[wjsniper824]

Hello,

I would like to get other’s perspective / experience on this issue.
I found myself studying was more than AICPA recommended study hours.

For FAR, I studied about 300 hours,
and for BEC, I remember studying about 200 ish hours.

My perspective is that AICPA recommended study hours are somewhat unrealistic.

What are your thoughts/experience?
How many hours have you studied and how does that compare to AICPA hours?
I have AUD left, and this doesn’t look like 90-hours material at all.

[noor]

I studied for way more hours than the AICPA recommended except for audit. I found the audit material easier because I felt like I didnt have to memorize as much and it was more conceptual

[itooshallpass]

Where can I find what the recommended hours are? thx

[Anonymous]

I think they are a pretty good gauge. Some people study 100 hours per exam, others can do it in 50. I studied about 120 for AUD and only 60 for BEC. REG is looking like it will be close to 80 hours.

[aaronmo]

I Spent probably around 450-500 on FAR…maybe more. A lot of the material was totally new to me and I was learning for the first time. Maybe 50 on Audit. 250ish on REG. Maybe 80ish on BEC.

I don't think the issue is just how many hours you spend and I wouldn't get too hung up on that. I'd study until you feel comfortable.

[wjsniper824]

Thanks for all the inputs.
I am surprised to see that people took about the same or about 90 hours in AUD.

[Anonymous]

After viewing this forum and interacting on it for some time, I think too many people with multiple fails get caught up in trying to master certain parts or all of the material via reading the book or viewing lectures. I always try to remember that “practice makes perfect,” therefore it makes most sense to do practice MCQs/Sims in order to best absorb/learn the material and PASS THE EXAM. You can cut way down on your study hours by focusing more on practice questions. It's like learning how to hit a baseball – read all the books and watch all the videos you want on how to do it – you'll still look like a fool the first time you actually try it in practice and it takes repeated repetition in order to actually become good at it.

[Anonymous]

If you do 2,000 MCQ's and actively engage yourself when doing them (i.e. take some notes, learn why answer is right or wrong), you are almost guaranteed to pass. I still do recommend going through all your material first, but don't get too bogged down in it. Practice, practice, practice.

[aaronmo]

I think everyone learns differently, but practice exams alone would not have done it for me…I needed to spend a considerable time with flash cards and rote memorization, particularly on a lot of FARs, a WHOLE LOT of REG and parts of BEC.

I don't know how other prep works, but I felt that Becker expressly used the exams/sims as the primary teaching tool, and that the lecture/reading was in support of that process…but I also had to supplement that with a crap ton of memorization detail. That mostly agrees with the above commentary.

[Anonymous]

@aaronmo – I hear you. I think memorization also happens through repeating the MCQs. I also make flash cards for tricky concepts or things I am getting wrong. Your cumulative average exam score is higher than 95% of people I am sure though. My strategy aims for passing scores (75-80) which I think 95% of people can achieve through a study plan more focused on practice questions. Like I said, going through the material and exposing yourself to it should come first – I am not one of the people who advises to just do MCQ only.

[Anonymous]

I think the reason the review courses are designed the way they are is that they incorporate a somewhat proven strategy of passing the test. There is a book, which you are supposed to read, lectures you are supposed to listen to, then come MCQ and SIMS. I think once you get into the groove you can cut back on the lectures (maybe), some people don't take notes, thousands of MCQ are definitely a must, but in all my studying I found that the only thing that doesn't work is cutting corners. The point is to know and understand the material, more than memorize it. I probably spent more than the recommended study hours for all of mine especially considering that I supplemented with Ninja for the review phase, which on average was about a month.

[wjsniper824]

Again, thanks for all the input.
I really appreciate all of this.

I agree that MCQ is not just solving a problem but another way
to memorize and familiarize yourself to the concept.

I also think that cutting edges or having some uncertainty over the concept
is not a good feeling to have.

I personally would go through the book once,
second time take a notes + take notes on Becker chapter problems and move on to ninja MCQs
while reading over the notes that I took occasionally.

Certainly, this is not an ideal strategy when you are short on time.

[DoubleBogey]

I think the AICPA is lowballing all of us. Unless you work in tax law, REG will likely take longer than they prescribe, etc. And since no 2 people are the same, then we all may be at different levels of knowledge comfort and capacity to learn it in a short time. For me, it has been best to go through the software, take notes, and do flashcards. In review, I do MCQ's, trying to take away some “nugget” of info from each one and put a * by the ones I get wrong to go back over at the end. I also rewrite the Focus Notes CPA Excel provided me and write the flashcards. To me, it's playing probabilities that the “big ideas” stick.

[RyonT]

I believe the recommended hours for FAR is like 140. When I sit for the exam on Saturday, I will have approximately 165. I still don't feel I have a strong enough grasp on the material. Good general knowledge, but not enough to feel comfortable. I think with 200 hours, I could at least feel ok going in. They are a bit short on recommended hours.

[Recked]

My hours are noted in my sig below. Total of about 535 hours.
It would have been beneficial to me in some way to sit for the exam when I was fresh out of school, instead of 15 years later.
My real world experience helped me a great deal in area of tax, and being able to review financials, etc.
But most of my “textbook”/college knowledge was gone from my mind a long long time ago.

Relearning how to study and learn was part of my process as well.

Based on my research on this website and my research of the review courses and recommended hours to complete them I was anticipating 200 hours per section.
FAR stomped the hell out of me, but I found my groove after that one was done and kept hammering away. Momentum is crucial. Can't stop won't stop.

[aaronmo]

Skol – everyone is different…I find memorization very difficult and time consuming, so questions alone wouldn't have gotten it sufficiently in my head. Recked studied less than I did, but did better…so he did what he needed to do. I did what I needed to do. I wasn't aiming for a 95 average, but I felt like I needed to go pretty hard to feel confident. I also tend to be a somewhat obsessive person who is on or off. I typically can't be moderate when I do something…I either dedicate myself fully or not at all. I don't feel comfortable unless I feel very prepared/confident.

BEC was one of the only times I've successfully gone at half strength. I consciously decided that I didn't want to work too much because I hated the material, but was able to learn enough to get through. I also did that with IFRS…and that came back to bite hard. I'm sure I bombed those 15 questions, but I know I destroyed the SIMs.

My REG score is probably not even reflective of how I “should have” done on it…my computer crashed 4 times during that exam and I lost half an hour.

At the end of the day you have to run your own race. Like recked, I was a moderate time away from my studies…and I was all community college classes that weren't aimed at the CPA. Unlike recked, I didn't have the experience to fall back on (though I don't think that helps THAT much). I'm no where near as fast on the upkeep as I was in my 20s…I can't do advanced calculations in my head like I could then…for sure my memorization is off a cliff…but I'm also more mature and know what I need to do based on my strengths and limitations. You have to plan this based on your profile…not everyone else. And if it takes you longer, that's what it takes. I know I studied FAR more than most had to…but I got my pass, and that's all that counts.

[Author]

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