Anyone have any successful methods to studying for the exam with diagnosed ADHD? I failed all 4 sections in 2010, all of my materials are outdated, my funds are limited, and I'm committed to passing this exam. I just got my NTS for audit but havent scheduled yet. Planning for first week in April. Whats the best study materials to use? Thanks.
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KasiaS
offlineMemberFirst, kudos to you for not giving up! I hope 2012 will be your year!
I don't know much about ADHD so I'm afraid that I won't have much to offer there, but the best course is the NIU Correspondence although it may be a tad pricey if you say that your funds are limited (prices range from $475-750). This course is spectacular for focusing only on the stuff you need to pass without any unnecessary fluff.
To help you focus, try using the Pomodoro Technique (www.pomodorotechnique.com). It helped me focus all of my energy on my studies in bite-size chunks rather than bucking down for hours of nonstop studies.
FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)
Used NIU Correspondence CPA ReviewPosted 4 months ago # -
CannotPassAgain
onlineMemberEveryone has some level of ADHD. There have been numerous times when I just started starring off during class or while studying, and I almost have to force myself to "snap" back into focus.
At some point it was so frustrating to me that I'd spend 8 hours to get 3 hours of reading done, that I really wanted to see a doctor. The only thing that held me back was the fact that I didn't want to rely on some drug to make me feel "normal".
Just out of curiosity, how has your ADHD affected you? Do you think it's so severe that it would hinder you to function as a normal person would? This is informational for me as I can compare my symptoms with that of someone who has had it diagnosed.
FAR - Feb 2012
AUD - May 2012
REG - TBD 2012
BEC - TBD 2012
Becker 2011+2012; NINJA 2011 review notesPosted 4 months ago # -
hhiccd
offlineMemberSomeone mentioned Adderall, perhaps in jest, but in all seriousness I have a 20 year old son that was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 17 and Adderall has made a huge difference in his academic life. I never suspected he had ADHD because I assumed someone with it would be bouncing off the walls and he was not. What he was, and as you can imagine it became very clear in his teens, was impulsive, somewhat reckless, lacking in motivation, and unable to focus on anything for any length of time. I was skeptical at the diagnosis at first but after seeing him on Adderall I am a believer (and I am generally a no-drugs kind of person). The difference in him when he is taking Adderall is night and day as far as his motivation and ability to focus. He doesn't take the Adderall all the time but rather only takes it when school is in session as it sometimes affects his sleep patterns. If your doctor hasn't prescribed Adderall or a similar medication you may want to discuss with them whether it could be beneficial to you. No sense suffering in silence if there is something that can help! Best of luck -- you can do it!
BEC 11/2009 87
AUD 10/2010 75
REG 11/2010 73, 2/2011 80
FAR 02/2011 85
Licensed FL CPA as of 10/5/2011 Yay!!!Posted 4 months ago # -
mla1169
offlineMemberI have ADHD and am medicated for it. I am not what you'd think of when you think ADHD because I was a straight A student, but years ago, I was (LITERALLY) putting down a hardwood floor with school books on the floor in front of me to study while I was tapping the floor together. There was no way I could give one thing my undivided attention......ever.
The Pomodoro technique is the best suggestion BUT also try light background music when you are studying (for some people white noise makes it easier to focus for others it is just a distraction) and do some quick research on the link between food allergies and ADHD. Someimes changing what you eat will make a difference. I also found it helped to wear soft ear plugs while I was studying (and taking the exam) to kill any background noise.
FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75
If I can do this, YOU can do this! Hang in there :)Posted 4 months ago # -
mla1169
offlineMembercannotpass, the drifting off like that is different than ADHD. True ADHD means focusing on too many things at once, not just the lack of focusing on what you are supposed to. And I don't take it likely. I INSISTED on a diagnosis from my primary, a psychiatrist (not a psychologist) AND a neurologist before I would consider medication. I tried 3 years worth of other medications (depression, anxiety, etc) before I would even entertain the idea of concerta even though the three types of doctors above were pushing it like dealers!
One day into the meds I was a happier person (many times adult ADHD is masked as anxiety)
anyway I know TMI but wanted to let you know that sometimes the thought that everybody has ADHD is a bit of a misconception.
FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75
If I can do this, YOU can do this! Hang in there :)Posted 4 months ago # -
lggoldman1
offlineMemberWow, thanks everyone for your comments. Just to clarify my own personal situation, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 16 years old, and have been on some sort of medication (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse) to treat it since then. I hated taking meds when I was younger, but as I've grown up, I've accepted the fact that medication does indeed help. I blew off my first two years of college, and eventually I got my B.A. in Psychology after taking almost three years off from school. After that, there was no way I was going back to school! But sure enough, knowing from the beginning that I was never going to work in psychology, I went back to get my Masters in Accounting after being out of school for 4 years. I did extremely well getting my Masters - I attriubute my good grades to maturity. I started studying for the CPA exam and took Becker in 2010 and I (stupidly) tried to fit all sections in before the end of the year in hopes of passing and avoiding all the changes to the exam that I knew were coming in 2011. In truth, I don't think I gave myself enough time to study. But, I figured I would take my chances. Unfortunately, the dice didn't roll my way at all. (FYI, I did have special accommodations - time and a half and private room.)
For me, and maybe this is because of ADHD, Becker was a waste of money. There's just sooooo much information!! And it's particularly frustrating to do so well in my Masters program and then completely bomb the exam. As far as ADHD is concerned, I'm the kind of person that can get completely lost in a game of tetris or a jigsaw puzzle. That's how accounting has always seemed to me - like a giant puzzle. So I think that's what has attracted me to the field. I am just so uncertain as to the approach I should take to studying for the exam. When I went in to take AUD the first time, I felt like I was taking an exam for something I had never even seen before! It just went downhill from there. But, maybe I just need to order some Wiley materials, sit down and just GET IT DONE!
By the way, thanks for mentioning the Pomodoro Technique - I've looked into it, and it seems very interesting and appears to be something that would be helpful to me.
Does anyone make their own flashcards? If so, what do you put down on them? Has this been a successful method of studying for people? Do you study the flashcards, or is it the writing of them that is actually the studying? How do you avoid not writing down every little detail on them?
AUD - 70, 60
BEC - 60
FAR - 47
REG - 47Posted 4 months ago # -
KasiaS
offlineMemberI absolutely used flashcards for my studies. To avoid writing down everything I studied I did the following:
First, listen to all lectures completely while highlighting/taking notest in my books. Next, I read through the materials and took the related quizzes. I made notecards ONLY for topics I was getting wrong on the quizzes or things I didn't completely understand or consistently forgot. Then I'd do more MCQs and continue making flashcards for the topics I was scoring low on until I was scoring in the mid-70s at least. Eventually, I ended up with a stack of about 50-60 cards that covered all my weak areas. I read through these on the way in to the exam so all that information was fresh in my mind going in to the exam.
FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)
Used NIU Correspondence CPA ReviewPosted 4 months ago # -
BaseballCPA
offlineMemberSo, I'm not trying to be insensitive here, I'm just curious...but if you are medicated for ADD (thus, bio-regulating your brain to be of equal functionality of a non-ADD afflicted person), why do you get special accommodations (e.g. more time)? If ADD people get more time, prometric should start dispensing adderall! Haha
REG - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
FAR - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
AUD - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
BEC - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
Ethics - PASSED -- 1st AttemptPosted 4 months ago # -
mla1169
offlineMemberBaseball I think thats a fair question and my best guess is that the medication doesn't exactly "cure" ADHD but is one tool (of many) available to help deal with it, the extra time is another tool.
Actually I am entitled to take the entire exam orally (could you IMAGINE?) because of a neurological condition that makes typing and writing far more difficult for me than people who don't have Dystonia. Obviously as you can see I've worked my way around it and manage to type, so I never asked for accomodations for either issue. Just never felt it was worth giving up a second of my valuable study time to pursue the accomodations.
FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75
If I can do this, YOU can do this! Hang in there :)Posted 4 months ago # -
ReneeNC
offlineMember@BaseballCPA - Unfortunately, ADD meds do not work quite that well. They help, but it doesn't make the brain neurotypical. I wish it did!
As for the best study materials, I chose CPAExcel for this very reason. Each topic is broken into small pieces to focus on. This was easier for me than larger sections to study. For REG, I copied down all the flashcards that CPAExcel has. However, for BEC I am not doing the same thing - I just make cards for things I need to memorize. I have the flashcard app for my phone, but I can't process them very well. Promodoro is good, too - I follow it as much as I can.
I didn't have many issues at Prometric due to the headphones they provided, but I did get distracted when the person working walked to the back of the room repeatedly to do something (I never turned around to see what, but they seemed to be monitoring something.) Annoying, but not terrible.
REG - 89
BEC - Waiting on score
FAR - 8/31/12
Using CPAexcel, Wiley Online Practice, and NINJA!Posted 4 months ago # -
BaseballCPA
offlineMemberFair enough...I was just wondering. I'm definitely in favor of accommodating legitimate learning disabilities. I did not realize that ADD medication was so ineffective. I took it once in college and I was a study machine...I didn't like the way it made my heart just about beat out of my chest though. Then again, I don't have ADD, so maybe that's why it worked for me. Hey, that's why I went into Accounting and not Pharmacology or Bio Chemistry or something lol
REG - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
FAR - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
AUD - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
BEC - PASSED -- 1st Attempt
Ethics - PASSED -- 1st AttemptPosted 4 months ago # -
CannotPassAgain
onlineMember@mla119 often times I have a hard time having a conversation with a manager or even a friend because i'm so focused on what i should say next instead of actually listening to the person. or, when someone is speaking and when i hear something they say trigger a thought, i feel like i have to interrupt them to give my thought otherwise i'd forget what i was thinking.
also, whenever i ask a coworker or manager to help me on a tax return, i often find myself clicking around too fast, and end up spending more time because i often end up clicking on the wrong button and then having to go back to a previous screen. i've had a number of my coworkers and bosses say i click around too fast. and -- i often time ask another question related to a tax return while the coworker/boss is trying to answer my first question.
when i browse the web -- i literally have anywhere from 2-10 tabs open. for instance, i have Khan Academy open because i wanted to check out some of their finance videos later, Late Night w/Jimmy Fallon paused on Hulu, this website, and another link from this forum opened on 4 tabs simultaneously.
are these symptoms you've experienced as a bonafide ADHD patient, or do you think this is more of an anxiety issue?
FAR - Feb 2012
AUD - May 2012
REG - TBD 2012
BEC - TBD 2012
Becker 2011+2012; NINJA 2011 review notesPosted 4 months ago # -
CPApending
offlineMember@baseball cpa....I'll answer your question.
As the parent of a child with ADD and probably an undiagnosed sufferer myself, I can answer your question and misconceptions.
My Son's case was one where he began having trouble in the second grade when classes began introducing more difficult schoolwork. His symptoms were that he was quickly overwhelmed when trying to learn easy math for instance--kind of the way we feel after a long weekend of CPA studying, where we cannot pack anything else in and information stops making sense. I fought the medications for him thinking that it was just doctors creating billings for themselves and the drug industry. Finally our Pediatrician asked us to just try the medication once for a couple days and see what happened. That corresponded with some standardized testing my son was being allowed to retake because in second grade he tested at a beginner first grade level. We started him on it on a Monday, he retook the test on that Thursday and scored at a fourth grade level. Since then it's been gangbusters. ADD medication isn't a magic pill, it simply removes barriers that are preventing your pure potential from being realized. If ADD medication was a 'smart pill' that made people smarter or more capable than they really are in life, everyone would be on it and it would be the new normal. What was that movie...oh yeah Limitless would be a reality.
As for myself, I have gone untreated although I know I have it. Counter to the misconception that ADD/ADHD people can't focus, that's actually a fallacy. Hyperfocus is one of the hallmarks of ADD/ADHD. For instance, since starting the CPA study, it is all I can do to manage my work duties. Things I routinely handled with great precision and absolutely mastery are now giving me fits and trying to manage projects that I was in absolute control of a few weeks ago is a chore. It's like whatever is at the forefront of my mind at any given time pushes out everything else. If I sit down and try to study, relax, or pray...I have 10,000 things going through my head. The best analogy is like there are 40 people in the room with you who are whispering in your ear, one after another, about any given topic. At times, it is just a handful quitely whispering and diverting your attention....other times it is like they are all talking at the same time in a frenzy.
If you have seen the kid's movie UP, there is a talking Dog in the movie who is always excited to tell the other characters something. Then in mid-sentence he yells "SQUIRREL" and forgets what he was saying to run off and chase the squirrel. We laugh about that with myself or my son when we're mid-sentence and one of the distractions runs us off on some rabbit trail. My wife will say "SQUIRREL" and we'll go back to what we were saying.
It makes studying an extreme challenge. Despite it, I have my EA and graduated with honors from my MBA program and (with the grace of God and a little hope&luck) just passed the auditing portion of the CPA exam on Wednedsay of this week.
I think that if people can find coping mechanisms, that's the best solution and what has helped me. But for some medication is the workaround (notice I didn't say solution). The meds don't cure it, they just take away most of the disadvantages of the ADD. From my experience with my son the meds don't put the person on an even playing field with the others (timed tests are usually a problem and the medicated ADD sufferer still has to work extra hard to keep up and amazingly hard to excel). Also, the meds introduce other problems such as tics which can be just as distracting as the ADD.
So as someone with experience, I don't see that giving bonafide ADD people (medicated or not) a little extra time is an unfair accommodation or gives them a leg up.
CPAPending
AUD 87 Jan 2012
BEC 88 Feb 2012
REG 5/29/2012
FAR 8/31/2012
A CPA Flatliner for years now...looking forward to being revived in September 2012.Posted 4 months ago # -
mla1169
offlineMember@ cannotpass, yes that sounds TOO familiar!
Its definately worth checking out especially if it is interfering with living your life. For me, I was incredibly productive even unmedicateld (TOO productive according to most people!) however I struggled with depression and anxiety. After years of talk therapy and every depression and anxiety med known to man I reluctantly agreed to try Concerta. Mind you I am on a very low dose, a starter dose that I've never wanted to increase, but my other issues are largely under control now.
I am very resistent even with a diagnosis to the meds. I strongly believe that any person in the world could walk into a doctors office and walk out with a script for Adderall or Concerta. I find it amusing that it is more difficult to beat an antibiotic out of a doctor than Adderall. I even wonder if some of the benefits I have found are placebo or psychosematic. Maybe they are but its not worth stopping if its not, kwim?
FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75
If I can do this, YOU can do this! Hang in there :)Posted 4 months ago # -
cpa1979
offlineMemberI've always suspected I had ADD and reading more here is actually confirming that suspicion. Well, I tell you which review will help...Roger CPA. I've actually tried the NIU live review as I'm in Chicago and they do hold a downtown review sessions. It is great just didn't work for me.
Gleim books helped me pass my EA exams, but couldn't do it for the CPA. Finally, a friend who has passed all parts recommended Roger and since I started using it I was able to pass AUD & REG in one testing session and just sat for BEC on Wednesday and feeling pretty good about it.
Roger style is entertaining to me and uses simple terms to explain complex theories, which makes it stick. And because the way my brain functions, I enjoy doing puzzles like the poster said above. So I did a ton of questions. For AUD I had done over 1500 practice MCQ and it is reflected in my score. Although I'm an EA Roger helped me understand some of the little issues here and there that kind of always puzzled me about taxation. However, REG has a tone of Biz law so my score was affected by that.Roger CPA Review
FAR 80
AUD 93
REG 79
BEC waitingPosted 4 months ago # -
dianepage
offlineMember@CPAPending, thank you for your thoughtful post.
As for the extra time or frequent breaks, those accommodations make perfect sense to me observing a tutoring student who had ADHD.
I'll never forget the time she had some simple algebra homework early in the school year -- multiplying out sets of equations (not solving them) . The 15 or so problems were all the same, just with different numbers of factors and different letter variables, pluses and minuses, etc..
It took her 45 minutes. Because the same exact method was used for each problem, and she understood completely how to do the problems, it was sheer torture for her to sit there and do the same thing over and over again. She actually got up and left and did some other little task several times during that 45 minutes. She would be a good accountant, she's naturally good at math and logic and "puzzle solving" complex situations, but imagining her doing a bond amortization by hand is not a pretty thought. It would make her crazy. She does take meds when she needs them for a particular class or assignment -- very helpful, but I agree the meds are a helper, not a normalizer.
Posted 4 months ago # -
CPApending
offlineMemberAwesome, it can be hard to tell how someone meant something when in written form. I've had people get mad when I was truly just writing a harmless letter/email.
I used to hang out on an adult ADD forum and my first post was titled "what was I saying?" :D
I have a buddy at work tell me he was going to be talking to his doctor about an ADD medication while studying. The guy is truly one of the most intense, thoughtful people I know. I thought to myself, if you get any more focused you'll turn to stone. If I was in better health physically, I'd ask just to see how I felt but with high blood pressure already it isn't worth the risk.
CPAPending
AUD 87 Jan 2012
BEC 88 Feb 2012
REG 5/29/2012
FAR 8/31/2012
A CPA Flatliner for years now...looking forward to being revived in September 2012.Posted 4 months ago #
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