[JazKas04]

I’m scheduled to take FAR July 16th and feel like I can’t even move forward from the first Module! It could be my own OCD issues to try and make sure I know everything from one section before I move on but if I do this I will still be on Module 9 when it’s time to take the test. Help! I don’t know what to do. I want to just move on and follow the lectures and do the homework questions but I don’t feel like I’m really learning the material for it to stick and if I go through and write everything down I will never move forward. I started studying May 7th and have been stuck in a standstill. Getting very discouraged. Anyone else taking FAR in July and are using Yaeger? Maybe we can keep each other on track.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[Anonymous]

I feel your pain, I was in the same boat about 4 weeks ago. I just finished my last lecture (module 22), and am entering the note-rewriting/MCQ frenzy.

Don't get discouraged, module 9 is a swift kick in the ass. Cindy actually recommends doing 9a and 9d only and then moving forward with the rest of the lectures, then returning to 9b and 9c when you've finished everything else. Don't quote me on those specific module sections, but I think its the accounting changes/errors and the accrual to cahs cash to accrual stuff. In other words, the material that is rather confushing for your 2nd hour of FAR study. Take good notes from Cindy, Phil and Gary, so that you can then combine them with Jeffs notes. Trudge through the lectures at a specified pace, e.g. 3 dvd's per week. Theirs 15 of them, so plan enought time so you/l still have a few weeks before your exam for the next phase of study.

Hope this helps a bit.

[JazKas04]

I just feel like the note taking is consuming too much of my time. I'm debating just doing the lectures with light note taking and all the assigned homework now.. then when I finish all the dvd's re do everything but take extensive notes. The schedule I created for myself I should have been done with all lectures by June 10th and then I would re start everything. I'm going to Disney World June25th-July 4th but were driving and I fully intend on bringing all my material with me to watch lectures at night and do a bulk on the ride. When I get back I will go into cram/review mode until the test. That was the plan at least. Maybe I should just do all the lectures and homework questions and once I've finished the course go back and do it extensively. The way I'm doing it now with the notes first seems to be slowing me down and making me lose motivation. I can't believe your already on Module 22 and your taking it in July as well. My kids don't help my study plans much either. I need to come up with a consistent plan to get some alone time.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[StellaFL]

I'm in the same boat – started studying in early April, and plan to sit for FAR in mid-late July.

When I first get my review materials, I always map out exactly what I'll accomplish each week, and then stick to the schedule no matter what. If I plan to watch 4 videos in one week, but don't make it, then the next week I have even more to do. That keeps me motivated to stay on track. I got through the videos for module 14 last week, then started to do MCQs from Module 9. Each week I'll add an earlier module to practice MCQs, just to try and keep the older stuff fresh, all the while completing the remaining videos.

This section is overwhelming. I'm hoping to finish with all videos/notes by July 1st, and then have a few weeks to review and pound the MCQs.

Good luck!

REG 11/28/11 - 88
BEC 04/04/12 - 88
FAR 07/23/12 - 90
AUD 11/2012 - 92

Yaeger/Wiley

[Anonymous]

Around module 10, I had to stop and say “ok, this strategy is not working, I need a new gameplan.” I think you are at this point as well. You're only going to want to go through the lectures once, its around 50 hours for FAR, but in reality takes about 75 hours to get through with pausing, rewinding, etc. There are lectures where Cindy doesn't even stop to breath she's speaking so fast, she just takes little gasps for air.. if it weren't so frustrating it would be hilarious. I don't want to push the Ninja Notes on you, but they are what turned my study strategy around for the better. Perhaps you can gather enough advice from various exam candidates to formulate your new atrategy, but to me, I've already spent close to 500 on study materials, 200 for the NTS… what's another 67 bucks?

Regroup and reformulate your study plan, at the rate you're going I don't think it will be possible to study everything sufficiently. Hope isn't lost, I do think you need a better approach.

[JazKas04]

I have the ninja notes, flashcards and audio!!! I already came to the conclusion that I might as well go all in because If I fail one section due to lack of effort/study materials then I could've used that money on the materials in the first place. Lets just hope this state of mind works 🙂 The reason I want to watch and do the notes a second time is because I'm more of a hands on watching and learning type of person. I'm not good at self study at all so I need the “teacher” to walk me through and assign me something to do. I hate it but it's what is necessary, and I figured while were driving to FL for 20 hrs I can listen/watch the videos and listen to my audio the whole time. I must get through this, just need some constant motivation to do so.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[Anonymous]

Oh, ok. I assumed you didnt , because that approach isn't what Jeff necessarily advocates. But, if that's how you learn, then stick with that format. It's obviously worked for lots of exam candidates in the past.

Motivation is possibly the biggest hurdle, for me at least. Seems like the AICPA wants not only smart people, but also highly motivated individuals. Damn my care-free attitude!

[JazKas04]

LOL I completely agree! It's all or nothing with them! I think Tonight I'm just going to finish the sims assigned from Module 9d and move on to Module 10 lectures. I'll give the other approach a try for a week or so and see what happens. I also gotta start doing the wiley practice questions on the topics I already did. That's the real way to figure out what is working and what is not before its too late.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[Anonymous]

So .. . you FAR studiers. How many weeks/hours are you planning total? After I take REG next week, FAR is my next opponent.

I want to take it at the end of August at the latest. But I was thinking that may be too much time to study? I can commit to probably around 30 hours per week before my mind melts. (I'll be working 20 hours per week) Advice?

*Full disclosure, I failed FAR with a 65 last year after having gone through the videos once with no follow-up review.

Another question, how are you integrating NINJA notes? Are you using them as you go through the bajillion hours of videos?

[Anonymous]

Yaeger recommends 4x the number of lecture hours for the section, which there are about 50 hours for FAR. So 200 hours as a starting point. As many point out though, quality is at least as important as quantity.

[JazKas04]

I have planned 10 full weeks of study for FAR at about 250 hours which I would prefer more If I can due to lack of consistent quality studying with many disruptions from the kids. I don't mix the ninja notes with the review course because they are in a different order so I prefer to just read the notes separately when I get the chance to. Whatever you do I would definitely leave about 2 weeks for an overall final review and practice exams. The final review is probably just as important as doing the material to begin with.. at least for me since I will forget 10x faster than I learned if I don't repeat it the whole time.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[kmwgrace]

I'm using Becker and I have the NINJA notes as well. I'm finding it somewhat difficult to integrate them because the order and presentation are SO different but I'm trying… for some topics it works well, for others, not so much.

~ Kate... MTX!
CPA exam on hold while I homeschool my 6 year old!

[Rukus]

I'm in the same boat. Taking FAR mid-July, and started studying May 7th, 2012. The first week I felt exactly the same as the OP, just slogging through videos, notes, MCQs, wiley test bank, and decided I wasn't making enough progress because I didn't have a specific step-by-step goal oriented plan. So, I decided to go with Jeff's idea of only watching videos and taking notes first, and I am on mod 12 now and feel like I'm accomplishing something. My biggest fear at the time was not being able to get through the material in time and taking the test without a chance to review. Doing this though has given me a different mind-set and some more confidence. I printed out the NINJA study plan, and I'm just checking off boxes as I go. Dang, I sound like a commercial. Honestly, I don't know if what I'm doing will work or not, but I do feel better about it… 🙂

FAR - 81 (8/31/12)
AUD - 93 (10/19/12)
BEC - 79 (11/27/12)
REG - 92 (2/8/13) DONE! All 1st attempt!

[JazKas04]

Thanks!! It's nice to know I'm not the only one stuck in this pattern. I'm switching up my strategy tonight and just getting through the lectures with the assigned homework questions. I want to spend weekends doing extra note taking and the MCQ's from the Wiley software but strictly lectures during the week. Hopefully I can catch up to where I wanted to be. On my schedule, yesterday I should've started Module 13 but tonight I will only be starting Module 10 so I may have some extra lectures to do this weekend but hopefully by next week or so I can be right on schedule. I want to do an extreme review for the month before the test and do crams the week before. I have the FAR cram dvd (even though its 2011 version) I don't think it makes that big of a difference. My issue is I feel like I'm going through the material to get it done rather than actually learn it. If I keep that up it will obviously pay me back come exam day. :-/

Tonight I also plan on incorporating the Pomodoro plan and see how far it gets me. I'm going to the library as well so at least I can get the quality time in without the disruptions from the kids.

REG 30 (4/1/2010)
AUD 21 (10/1/2010)

FAR 8/30/12
AUD 10/01/12
REG Late November
BEC January/Feb?

[abacus]

I am also taking FAR on July 16 and am hitting some of the same walls. Module 9 is never ending! I had planned to get through module 12 this weekend and I'm still on 9d! My plan was a little agressive because I am going on a mini vacation Thursday, June 14 through Sunday, June 17 (wait, aren't you not supposed to tell the internet when you'll be away from your house? Well, my fiance will still be home guarding the nest haha). I wanted to get through all the videos before I left, so that I would have a full month to re-write my notes and do “non stop MCQs”, but it doesn't seem possible. I was planning to follow Jeff's NINJA plan, but I needed a break from the videos (I was spacing out and not listening, especially for 9b with Phil. Cindy keeps my attention a lot more!). I have done the MCQs for 9a and 9b. Has anyone successfully used the NINJA framework? It just makes me nervous. I know it is inefficient because I will forget the topics and have to review them again, but doesn't it help reinforce the lecture? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

JazKas- how is the promodoro plan working for you?

BEC 81
AUD 76
FAR 70, 76
REG 58, 78! DONE!

"I am not my intentions. I am my actions."

[Anonymous]

My Professor writes for the CPA Exam and he said once that reading is a waste of time.

I decided that I would do the MCQs in the Wiley CPA Review Book fully knowing I don't know anything; but looking in the back of the book for explanations and taking notes on how to do that problem. What I have discovered with this method that most modules only cover at most 5 topics with one way to account for each topic but they ask questions on that topic 20 different ways. But you are basically answering the same question that is being asked a different way.

This method has allowed me to observe those 5 important topics and it beats in my head all the ways to look at them. Then I watch the videos and listen for clues on how to do them even better. Sometimes they say something on the video that makes you say, “oh ok that is an easier way to think about it”, and then I put that in my notes. Then I reconstruct my notes in a easier to read format in a Composition Book to read daily like my Accounting Bible. Just like God says regarding the Holy Bible, to read it daily in an undertone, I read my Accounting Bible daily in an undertone.

I also always always keep doing my MCQs on the Wiley Test Bank

[Author]

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