[Nicole]

Based on J.W.’s latest blog “BEC in a Week…”, I decided to reiterate the importance of understanding your learning style. We have seen that there are a multitude of types of study materials out there that could fit an individuals learning needs. So the decision on what to buy should be based on an your learning style.

Think back to a successful time in school. Did you feel like you were learning because of a great teacher? Was it because he explained well, had a sense of humor, provided understandable notes, showed lots of videos, used a good textbook, made you do lots of homework problems, or applied it to real-world examples? Do you find that you need music or no distractions at all? Did you self-teach or did you learn because you were in the classroom or do you need one-on-one? Determine the characteristics that made you succesful and choose study material and strategy based on those characteristics.

For example, my strengths are that I enjoy reading, I learn a lot from working a problem out until I understand every intricacy, and I like real-world examples. My weaknesses were falling asleep during videos and I dont take notes well because I can’t identify important vs. non-important.

My optimal study strategy so far has been to choose a review book that is organized well and to find as many MCQs to work as I can. I chose not to use the full programs because I knew my learning style isn’t optimized by a teacher, videos, or a classroom setting. I like Jeff’s notes because they are condensed better than I can do. I like the Bisk book because it is organized in an outline form. I like the Wiley test bank for the great explanations.

If you are struggling, I encourage you to take a moment to evaluate yourself and then pick the method that would work best for you and not pick the method that everyone else is doing just because everyone else is doing it.

Florida - Using Bisk, Jeff's Notes, and CPAreviewforfree.com

FAR - 87 (08/14/10) AUD - 97 (11/12/10)
BEC - 83 (02/26/11) REG - 90 (05/31/11)

[Liz317]

I'm glad you posted this, because I did a LOT of research on all of the CPA review materials before I picked one. I basically found every possible one that I could find, and slowly narrowed them down. I learn better by reading & taking notes. In college I never found that the lectures were amazingly helpful. I also think in outline form. So I knew I needed a review book that was in paper form (so I could write in it), organized in outlines, and had lots of MCQs. So I decided on Bisk. I take notes from the book on the important stuff, and even make lists & flowcharts to help me understand (you should see my flow chart for the steps to the audit process…I had to tape pages together because I covered all of the details, but after I did it, I understood & remembered it!)

So my best advice for those picking out materials: Know how you learn & do your research to find the best materials to match your learning style. All of them are good, but all may not be good for you. Study materials that match your learning style + LOTS of hard work + perserverance & determination = Success on the exam!

FAR - 92 --- AUD - 87 --- REG - 80 --- BEC - 87
A licensed CPA in Louisiana!!!

Dear CPA Exam, You are a beast. But you WILL be defeated!

[Author]

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