[Anonymous]

I have RogerCPA as well as the NINJA 10 point combo.

This journey started about June of last year. Failed FAR and failed AUD. I am re-studying FAR right now. My last exam was I believe in like November. That was AUD. I have continuously scheduled, slacked and rescheduled. And then when I reschedule I get into that mindset where since I just added a month to my timeframe, I can take the next day or two off. Then that leads to a week. I am 5 years out of college, so I seriously forgot how to study.

I have the time and I make the time. I sit down, have everything in front of me, I begin the Roger CPA videos and then it is like a black out, wake up and 3 hours have passed. Or, I have a 30 min lecture video in front of me, I hit play and then after the video ends, 3 hours have passed and I have accomplished nothing. Every night I go to bed learning not even 1 fact from the day.

I’ve gained about 20 pounds since beginning this journey. I feel guilty for not using every second outside of work to study. Too stressed and worried about devoting every minute to either eating, sleeping and studying that I honestly don’t have the time to work out.

Every night I go to bed kicking myself but then all of a sudden a rush of motivating telling myself that I can do this. Tomorrow I am going to buckle down and just put into the time and energy. I do exactly that. I come home form work, grab a bit to eat quickly and then sit at my desk, fire up a lecture video and then I black out and wake up 3 hours later. The same thing happens every single day.

What the hell is going on? How do I make this work? I have the time, and I am using it, but I am just running in place here. I am accomplishing nothing.

I tried mixing roger and ninja and I felt like that just made things a lot worse. I need structure. I’d think we all do and I felt jumping back and forth really screwed that structure and just made things worse.

So it is either one or the other. Is Roger video lectures and mcq’s enough? Do I need to read his texts as well? Can’t I just use the notes on his lecture videos rather than the books?

I also have ninja 10 point. If I just read the ninja book and do ninja mcq’s. Is that enough?

I can’t supplement the two. It has to be one or the other.

I need to find a plan and do it. I need to figure out how not to black out. I need to pass this this year. It cannot carry over into 2017.

In a perfect world I’d read the ninja book, take notes, re write note, take ninja notes, re-write over and over. Condense notes and create “fact nuggest” and then do non stop MCQ’s until my ears bleed. The perfect world is laid out in front of some people. But that whole process right there is months. And then by the time you do it, you have forgotten most of everything from a week prior. What a realistic timetable?

Anybody experience anything like this?

EDIT: Thinking about completely ditching Roger and going with NINJA.

Maybe something like this:

1. Read NINJA Book (Should I read it one time through without notes and then 2nd time through w/ taking notes?)

2. Re-write notes (If I right notes from my readings of the books, are the use of NINJA notes basically obsolete?)

3. FAR Blitz videos

4. Multiple choice questions (maybe use Blitz vids as review between the MCQs and the exam?)

5. Exam

Oh, my FAR is scheduled in 3 weeks 🙂

[Panda7]

I totally get how you feel, i was like you the way you described yourself for so long. I had the time to complete these exams years ago unfortunately the motivation was not there or maybe i was for a day or two and then it would be gone as soon as i would start studying. The way it sounds from what you described is that you're also lacking motivation to study but keep your eyes on the prize and you'll get there with tons of sacrifices though but you'll make it.Since you already have FAR schedule go straight after work to the library or to a coffee shop if you get distracted at home and start studying right away. I would Read Ninja book and take notes then do tons of MCQ's but i hope you're at least half way done reviewing since your exam is in 3 weeks if not then skip the notes and start doing as many MCQs as you can. Best of luck, you got this!!

REG-63,72,66,73,83
BEC-65,74,79
AUD-52,66,74,92
FAR-67--> April re-take

[Zuly]

@CR7MU I'm also using Roger + NINJA (prev. 3 exams) and now Roger + Gleim. One thing I learned in this last year and a half that I wished I had learned from the beginning was that using supplemental material is a good idea but not using it at the same time as your main study course, unless its the NINJA audio then it doesn't matter. For me, using both at the same time just became super overwhelming. So if you decided to ditch Roger for NINJA and it works for you then good and that's what you should do. I personally decided to stick with Roger but using a completely new study method that seems to be working so far, which is:

1. Watch all the videos for one section and only take notes from what he writes on the board or highlight write in book for those sections he only seems to read to us. I try not to pause the video because that will just delay the time.
2. Once I'm done I hit the Roger MCQs for that section, writing again in my notebook those fact nuggets that weren't covered in the lecture. By the way, the video lecture notes are in blue ink but my notes from MCQs are in red so they stand out to me.
3. Once I'm done with all the MCQs for that section I re-write my messy notes into a second clean notebook which is what I actually study from and make it look all pretty. This is what I will plan to use once I'm doing the MCQs for the Review.
4. I gave myself 3 weeks for the REG review so I plan to do MCQs/SIMS with Gleim since they tend to be harder and more of them in Gleim.

If you finally decide to stick with NINJA then you can probably do a similar variation of my plan but the video notes will be replaced by your book notes and then as you go through the NINJA MCQs you can write notes in the margins of your current book notes. Jeff is a big advocate of re-writing notes so if you decide to do this while you're studying or during review, that's up to you. I also suffered from the same situation you described above about extending the exam date and then slacking off or just procrastinating, etc. My study habits weren't the best…with that I still managed to pass three exams but I always failed the first exam before passing the second time around. I always felt more motivated the second time around. Anyways, to help me out this time for my REG retake I decided to block all social media sites from my computer except Roger/Gleim while studying, ironed out a very detailed study schedule in Excel outlining estimated times for everything so I knew if I was falling behind or ahead of schedule. Also, I use a small notebook to sign in and out while I study to keep me honest and shows me actually how much I'm really studying.

It's a trite statement but you really have to figure out what works best for you and at the end of the day what's going to keep you motivated. Good luck with everything!

FAR - (11/01/14) 71 (02/07/15) 79
AUD - (04/30/15) 86
BEC - (07/21/15) 73 (10/01/15) 75
REG - (11/30/15) 55 (05/19/16) 74

[TheHoundThatRides]

There are various methods to study with Ninja MCQ, but I would use Ninja at the end of your Roger studying. (or maybe around the middle) It's too cumulative to use when you're still early Roger. Also, I passed FAR strictly with Roger so know it's possible.

In regards to “zoning out and learning nothing,” that's unacceptable. If it's something as important as “the equity method” and you've made it through a video and didn't learn ANYTHING, you sit down and you watch it again. Don't wait until the end of the entire chapter to realize “well that was a waste of time.” Even if you're going through an 8 minute video and you realize you zoned out during the first 2 minutes, play back the first 2 minutes. That's the advantage of studying with videos as opposed to studying in college. You'll even find the material might be easier to grasp the second time around. If you zone out again, play it back for the time that you missed.

^^^the second paragraph isn't as necessary for stuff that you know isn't heavily tested. And even within important topics there will be stuff that is advanced and you probably won't see on the exam so you can strategically skim through it.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[If I can, u can too!]

CPA exam for most people is all about perseverance with knowledge gained by repetition.

You need to figure out the right strategy that works for you like studying early in the morning or during lunch hours or right after work. If you can't study for too long in one session, you can break it up to short sessions. You also should listen to some lectures then do problems to engrave knowledge in your head. Piecemeal is the best way to learn. Also tracking time you spent studying helps for some; I'm talking about honest tracking like the time you put in, not the time you spent sitting down, getting yourself ready, etc…

Peter Olinton says the more miserable you feel, the more likely you will pass the exam. It is a long journey but you can do it. Don't ever, ever, ever give up.

Licensed CPA since Apr 16
Order in sequence of passing
FAR-71,71,79
BEC-80
REG-72,77
AUD-56,72,72,72,80! Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!
FAR/BEC/AUD: Becker & Yaeger lectures (Wiley & Ninja MCQs). REG: Becker lectures (Ninja MCQs).

[Jdn9201]

CR7MU, I'm sorry you are having this difficulty. I think you should honestly ask yourself if you really want to be a CPA, and if so why. What goals will it help you accomplish in your life? That's what I had to do. I've always been a good test taker and had people since undergrad telling me that this was something I needed to do, but it didn't feel important enough to me. I took a break after undergrad before I started grad school, and I took a break again between getting my master's and starting to study for the exams. Once I figured out that I did want this and why, I developed a laser focus (most of the time) and got through all of them in 7 months. I have problems paying attention too for an extended period of time, but everytime I was tempted to take time off from it (besides the 2 week break I allowed myself between sections), I'd remind myself why I wanted it to begin with. As for studying, there are differences in programs and one may be more suited to you than others, but I think if you have the motivation and the disclipine, you can pass no matter which one you use. They are just a tool. Good luck and I hope you figure out what you need to do to get motivated again.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Anonymous]

Seems like you are lacking motivation and making excuses. Everyone learns differently so find what works for you the best. You should have a good idea whether you understand the material by answering MCQ. I would recommend just passing the exam you can most likely pass first. Seems like for people that lack motivation, getting one out of the way is the best motivation to finish the exams. Once you pass 2, there's no looking back and you should have a good idea how to effectively study.

[Anonymous]

My exams mostly started like that. Change your routine up. Instead of studying at night, study before work at a coffee shop. Also, ditch the videos and books. Start doing 30 multiple choice questions each morning. If you get a question wrong, write it down. I struggled at first and failed my first three exams. Then I got pissed and starting plowing through thousands of MCQ's. It worked.

[absolutelyamy]

I agree with Hound's advice. For FAR, I used Roger, Ninja MCQ and Ninja Audio.

For each section:
(1) watched the lectures in their entirety; took notes
(2) did the questions and TBS at the end of the section
(3) did Roger's online MCQ

Once I went through all of FAR, then I hit Ninja MCQ with ferocity during my review. I did every single question once through and then reset the MCQ, then did another round.

For note-taking, I didn't really use this as a study aid for review. My note-taking was strictly so that I would pay attention during the lectures. If you just sit there and passively listen to the lectures, you'll probably have a harder time recalling the material.

I listened to the audio when I worked out, in the morning while getting ready, while I was cleaning…whatever time I had available. This really helped solidify some of those trouble areas (e.g. bonds, equities, JEs, gov't, non-profit, etc.)

I also gave myself a lot of time to study for FAR (11 weeks.) It was my first exam and I wasn't worried about my 18 month clock ticking…I wanted to make sure I was really comfortable with the subject before sitting.

If you're not scoring well on Ninja MCQ, then I would consider giving yourself more time to study.

[CarrieM]

I'm not going to question your motivation. That's a question only you can answer. You've already gotten a lot of specific study advise so I'm going to go about this from a little different direction.

What I would suggest is that video lecture might not be the route into your brain. Take a few minutes and think about your habits. If you mindlessly zone out in front of the television, then you may simply be habituated to kind of “pausing your brain” when the big lighted square has people moving around inside and talking and you just won't learn that way. I know I personally find the videos a little “meeting-like” and honest to God, there is simply nothing more boring on the planet than a fricking meeting and listening to someone just go on and on.

So ask yourself, how do you best absorb material? I know for me it is through the writing and the doing. I find my videos move too fast for me to make good notes so I watch the video and do the excessive highlighting (or not, and just make some notes in the margins) and then I make notes off of that. I also mark a lot of MCQs that I might have gotten correct but still don't feel 100% on the concept so they will show up again.

I have a tendency to memorize questions so I try very hard to not only get the correct answer, but explain to myself why the other three are wrong.

But back to habit. Habit can work with you or against you. Habits and cues work hand in hand. You need to create a routine that signals to your brain “ok, time to learn”. At home I study at the same place most of the time – our kitchen table. Even if I am doing MCQ, I take out and have present my book, my pencil bag and my notebook. I keep a stack of pos-its on the side if there is something I want to jot a quick note on to add to my notes.

My study time tends to begin in the same fashion all the time – I start the tea kettle so I can have a cup of tea with my study. I set out my materials while I am waiting for it to boil, put on some quiet music and then prep up my tea. I go use the bathroom quickly before I set down so i don't have that interruption or excuse – I usually run the dogs out really quick as well. I've created a little “ritual” that is a series of cues that lets my brain know “ok, time to study!”

You don't have a lot of time, but I think if you honestly ask yourself “how do I best learn?” and answer the question and then create for yourself your “study ritual” and engage in it, you'll really help yourself along. And part of that ritual includes concluding your study for the evening/day and then not feeling guilty about not studying every second.

FAR: 5/12/16... and if I don't die from an anxiety attack...
AUD: 7/8/16
REG: 8/25/16
BEC: 11/3/16

[June2016]

Don't neglect the gym, it really helps with concentration and motivation. I can totally relate to what you are saying especially the rescheduling part. I often felt stuck in an endless circle, I would go through a chapter and then feel like I learned nothing and then repeat it. But I've realized the times that I actually do work out I am able to focus much better after and I just feel a general motivation. I don't know why or how but it really helps. It might give you a little less time to study per day and you'll be done with the exams later than you planned, but at least you'll be able to efficiently study.

As for your study method, it really depends on each person. You need to figure out how you study best. Maybe taking notes on a paper while watching the lecture will help keep you zoned in. However I feel like I was in the same situation as you, I kept thinking something is wrong with my studying method and kept switching it around. But the issue wasn't my study method it was just my focus issues. When I started working out a few time a week my studying just fell into place and I finally feel like I am making progress. The cpa has been a really long journey for me, it took a while to figure it out but I am glad I found something that helps me. Hope it works for you as well.

[hasy]

Everyone's supportive comments were really long so if this is similar. Then it'll still be helpful since you're getting extra tips.

I also am studying for FAR for the same time line as you. 18 days and ticking. Since I already passed one exam, I'm using a somewhat similar approach to that. I beat BEC with Roger's and NINJA MCQ (very invaluable source if you ask me, since it's kicking my ass in FAR).

In no particular order,

1) Gaining weight. I admit, I've neglected the gym since I've started but also, I've made an effort to watch what I eat. When you're studying, it does feel tempting to snack on something, snack on something light. I always bring fruits or if it's sugar, one SMALL packet of candy is sufficient. KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. Makes a WORLD of difference, it might make for frequent trips to the restroom, but think of that as a REALLY small break. Additionally, don't eat something heavy before you study. It'll definitely distract you. When I eat too much and I have to go study afterwards, I feel really bloated and it's not as productive.

What I've found easier for my studying schedule and full-time work, I buy healthy groceries and plan it for the week.

2) I don't know what you mean by blacking out, but do you actively watch lectures, write notes, and after finishing the lecture, re-write the notes from the book? That's how I've found myself learning. You do whatever it takes you to retain the information.

Since using Roger, I watch his lectures while taking notes from the book. His lectures are engaging but they digress a lot. I use his lectures to help me learn the material, sometimes when I notice it's PURELY information and no calculation, I don't even watch his lectures. However, I do appreciate his videos, breaking DOWN each TBS for each chapter, helps a lot.

Since starting this journey, I've realized that people say that they try to study 8+ hours on weekends. Space that out. In my last 2 weeks, I try to study 1-2 hours in the morning and then I head to the library and have a CORE 6 hours of studying, But I take a small 10-15 minute after 3 hours. Your brain needs rest.

I also study on weekdays, for at least 2 hours right after work and at my desk. I do think this is better for you, since you claim if it's 3 hours or more, you tend to black out. If it's important to you, you'll make time for it. Also, buy audio, the LONGEST one I've heard is 20 minutes, so Jeff sums the most important topics in a short clip. Listen it on the way to your commute.

The more exposure, and repeated exposure, you'll retain the information more. Also, do MCQs everyday. Even just 10 questions, helps. I give myself ONE weekday, sometimes, to do NOTHING. It's great, recharges you and you're more anxious to study more the next day. Envision that GRADE that you want for FAR and it keeps you going. My motivation is that 2017 exam changes. BUMP THAT, ain't nobody got time for 50% sims. So do it now!! 😀

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

-

BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[Missy]

You've left out some relevant information, like how long you prepared for each exam (total weeks, hours) and what your scores were. If you're doing your study sessions and blanking out perhaps you're just not sticking with it, if you get frustrated after 2-3 days of what seems unproductive you haven't given it a fair shot. It is said it takes 21 days to make something a habit so even if it SEEMS unproductive keep doing it you'd be surprised how it all clicks.

Also if you've only take 2 exams in the last 9 months, its a very slow pace relatively speaking (and if it works for you fine) but if you feel THAT slow a pace is affecting your weight, well being and these “black outs” really talk to your MD because you may have something medical that is affecting you and you don't realize it. I'm not trying to be glib but with the time you take off when you reschedule, etc. you should have time to work out, eat right, etc. You're in a cycle where you're blaming study for your health and blaming your health on study but its all just going to get more intense if you do decide to start studying every single day.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Read through all of them and I really appreciate your time and advice.

This is what I do:

-I put aside time every single day. I wake up, go to work and then get off of work around 3:30. I then on most days go straight to the coffee shop, grab a coffee and flip open my laptop and start the RogerCPA videos. I take notes as a go. But, when you see a 20 min lecture video, you'd think I'd finish it in 20-30 minutes, but before you know it, an hour has passed and I am staring at the screen zoned out and have absorbed nothing. Or, same thing happens, but I feel like I understand the material but then I go and do Roger MCQ and I struggle.

Basically that is my routine. It feels like I am more focused on completing the videos than actually taking my time to absorbing and understand the topic. But the times that I actually slowed down and took my time to understand the topic, it put me at a pace where it just wasn't manageable. And that is why I have constantly re-scheduling my exam.

[Anonymous]

Is watching Roger lecture videos and taking notes off of that as well as the notes he provides with the the lecture videos enough to cover the material, and then re-write notes, and non stop roger/NINJA MCQ, or do I need to read the entire books he provides as well?

[How many letters do you need]

When I was first sniffing around about the CPA I came here and what amazed me is that if you ask such a simple question…”best method?” you got 25 different answers. The reality is that the best process is different for everybody, and you should never retake the same exam with the exact same process, if it isn't working tweak it, and try again. I started off with the two exams that were strengths; used just the big old Wiley books, Wiley test bank and old 10pt combo (pre test bank). When I moved into two exams that were heavy weaknesses I added Roger for the videos and ignored his questions; way way too easy. My process, my adapted NINJA method if you will, was to use the questions to point out my topic and sub-topic specific trouble areas. Moved to the videos and NN and added notes in those areas. Back to questions and kept doing that until those topics were no longer weaknesses; with somewhat frequent revisits of stengths so that I could stay fresh in those areas. Spent 5 hours or so in the study groups here. Final two weeks I added NN for all areas into my personal notes, then rewrote them all in Word. Any topics I still wasn't getting two weeks before were just added word for word from NN, highlighted and memorized two or three days out. The last week all I did was review those single spaced word document notes. They went everywhere with me, work, sleep, the shitter….everywhere. Took the last day off and went to a nice dinner the night before to unwind……that's what worked for me. You know yourself, this place is an amazing resource, use it! Take the bits and pieces of what worked for others, and make your own strategy based upon your known learning style and strengths. If you have already done this, make tweaks because it isn't working. Best of luck; you can do this….

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[Author]

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