[sdollen64]

I haven’t had an accounting class in over 15 years – hate to date myself. I work in a credit union so suffice it to say we don’t use a lot of the stuff covered in FAR. No leases, no taxes, no partnership, no governmental, etc. etc. etc. It’s really very basic, accruals, our cash management is to purchase bonds so book the investment, premium, accrued int. income, some fixed assets and depreciation, booking liabilities (member deposits) and booking loans (assets), dividend exp. paid to members and int. income from loans. You do an allowance for loan charge-offs. We don’t carry inventory. So, I think you kind of get the drift that it’s very little accounting compared to say a manufacturing company that is a public entity.

So, with that in mind….I’m really struggling with concepts that I haven’t seen in 15 years and I’m using Roger and I go through the lectures and the book and take notes, but I swear my notes are almost like 200 pages. YES! Not kidding. To me, it’s like I’m jotting almost every single little item down and basically re-writing the book.

If you’re familiar with Roger, it’s 30 sections.

I guess I’m wondering if anyone else struggled with that…how did you get past that? Suggestions, tips? Maybe it’s overkill. I’m worried I’m down in the weeds but also worried that if I come up from so much detail that I’ll not cover something or miss something that will bite me in the butt.

Just curious what others have experienced and gone through.

Appreciate any thoughts!

[alex260605]

Currently using Roger for FAR. He’s very good at teaching concepts but he can be redundant in his lectures at times. I had the same problem as you did while going through his lectures. It is very counterintuitive for accountants to not be detail oriented.

Type out your notes if you can. Don’t type out every single word he says if he’s repeating a point or telling a story, and try to fill gaps of his lectures with the actual book if you can navigate to the page as he teaches the material. I also wouldn’t waste time watching a lecture if I’m already familiar with the material. I would just read the book.

I wouldn’t worry too much about how long my notes are as long as I’m still getting through the material in a steady pace. FAR is a beast and you need a tough mind to get through this exam. Keep pushing through the material and you’ll get there eventually. If this is your first exam, there shouldn’t be a reason why you need to rush yourself to get through it all. I’ve noticed a lot of people aren’t honest with themselves and/or don’t give themselves ample enough time to study for FAR the first time, and then end up failing the first few attempts before getting a grasp of the material.

Not sure if that helps but good luck!

[Ro]

I've recently struggled with note taking as well and felt like it was taking up majority of my time (hours a day). Instead of writing notes right after I read the lecture, I take notes after I've completed the MCQs. Reading the explanations and writing notes based off that and whatever I jotted down while listening to the lecture gave me a better understanding and saved more time. I went from having 4-5 pages worth of notes from each chapter to 1-2 pages a chapter.

[Lindsey_p87]

For me, it works best to get through the material as quickly as possible and start reviewing, which means not writing down every single detail. I think for most people, the material really starts to come together and stick during the review period when you're doing lots of MCQ. I'm like you, I get paranoid that I'm going to forget something if I don't write it down, but I promise, if you do a thorough review, you will see all the concepts again many, many times and THAT'S how it will stick. Unless you plan to dedicate several days to re-writing your notes during your review, I think for most people it's a waste of time to take super detailed notes.

FAR - PASSED 11/14
AUD - TBD
BEC - TBD
REG - First take 2/16

[sdollen64]

I appreciate the feedback from ya'll! I took FAR back in May and was trying to use Surgent and I sucked – 60%. So, switched over to Roger and will take it again in November. As of today, I have 68 days until the test and I'm 80% through the lectures. Have four big sections to go through – Cashflows, Deferred Tax, Accounting Changes, EPS. So, probably will try and just get through the lectures in the next 8 days without killing myself on notes and then maybe do a brief skim of each chapter and then work MCQs and take notes on the ones I miss. A lot of people say that doing your own notes is the best way and not just looking at someone else's notes and I believe that. 68 days is surely enough time to start going back and skimming the book and working MCQs. For some, it might actually be too much time because it allows time to forget things. But, I feel like I probably need that time to go through everything MULTIPLE times for it to stick well enough for the exam.

Again, appreciate ya'lls feedback.

Lindsey – one more to go for you. Woohoo!!! I feel like if I can get past FAR, I can struggle through the other three. Reg will probably be the 2nd hardest for me as tax is so boring to me.

Thanks again!

[Lindsey_p87]

FAR is definitely a beast, I'm sure you will do fine and be glad to have it over with early! I saved it for last because I work in financial accounting, so I knew REG and AUD would be the unfamiliar material, and therefore harder for me to grasp.

FAR - PASSED 11/14
AUD - TBD
BEC - TBD
REG - First take 2/16

[Paul]

If you are going to take notes my advice is to read them on your day off. Basically set few hours to read them. That way material will stay fresh in your mind

[Icarito]

I too have a big problem with taking notes. I am a tax person by nature, and have never worked a minute in auditing, so AUD is by far the toughest test for me. I might as well be studying for a foreign language exam, it would be easier.

I feel my best chance to pass is to take notes, however taking brief notes takes upwards of 30-60 mins for most Becker modules for me. I don't have this kind of time while working FT. I'm at the point of either abandoning note taking, or eating into my final review period.

[Author]

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