Losing motivation :(

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  • #186902
    needhelpnow
    Member

    I am planning on studying 10 hours a day for the next 18 days and take the REG. My first exam, but I lose motivation seeing how much I have left to study, which is a lot. Please help with tips on how to stay motivated and how to study 10+ hours a day. I don’t currently work for a firm but have marketing that I do for local businesses, so I have the luxury of putting in that many hours. But still…no motivation because I feel like there is so much to study 🙁

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
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  • #580634
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    You gain motivation as you start going through material and you start understanding what you're reading or you start getting answers correct, but you have the long study sessions over so many days back to back that may burn you out. The one thing that your method is really going to help with is that you probably won't forget much from the beginning because you aren't taken days off in between and that can really work in your favor with the REG and FAR that have so much material. I prefer long study sessions because I feel like I have actually learned something throughout the day as opposed to a short 1 hour session, not being able to study the next day and then having to review what I did in that hour when I can study again. However, my long study sessions are one to two days back to back and then I have to break during some of the week days to work and attend to my kids. My suggestion for the long days is to set a goal (i.e. get through 100 MCQ on individual tax) then take a break (watch a show, take a walk, eat lunch, etc) then set another small goal for your next round of studying and take break once that goal has been met. I find that is more motivating than saying “I'm going to conquer a, b, and c today.” If you break up your studying to fit in small breaks it will keep you more motivated and refreshed than sitting for 10 hours straight, which I have a really bad habit of doing. Good luck! REG is a lot of material, but if you can stick to your plan and put in 180 hours of good, quality studying in the next 18 days you will do great. Once you start reading or quizzing just for the sake of putting in the hours and aren't really retaining, it's time for a break.

    #580635
    John Tucker
    Member

    needhelpnow,

    The CPA Exam isn't the typical college course where you can run up at the last minute, CRAM, and then think you are going to get a 75 on the exam section. It's not going to happen.

    Can you reschedule your test? Try to push it off for 45 days if possible, might be too late now though. But what you want is a quality and efficient preparation plan to give yourself time to:

    – Pull off all of the content

    – Fully comprehend all of the content

    – Do Hundreds of practice MCQs (collectively you want to be scoring over 80%)

    – Sit for a Replica timed REG CPA Exam in your prep material (you want 80% on that too)

    – Some more practice Reg Sims (collectively, you want to 80% on those too)

    Forget about “losing motivation,” you are about to lose money from a wasted test attempt because unless you are already HALFWAY through the REG material, there's no way you can get done with quality preparation in less than 3 weeks. When I say halfway I'm talking about you should be done with ALL of the Intro to Commercial Law sections which is everything from BK to UCC, plus you should be about halfway through all of the Intro to Fed Tax section. From there, you “probably” can get the rest of Fed Tax and the Accountant Regulations sections comprehended in 3 weeks with your 8-10 hour a day strategy but it's still a long shot. This is just bad preparation and planning on your part.

    I truly believe that the AICPA is testing candidates not just on content, but on organization. Because if you approach the exam unorganized, and think you are going to CRAM your way through it, you will fail everytime.

    * State of MA CPA Exam Candidate
    - BEC: Sunday, August 24th
    - FAR: Saturday, November 29th
    - AUD: TBA for February 2015
    - REG: TBA for May 2015

    #580636
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    While I don't disagree that cramming is not ideal for the CPA, it's not accurate to be so sure that it won't work out in his favor. There is always a possibility that you can pass IF you put in the amount of quality study time, whether it's spread out over 6 weeks or crammed into 3 weeks. REG is a lot of memorization of rules/definitions/laws. There is a lot less interpretation required for REG than in some of the other tests and a compact study period may be beneficial. There are others that are studying full time and have passed REG in a short time frame. It's not going to be fun, but it is doable.

    #580637
    M.O.D.
    Member

    The best way to think of the CPA sections is as semester courses, for which the test is the final exam.

    Although there may be geniuses out there who can compress a whole course in a few weeks and pass the final, those are few and far between.

    To think that the procrastinators (short on time and commitment) on A71 are also these very same geniuses is highly unlikely. In fact they are likely to be slower-witted than your average test taker, because you don't get to be a genius by procrastinating and cramming.

    So, unless you just graduated, having taken all the required undergraduate or graduate prerequisite courses in all forms of taxation and business law, 3 weeks is too short.

    BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
    Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
    CMA I 420, II 470
    FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

    #580638
    Hunnsterr
    Member

    REG in 18 days is possible. I remember I gave myself 21 days for REG (I left my job so i had all the time in world. I remembered most of business law from college). Well I managed to get a 72. The reason why I got 72 and not a 75 is because there were days where I lost focus and procrastination creeped in (which only meant slogging my ass off like an owl during the last week). I didn't have a proper plan. Well i did to be honest, I just didn't execute it well enough -_-. I had planned 11 hours of studying for each day while I could only manage 7-8 hours.

    REG in 20 days is possible, only if you have an organized plan charted out with doable goals for each day. Break down the course and divide it well. Revise completed chapters on a daily basis by doing short pop quizzes or practice qs on WTB/NINJA. If you run out of steam, go back and do questions from the chapters you score well in. It brings back a positive vibe.

    Sadly I'm having to reschedule my AUD exam because I kept wasting time and dilly dallying. Hope you don't make the same mistake. If you really want to give it in 20 days, make up your mind and don't look back. No room for error !! (not trying to freak you out)

    BEC - 88
    REG - 72, 78
    FAR - 75
    AUD - 64, 64, 3rd attempt!!!

    "A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work" - John Lubbock

    #580639
    needhelpnow
    Member

    Thank you so your support guys! So far, I have these topics down:

    Estate, Trusts, Gift Taxes

    Depreciation

    Property & Special Property Tax Transactions

    Tax Exempt Organizations

    Filing Requirements & Preparer's Penalty

    Corporate Tax

    S-Corporations

    Partnership Taxation

    I have everything else left to go with 150-170 hours to go. Is that more than enough for the rest of the topics?

    Sorry guys, I just want to pass it in one try.

    #580640
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Yes. You can do it in the time you have left.

    #580641
    Amay
    Member

    Have you read this post? https://www.another71.com/how-to-pass-the-cpa-exam-in-20-days/

    It has helped me in the past. My advice is don't focus on “how much you have left to study.” Take it step by step, topic by topic. Say you are going to do this # of questions on X topic and focus on that, then move on to the next topic. Use check lists to track your progress and keep you motivated. Create a daily schedule to keep you on track of what you need to accomplish.

    BEC: 73, 81
    AUD: 85
    FAR: 71, 77
    REG: 74, 75...finally DONE! 😀

    *This is my 2nd attempt at the CPA exam. For all of you who have failed this exam many times, given up on it, or taken a break like me, remember that it is still possible to finish what you started...failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently 🙂

    #580642
    John Tucker
    Member

    Sorry guys, the reason the CPA exam section pass rates are so low is due to the CRAM mentality. You should never approach the hardest professional examination in the WORLD with a CRAM session. Give yourself a solid 8-12 weeks depending on the section and depending upon your work/life schedule.

    * State of MA CPA Exam Candidate
    - BEC: Sunday, August 24th
    - FAR: Saturday, November 29th
    - AUD: TBA for February 2015
    - REG: TBA for May 2015

    #580643
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    If he's putting in the same number of hours in a 3 week period that I did in an 8 week period, what's the difference? You guys are looking at the weeks and not the number of hours, which is what is important.

    #580644
    John Tucker
    Member

    Because it's hard (unless you are already an expert in the material) to fully comprehend a large chunk of content in 3 weeks, it doesn't matter if you are studying for 20 hours a day for 18 days. Your brain can only process certain amounts of content at a time. The OP still has the ENTIRE Intro to Commercial Law section to go, another half of the entire Tax section and all of the Accountant Regulation section. That's a lot of content to comprehend in 3 weeks to process through your brain, while at the same time do tons of MCQs and SIMS, as well as a Replica Exam. I know that this forum spends a lot of time doing the “rah rah” positivity posts, but I really do not believe any of that helps a person pass the CPA Exam. The CPA Exam is passed through quality preparation, if you do it you pass, if you don't…you won't.

    But to each their own, I mean surely there are some people that pass using the CRAM method but most don't, and it's why the pass rates are so low because a lot of people are using the CRAM method. It just makes absolutely no sense to me. Why not give yourself a solid 2 – 3 months for BEC and AUD respectfully, and 3-4 months for FAR and REG respectfully? Why use a CRAM method?

    * State of MA CPA Exam Candidate
    - BEC: Sunday, August 24th
    - FAR: Saturday, November 29th
    - AUD: TBA for February 2015
    - REG: TBA for May 2015

    #580645
    mla1169
    Participant

    It's definately possible with that many hours available. Contrary to what others might tell you, long term memory is far less useful than a good short term memory when it comes to the CPA (still hold Jeff as the expert here since he's been helping people pass these exams for years and he's touted the benefits of short term memory as well as the possibility of passing in 20 days)

    Re: motivation. It's entirely unnecessary. Think of your life if you only went to work, did laundry, or cooked when you were motivated. Not good. Be determined, even when it's the last thing you want to do. It will serve you well.

    FAR- 77
    AUD -49, 71, 84
    REG -56,75!
    BEC -75

    Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

    #580646
    Tncincy
    Participant

    Well, I like the cram method……ideal? not really but sometimes life is what it is. we all have good intentions to “study” and we start out like a bull dog ready to conquer, shelling out 200 bucks per part, then life happens. Overtime( if you work), babies crying, lonely spouses, illnesses, and plain old don't feel like it. Well, losing motivation is a part of the test, if you can stay determined and motivated, studying will be the least of the problems.

    So, back to the solution……study, put in the time. It might take months, weeks, or days but do what YOU have to do to pass. It's not illegal to reschedule or cram, What ever you do, don't quit….you're all most there.

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

    It begins with a 75
    Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

    #580647
    impska
    Member

    Uh, yeah… 10 hours a day for 18 days is more than enough for REG. While I understand peoples' points about the pass rate… don't forget the expiration rate on scores. Peoples' scores expire because of the delay mentality. Holy geez, you are halfway done. Of course you have time.

    Set goals. That's how you maintain motivation. One topic at a time. Lay out your schedule for the next 18 days, figure out what you need to finish in that time and split it up over the 18 days.

    Cramming is trying to study in 3 days. It is NOT trying to study in 170 hours. 170 hours is more than enough to learn ALL of REG – and you don't have all of REG left. Just buckle down and do it.

    REG - 94
    BEC - 92
    FAR - 92
    AUD - 99

    #580648
    Kimboroni
    Member

    If you study over too long of a period, you just forget everything and end up re-studying it closer to test day anyway.

    There are several people here who have both taken and passed at least one section telling you that this is possible. Set out a schedule for what you need to get done each day, take short mental breaks as needed, and get it done! Good luck!

    AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
    FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
    REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
    BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

    Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

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