[Anonymous]

Hi my fellow partners in crime. This is my first post and I wanted to get some feedback. I started studying for FAR as my first test and I am scheduled to take it on August 27. I wanted to share with you my study/review methodology and hopefully get some feedback. I am using Becker BTW.

Given the fact that FAR has a lot material to cover and retain, i quickly came to the realization that I needed to find a way to retain and keep fresh the information as I progress through the chapters. So I cover a chapter a week and some heavy chapters such as leases and bonds I give them a couple of weeks. Every morning I do a progress test for each chapter I covered so far. I do 10 MCQs per chapter covered everyday. I keep the scores on average on a tracking sheet and next to them i identify the item/subject that I got wrong. This way when I do my final review, I can go back and have a roadmap on the things I am weak on. So far my averages are as follows:

OVERALL-89, F1-93, F2-88, F3-88, F4-88, F5-85

I wondered if anyone else has used similar approach. I appreciate your comments and feedback in advance. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[LaComptable]

Thanks for sharing your methodology. I like the repetition of doing a small practice test for each chapter you've completed. I just started studying for REG and one of the things I'm struggling with is how I'm going to retain all this info. I think that regularly doing small practice tests covering the chapters you've gone through already is a good idea and one I'll probably incorporate into my study method too.

I'm using Becker and Ninja audio. REG scares the bejeezus out of me. There's so much to it, and I have zero tax experience. So for REG, I'm probably doing overkill but I'm planning to do the following:

For each Becker chapter –

1) Quickly skim / read the whole chapter prior to listening to any lectures. Read just to get an overall understanding of the main concepts.

For each subsection within the chapter –

1) Read the subsection and take notes

2) Watch lectures and make lecture notes

3) Do Homeworks and SIMs for each chapter subsection, and write down any concepts missed or any that I did not seem to fully grasp.

4) After completing all chapter subsections, make flash cards for each chapter to cover the key points and questions I missed.

Final Review –

1) Redo all Homeworks and SIMs.

2) Do questions and SIMs in Wiley Test Bank.

2) Go through flashcards I made or short list of important notes / topics.

3) Take at least one practice exam.

This is a time consuming method so we'll see how it goes.

BEC - 88
AUD - 74, 87
REG - 77
FAR - 63, 82

CIA certified in 2013

[Anonymous]

I am on the same boat with you on REG. 0 tax experience. This is probably going to be challenging as well but I am trying to first get FAR out of the way.Thank you for the feedback. I think repetition solidifies knowledge and exposes areas that might be sliping away.

[LaComptable]

I forgot to mention that I listen to Ninja audio for REG in the car. I have a fairly long commute so it's a good way to put the time in the car to good use.

Good luck on FAR! 8/27 is when I'm planning to take REG as well.

BEC - 88
AUD - 74, 87
REG - 77
FAR - 63, 82

CIA certified in 2013

[Kimboroni]

Even with a short commute, Ninja Audio is great!

I definitely found going back and reviewing previous chapters regularly to be helpful. Otherwise, with so much material to cover, it is easy to start forgetting the older material as you learn new stuff.

Your approach sounds good!

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[nicole2035]

very smart of you! i underestimated the material and basically had to go back and re-learn everything, but my understanding is better. but i know it would be even better if i had periodically done progress tests

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the feedback. The daily repetition keeps concepts fresh and the 10 question per section does not take a long time. Of course I just finished F6 so I have to add this to my daily routine. I usually knock these out in the morning before work and or during work if I can sneak a section or two in. This way, I am free to study and work on new material at nights between 8-11 which my nightly routine. Lets hope it works.

[Anonymous]

I have been doing sets of 20-40 MCQs every couple of days. I don't stick to one chapter/section at a time, though I sometimes think I should and probably will during a final review on heavy topics like leases. What I'm doing is just gradually adding more and more chapters to the set of 20-40 questions I do, progressively getting more and more cumulative as I learn more stuff. I find it helpful because I'm reinforcing things I learned a month ago consistently while still getting exposure to newer material, which eventually become things I'm just reinforcing.

I'm taking the test sometime in July and I'm almost done with the review program, so right now I'm only leaving out governmental and non-profit accounting because that's pretty much all I haven't gone over yet. So right now my sets of questions are pretty much comprehensive, covering all sections of the exam minus governmental and non-profit which I'll be adding in a few more days.

As I'm getting closer, and have more material to forget, I'm doing more and more MCQs, like yesterday I did 100 questions. I officially “finish” my review program on June 26th, and from June 26th to test date (hopefully around july 7th-11th) I intend to spend pretty much the same amount of time I do studying just focusing on MCQs and sims, and re-reading my notes on more difficult/memorization-heavy sections.

I've completed about 800 questions of the wiley test bank, around 52% of them, and have a total average of 81%. That seems like a good average, but I can't help shake the feeling that I'm somehow not actually learning the material, just…getting lucky in being able to solve problems? Though I guess if I can luck my way into an 81% average I'm in good shape regardless? I dunno. I'm still really nervous and don't feel prepared at all despite that average score looking good, and generally understanding everything I'm doing.

[Kimboroni]

I don't know that anyone goes into FAR feeling 100% prepared. I know I didn't. I hoped that I was prepared enough, and I didn't think I could stuff anymore info into my brain anyway. You just do the best you can to learn enough material, and then luck is the second part of the equation on whether or not you happen to get tested on the material you learned the most thoroughly.

Just make sure that when you do study govt and NFP, you hit those hard. The CSOs say that's like 20% of the test, and I'm glad I paid attention to the CSOs.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Hi there and thank you for sharing your methodology! I will be taking FAR very soon and am pretty nervous (7/9 for me). I like the fact that you are going over the multiple choices because repetition sure helps understanding the concept. Do you start remembering the questions and answers instead solving them? (I found myself doing that when I see the same question several times)

For me, I am reviewing all the chapters (already went through the Becker lecture, HW and SIMs once) by making flash cards. After each chapter, I will do the MCs; haven't touched the progress tests yet though. One thing I found helpful is I write down the rules that were not clearly explained in the lecture but was on the MCs in a notebook. The MCs sometime combine content from different chapters and the notebook comes in handy when I have to do a quick review of the other rules.

Good luck to both of us!

[Anonymous]

Anytime I find a repetitive question in which i know how to work it because I have seen it manytimes, I stop the clock and I explain to myself the underlying concept behind the question. This way I can somehow mitigate the negative effect of repetition. I hope this helps.

[Author]

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