[Booner17]

I’m studying for my first exam (FAR). I’m about a month in and I feel like I’m retaining very little. I’ll watch the videos, take notes, understand the notes (so I think), open up the MCQ’s literally right after and……….crickets. I can’t remember what I could have swore I just understood so well. Feeling a little panicked. I have a month left to study but if I can’t remember something I studied 5 minutes ago how will I remember it on the exam?

[murd]

Some may mock my answer, but actually pray to retain what you have studied and learned. I like to think it helps. I have a young family and often I heard my 5,4, and 2 year old praying that I would do well on my tests.

Obviously praying with no action is pointless…but praying with action should produce positive results. Best of luck!

[Light]

Dont worry. Even I have been through this stage.For FAR, always good to do revision after 2 chapters and I always keep 1 week for revision just before the exam. Dont get Panic just do your part

[Anonymous]

You can try to go through MCQ on the first pass with an open book. This way it will hopefully stick. Also, reading the book is mandatory, watching videos alone isn't enough. I would maybe listen to the lectures, read the book, take notes and then do MCQ. Or what I have done is listen to the lecture-do a first pass at the MCQ, then read the book take notes and re-take the MCQ. As others have mentioned, progress tests as you go helps keep it fresh in your head. And the last couple of weeks you do MCQ all the time, in random order so that your brain is used to recalling all sorts of topics in no particular order. Good luck!

[Bourne]

Reading the book is not mandatory ^^ I didn't read a page of the book and passed first try. Just watched the videos and took the MCQ's at the end of each lesson using Wiley. It all just depends on your study style and how you can retain info/not get bored. If I read from the book it'll put me right to sleep.

At the beginning I was also not remembering things. The big key for me was to get through the review course and listen to NINJA audio and read NINJA Notes, then in the last 7-14 days do all the NINJA MCQ's you can.

[Anonymous]

@Bourne, I never really read the book cover to cover for any of the sections, but found that the book contained the missing pieces I didn't understand or needed to remember:) But you are right everyone is different in the way they study and retain information.

[Sir Plus]

10 Hail Mary's between each set of 20 MCQs

[aaronmo]

I felt this way too…for me, it's just repetition. I do NOT have good short term memory and it takes me a while to really put it in the banks. I just had to do it over and over…and keep going back to notes, book and lectures. Also…remember…you don't have to know everything perfectly, you have to recall enough for a 75.

I absolutely, 100%, had to use the book. I learn best from reading and doing, lecture doesn't do much for me and I tend to drift. We all pick things up differently.

I also found that I learned best from the SIMs.

Keep grinding. If that doesn't work, grind more! If you're not getting something through the sims/lecture/book, google it. I used investopedia an AWFUL lot and was constantly checking for other sources that made things more clear to me.

I do wish the exam was less trivial memory based and more process/analysis based.

[Anonymous]

if you don't understand/remember anything, read again.. do the problems again.. if you still don't remember, do them again and see if you can find some other content that explains the material better.. If you are understanding the material and not retaining it, you need to repeat.

[Booner17]

Thank you all for the responses. It's so very strange. As I said in my original post I immediately tried doing some MCQ's right after video/notes/studying notes and there was nothing. I went back a little later (after I read some of these comments), re-reviewed my notes and something clicked and it almost felt like the answers starting revealing themselves. I'm just thankful to Jeff for creating a community setting where we can reach out in those panicked times and for all of you on here that understand the struggle and are such a great support system.

Let's keep pushing and do this!

[aaronmo]

I think most of us go through some variation of this at some point…and we owe it to pay it forward when we got support. I know that the support I got from other candidates really helped me to push forward.

[Victor]

It happens. Like computers if your brain is overloaded with “unnecessary” information it is hard to focus and you can't delete those, especially if you are getting old. Try to understand very well the basics and logic behind it from different sources, don't read the same book again and again. Use bite-sized lesson from Wiley

[Author]

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