[jimboace88]

I’m going to be finishing F8 and F9 this week. The way Becker lays it out (and I agree with them), I should be taking the exam around August 1st.

When I first scheduled the exam, I did so without using a calendar and just made a conservative guess to make sure I’d have enough time. Having too much time is worrying me, though.

Has anyone else had a similar situation? I’m not trying to say that I am a FAR superstar that will dominate this exam, but I’m worried about staying sharp with such a long time available for my final review.

Rescheduling is not an option–I checked the availability for earlier dates and none of the sites in my area have openings anymore.

FAR 07/27/11 - 87
AUD 10/01/11 - 85
BEC 11/15/11 - 87
REG 01/03/12 - 92

[katyuser]

Keep looking – sometimes slots open up due to cancellations.

[khachik2003]

yes it can be an issue. You're just going to have to constantly go back and review older material so it stays fresh. It depends on how well you can retain information. Personally I tend to forget something after 3 or 4 days.

[ROACH]

I am wondering what you guys think is better…

Long months (4-5 months) of shorter hours of studying. 2-3 hours a day

or

Short months (2-3 months) of intense hours of studying? 5-6 hours a day.

BEC: 66 | 69 | 7/23/2013
AUD: 8/28/2013
REG:
FAR:

[Minimorty]

I think long months of shorter hours studying is going to kill you on a test like FAR. It will be tough to remember what you did the first couple chapters once you get to the end of the material. I would keep the studying timeframe as short as you can manage.

[ExhaustedCPA]

Definitely such a thing. Anymore than 8 weeks is too long for FAR. And how much study time you need depends on how smart you are. I'm a pretty good test taker so I only study 3 hours a day. Anymore than that is more hurtful than beneficial

Aud 4/2/11 - 86
Far 5/27/11 - 83
Bec 7/1/11 - 82
Reg 8/13/11 - 86! It's over!!!!

[kb24]

@Roach

As you can tell from my exam schedule, I prefer a shorter period of more hours/day. What's best for you depends on you, though. I'm able to focus intently for long periods with minimal breaks on this stuff so studying many hours a day was effective for me. However, a lot of other people find that they aren't taking in or retaining nearly as much after they've been studying for 2-3 hours.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[Anonymous]

@ExhaustedCPA- I studied 12 weeks (3 months) for FAR. Even with that amount of time, I still didn't feel well prepared walking in.

IMHO, I think its best to study 3 months for FAR & REG and then 2 months for AUD & BEC. If you can study them in less time, then more power to you. But for me, I need 2-3 months to study for each part.

[Anonymous]

@khachik2003 & Minimorty- I must disagree with you both. The longer time you study, yes you will have to keep going back and refresh. But based on my experience, the more you keep going back and refreshing, the better the material will stick and you will not only remind yourselves of the stuff you forgot, but you will always learn something new each time and you'll master the material a lot better.

@jimboace88- As you can see, this is really all subjective. What other people do to prepare for an exam like this may not necessarily work for you. Trust me, this is the kind of test where you need to experiment and find out which method may work best for YOU. Before, when I failed FAR so many times, I tried listening to others on what study method is the best and it just never worked out. I've failed FAR again and again countless times and got so demoralized. I then decided to figure out things for myself and experiment. I found a method that's right for me and finally boosted my FAR score and passed with flying colors. Now, if someone used the same study methods that I used, they may fail miserably. Each person learns thing better in different way. Maybe you might want to experiment yourself. Try giving yourself a certain amount of time studying and then take the exam. If you fail and you think it's due to too much study time, then give yourself a shorter study time next time when you retake.

Best of luck to you!

[WhyEvenTry]

I took my exams with the same mentality as kb24.

In my first attempts, I took all 4 exams in the same window. I passed 1 of 4 but did come close in all of them. I only had about 2 1/2 weeks to study for each exam. That might be rushing it a bit, as you can see, because I failed. But, I did gather valued experience and knowledge that would later help me pass. I would always recommend to not over-prepare, and try to take as many exams per window as possible. Why stretch out this grueling process?!?! There is already enough pressure to pass, so eliminate the added pressure of the 18-month window by attempting more early. Remember….it's okay to receive a failing score. I wouldn't change my preparation for anything! I would much rather finish in about 7 months like I did, rather than take 18 months and have scores in the 90s. Your preparation depends on your goals, personality, study-habits, personal/family life, experience, etc.

BEC - 71, 74, 77 (Feb - 2011)
FAR - 73, 78 (Feb - 2011)
REG - 83 (Nov 2010)
AUD - 71, 84 (May 2011) - Done!! CPA licensed in TX (July 2011)

[jimboace88]

Thanks for all of the tips, everyone!

@CPAMan I've come to the conclusion that I will look at it from an experimental standpoint like you suggested. If FAR doesn't work well for me this time, I will know that the long final review process was probably a killer.

FAR 07/27/11 - 87
AUD 10/01/11 - 85
BEC 11/15/11 - 87
REG 01/03/12 - 92

[Author]

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