will not spend more than 1 – 2 hours doing this). You have to take a day off or else you will go nuts.

So what do you guys think? Please do not be shy. Constructive crticism is welcome.

[Anonymous]

I've never used Becker so I don't know what they recommend. Most review courses will tell you the most effective way to use their course. Just follow what Becker suggests and you will do great! Are you sure the bar tending job was the right job to give up? Hahaha I know Bartenders make a boat load in tips. Just joking. 😉 Good Luck and Welcome!

[Anonymous]

Welcome BlueFin! I am currently a Becker student(self study) and have a couple of suggestions. Your plan sounds like a great plan of attack. However, I would suggest that you plan on some flexibility in the number of hours you are budgeting for the MC's and SIMS. My self-study “road map” suggests five to six hours per lecture to complete the homework. I just recently took FAR and found that on some chapters I would spend seven or eight hours. If I got a problem wrong, I would stare at the problem, reread it and write it out in detail until I totally understood. When I went through the MC's questions the second time(and yes that is required), I would spend maybe three or four hours. When you get to the F8 and F9 on governmental and NFP, you should be able to get through those ahead of your scheduled time as there are few computational problems there.

I am also a proponent of audio learning. How far(I cringe when I type that) do you drive to work? I would suggest that you get some type of recording device and record ALL of those Becker mnemonics and listen to them over and over, and invest in A71's Ninja audio for FAR . That way, even on your day off, doing laundry, walking the dog or whatever, you can still be reinforcing the material.

Good luck and hope this helps!

[make_yourself]

Hi @BluefinCPA, welcome!

I'm also using Becker. Your plan sounds very comprehensive; I think going through the lecture on your own and having the material explained in class will do a good job of solidifying your understanding of the concepts. Although doing as many MCQs as possible is equally as important, if not even more important than lecture in my opinion.

I would agree with @candothis about the time it takes to do MCQs for FAR. I can tell you from my own experience that the FAR MCQs in Becker are difficult and often take a very long time to get through (especially F2 for me), so definitely plan for some flexibility. Don't get too hung up on Becker's “road map” in terms of the time it takes to get through things.

From my personal experience, I would say to plan for taking entire days off at some point. I thought I would be able to study six days a week and review on Sundays. FAR is a very large and broad exam, I found myself overwhelmed with the volume of material more than once, and I had to take a day (or two) off to clear my head and regain focus. I think the quality of your studying is the driving factor in actually learning this stuff. As you get through the first few sections, you'll find what works best for you.

Good luck, you'll do great!

FAR - 81 (07/24/2012)
BEC - 92 (10/06/2012)
AUD - 92 (11/29/2012)
REG - 88 (02/28/2013)

Ethics - 90

California Licensed CPA - 12/2013

[sdgh1826]

@BluefinCPA

I HAD a similar approach (BEC). The original plan was to come to my Saturday class having viewed all the lectures and done the MCQs. I wanted to use the live lecture as a reinforcement to what I already know, hoping that it would solidify my knowledge. B1 took me forever to get through, went to my first class when I was studying B2. Wanted to leave after the second hour!

The instructor spent too much time explaining things that were irrelevant to the exam (just babbling about their own personal experiences). Did not go over each item on the book. I knew it was a waste of time when she said she'll go over COSO in 15 min and IT in 3 hours!

The other students came in expecting someone to teach Cost accounting in a couple hours, they wanted the instrctor to explain what a by-product was, the diff bet. normal & abnormal spoilage etc. The video lectures are enough! Watch them and follow what Peter or Tim would tell you. Expect to take hours and hours reading the book on your own, making INTENSE notes, review them and do MCQs. Then, take more intense notes while or after dong MCQs. I printed the computational problems and wrote notes on them (this method really helped me get back to my materials during my review). I saw how I computed for that specific problem, so do MCQs until you get them right if possible.

Make your own formula sheet, it will pay off becasue those formulas were written based on your understanding. It will be a lot easier for you to memorize because you know them by heart. This is very tedious and time consuming but worth it. I got the NINJA notes too, have it on your desktop. Review a chapter each day while at work. Study at your own pace and do not skip on small details. You could get tons of questions on very small details.

Combine formulas, make your mnemonics, charts or tables if you have to. Just do what ever it takes, study like you only have one shot. Don't have the NINJA audio yet but I would definitely get it for the next sections. I'd rather listen to Jeff than any other live instructor. By all means, attend your first class then decide on your next move.

Becker recommends you spend 4-6 hours per chapter on studying, I think that's for Mensa members. Expect to take longer than you think, but keep at it.

Becker 2012, NINJA notes

[Anonymous]

thanks for the replies everyone!

I did NOT get me study material today; I am a little pissed. I did however check out the new format of the becker course. I guess that is comments fo ranother section though.

So what I gather from everyone here is…..I need to be expecting to put in more time than I have scheduled?

I am pretty lucky as I am an officer of my company and if I really want to close the door to my office for an hour or two a day…I can.

[Author]

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