[jeff]

Welcome to the Q1 2017 CPA Exam Study Group for FAR. 🙂

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Mscfisher]

@bondvillian last night I started take checking dates in March because I just cannot seem to find the time to get enough done. I work 9 hour days and then I have the two kids and random stuff like soccer practice 2 days a week. I really need to be very confident taking this test because it will be the last time I take it I will not fail I am determined to pass this time before my credit starts to expire for the other three sections. So today I took off work because I'm going to start recording some lectures for myself to play while I drive to work in the morning and I hope to do 100 multiple-choice questions today.

[GiniC]

@BondVillain and @mckan514w – I think you made a wise decision. If you're feeling so un-ready that it's causing major stress, you stand a fairly good chance of blowing the exam by starting out stressed. A few extra weeks is not going to make a huge difference in your life and career, but getting so discouraged that you give up would make a huge difference.

What frustrates me is people who don't understand the importance of going in feeling adequately prepared. My mom (a tireless cheerleader) kept telling me to take FAR last November even though I hadn't done half the review material. “Just go see what it's like, no big deal if you fail it the first time.” I finally pulled it out of her – she has never tried and failed, so has NO IDEA how demoralizing it can be! She watched her peers fail the nursing exam, study harder, and go back to pass, but SHE passed the first time.

[GiniC]

@mscfisher – have you considered (I know, everyone hates the idea) getting up a couple hours before the rest of the family and studying while they sleep and you are relatively fresh? Then you can go to work, spend time with the family after work and go to bed when the kids do. It is hard the first few mornings, but once you get tired enough to go to sleep early I found it works really well. No phone calls, no interesting TV, no other interruptions at 5:30 AM!

[Mscfisher]

How many hours do you guys spend studying?

[Holly]

I wake up at 5 am and study for about two hours straight. I work in studying when I can. I use Becker so the videos are on the app and I listen to that in the car, walking to and from stores, in waiting rooms, etc. It's working well for me. It's crazy how you don't think you're absorbing anything, then you'll read a question and its kinda of like the info seeped in somehow.

BEC - 79
REG - 85
AUD - 5/27/16

[Mscfisher]

@ginic absolutely and i am actually a morning person, just need to get back into the routine of up at 4am.
Work starts at 7 a.m. for me and goes until 4:30. My commute to Miami is about 40 minutes.
Ideally: 4am up and study until 5.30
5:30. Make breakfast, get kids ready, or the door by 6.20.
4:30pm leave work, grab 2yr old by 5.15 and older kid by 5.30.
6pm: home. Make dinner. Prep for tomorrow.
8.30 bedtime for both
9pm look at Becker and sigh
This would be the time to study for 2 more hrs.

Also i have an hr for lunch that i can use to study.

[mckan514w]

I'm pretty lucky because right now I am self employed and have cut my clients back to the bare minimum. On a good day I wake up around 5:30 am and can put in a solid three or four hours of studying before having to deal with “real life and work stuff”… then throughout the day I can usually squeeze in another hour or two if I am lucky.

Lately though my life has been crazy between family obligations, work obligations etc… That I have only managed to get in about 2 or 3 hours a day and it is killing me. I have blocked off the next 2 weeks as “vacation” and have told my husband to forget about anything that doesn't involve this damn exam… the plan is to put in a solid 6 to 8hrs a day to get through all of the gleim material and then start my review process.

and they ask me why I drink...

FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
BEC- 8/11
AUD- 9/2

[GiniC]

@Mscfisher – that early work start is a killer! I negotiated a period of part-time work with a late start, so I get up at 5:30, study from about 6 AM to 10, work 11-6, then I can about manage dinner and a load of laundry before I fall into bed to do it all again the next day. I study as much as I can on the weekends, probably 6-8 hours/day when I take out interruptions, chore breaks, and exercise breaks. I tried studying in the evenings but it's rarely effective for me – and then I don't sleep as well because I go to bed frustrated.

[mtaylo24]

@bondvillain Good call man! I learned my lesson last window trying to rush it in 28 days. Take your time if you can.

@mscfisher Way too many! I'm already 463 hours in after 5,428 Gleim questions. Of course you have to account for the idle time. I stay up late, I wake up early, and I study at work when I can. My job is pretty laid back so I take advantage. Like you, I usually have a crazy afternoon with traffic, daycare run, and dinner. I completely understand how tough it can be.

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the support. I feel much more relaxed now that I've rescheduled. I think I have a strong grasp of most of the material but there are some areas and special rules that I need to firm up.

[Iceman6]

How many weeks are you guys giving yourselves for review? My exam is the 9th but I still need to go through 1.5 more sections of FAR so im thinking of pushing my exam back a couple weeks so I have 2-3 weeks to review the material. My trending isnt that great either so I need to keep my nose to the grindstone and hammer more MCQ

[aatoural]

Hi guys. This is my next stop and hopefully the last.

I am going to be on a tight schedule and try to sit on March 10. Hopefully I make it.

BEC - PASSED
AUD - 8/29/16
FAR - TBS
REG - TBS

[mckan514w]

YAY its aatoural- good to see you again 🙂 hope you rocked REG!

and they ask me why I drink...

FAR- 61-next time I'll ask for lube instead of a calculator
REG-75- Never been so happy to see such a low grade
BEC- 8/11
AUD- 9/2

[ng3926a]

I just took BEC and FAR will be on the 18th… hopefully I go up more than 2 points is time around for FAR…

[Shelby]

I honestly thought I had gotten a 50% when I sat for FAR last time…then I received my score and it was a 73. I sort of WISH I had gotten a 50%…maybe would have hurt less! I am retaking 1/31/17. Just a week away and I'm freaking out – I lost my last week of study as my Grandmother passed and I was at home dealing with all of that…now it's CRAM time. Hoping I can settle my mind enough to get over losing that time to just focus on the after work and all next weekend cram sessions.

AUD – 87 – expires 05/30/17
BEC – 76 – expires 12/08/17
FAR – 73 retake 01/31/17
REG – 72 retake 03/10/17

[Author]

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