Anna
offlineMember
Hello, all. I just wanted to seek advice from people who have already passed more than three parts, and especially FARE. How did you stay motivated? I took two parts. Now, I am looking at my FAR book and it is just so thick and endless... I am usually very organized but it's been a week already and I am moving very slowly...
spstarla78
offlineMember
I've passed all but FAR at this point, and it was definitely hard to stay on track while studying for FAR. I used Yaeger Home Study and kept one eye on the calendar all the time. As I went, I wrote down the items I knew I'd have to go back over later. I had a 10-week plan; 8 weeks to get through the lectures and MCQ homework and 2 weeks to review. On all the other tests I always procrastinated enough to where I only had a matter of 2-3 days to review, so I felt great when I stuck with my schedule.
kristyhana
offlineMember
This is exactly the reason why I did FAR first. I lost motivation after 2 or 3 exams so I was happy that I got FAR out of the way first. I took all 4 but am waiting for my final score. I passed the first 3. Sorry I don't have much advice, but keep with it. I just kept thinking of the light at the end of the tunnel :) And it's so close now, I can taste it! LOL
cpastories
offlineMember
Hi MsA,
I have passed FAR, BEC, AUD - and I am waiting on REG. I took them in the order listed. I had several things that kept me motivated.
First, I was so scared of failing, I did want to take a chance, so I just studied as hard as I could until I burned out about 2 months before the exam, but I had done some reading and watched all the DVDs and made decent notes.
Second, I kept reading a motivational note that I had written for myself. You can find the link here: http://www.cpastories.com/2009/09/14/cpa-exam-motivation-tip-2-the-power-of-positive-thinking/ [sorry, I could not provide the document without giving you a link to my blog]
Third, people at work kept asking me when I would take the exam and if I was ready... and that made failure a horrible prospect.
Fourth, I had some goals that depended on my passing the exams...
Fifth, I prayed for motivation and guidance.
I procrastinated some, but not as much as I would otherwise have without those 5 things.
I hope this is helpful - and good luck.
Anna
offlineMember
Thank you, everyone. And, Cpastories, I feel strongly about everything you wrote. I also get questions about my exams and scores from friends and relatives, and it makes failure almost not an option - they all say: we believe in you, you are smart, you are going to do this...I can't imagine saying that I failed... With that being said, thank you, again. I actually do feel different and better about FARE.
Lolo3
offlineMember
MsA,
What I found helpful in staying motivated day to day is providing myself with a reward when I finished what I had set out to do that day. If my goal for the day was to watch a lecture, I wouldn't check my facebook or watch tv or read my book until I finished my study goal for the day. This helped me finish my goals and also kept me relaxed because I could do relaxing things without feeling guilty that I wasn't studying since I had completed my goal for the day. For me, breaking it up into small goals really helped me not get bogged down and stay motivated.
Also, I have put off reading the last two Twilight books until I am done with all four sections (hopefully by the end of October). This gives me something to look forward to when I am done.
Good luck!
Anna
offlineMember
I was just rocking my son to sleep and while singing "Hush, little baby" I realized that I will be able to buy a diamond ring, horse and a cart and dog named Rover only if I pass this exam and continue advancing my career... what a great motivation :-)
Jeff - another71.com
offlineadmin
"spstarla78- i take it your a fan of smashing pumpkins, song starla, i love that song! my bf is obsessed!"
I was a big SP fan back in the day...Mayonnaise is the best song everrrrrr. Well, it was my favorite on Siamese Dream, anyway.
spstarla78
offlineMember
Yup I loved em when I was a angsty teen, haha. I saw them in 1994 at Lollapalooza - it was my first concert and it was awesome! By the way, music keeps me motivated to achieve life goals like the CPA exam - I like to make mixes to pump me up.
tpn2008
offlineMember
FAR definitely is a beast, which is why I took it first. I ended up passing with a 76, and stepped up my studying a bit more for the rest of the tests after being so close the edge. I passed AUD and REG and am anxiously waiting for BEC! Like the other people said, just break it up into learning little sections at a time. What I found really helped me with FAR was to write my own notes in a spiral with formulas & concepts, because after awhile the multiple choice questions make your brain numb. Once I had all the foundation down, going back and doing more questions made it a lot easier.
Just think of how good it will feel to be DONE with FAR! The fear of having to go thru all that material a second time also motivated me quite a bit. ;-)
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