Soanxious
offlineMember
I had to catch up I was working on a project today. This forum has been rock'n with suggestions while I was gone.
Becks - I can't tell you to quit or stay, but if you work five hours a day on the weekends lets say then you might have to study for two hours before and two hours (or three or more) after. I commute into the city. I lose four hours a day almost in travel (so I work/travel 60 hours a week). Studying on the trains is easier if I do practice questions with symphony music on my head phones (no words to the music to distract you) or I do read, but sometimes its hard with all the people to concentrate. When I drive to the store and stuff every other Saturday (I cut my trips there down to every two weeks instead of one week) I listen to lectures in my car (Wiley has some fairly inexpensive cd's and I have bought Gleim in the past to put in my headphones if I want to take a walk and listen - someone else that has used something like that might make a suggestion to you also). Use your drive time to absorb some of the information you need to know. Me personally, I don't gain that much from listening unless I am taking notes, but I don't feel as guilty leaving the house if I am absorbing something about whatever section I am working on. So (back to my plan) in the evening during the week I come home and open a book after I get settled. I commit to how far I want to get and if I can do more that is great, but I stop studying between 8-9:00 pm (I get up at 4:00 am - I can't get up any earlier to get an hour in before work so I do it when I get home). If I am wiped out I will stop at 7:00 pm. I try to do what I can on the train (I only count half an hour each way in study time by the time I get settled). I don't count my listening to lecture time in my weekly hours because it is not effective study time for me, but I am learning while I am doing something. On the weekend after my shopping trip or on the Saturday I don't go. I get my household stuff done after a few hours of studying, and then I go back to it. If you can't give up the job then try to squeeze somehow a few hours in on Saturday / Sunday before and / or after your job. My Sunday beside some laundry duties at about 7:00 pm I spend studying. I do take breaks. I do pop in here in the evenings if I need to look away for a few minutes from a book, but I commit to at least 20 hours a week (10 during the week and 10 on the weekends). You have to find time for it and it might mean giving up something.
I don't have kids (and God Bless Lee_IN for doing this with 6 kids -holy smokes), but I have a husband who is sick of me studying, but also supports me & wants it done and the dog + cat. It still takes time to take care of them and they all need that time. I try to schedule my time catching up with friends / family while I am doing my household stuff. If you want to see someone - grab dinner with them, but come home & pick up your book or commit to that as being your evening off. I do try to take Friday nights off and late Saturday / Sunday nights for my husband unless I am close to an exam. Then I don't do anything - nothing, but study.
You have to find what works for you and keeps your balance in your life, but gets the job done to pass this thing. I have been burned by this exam eight times and one pending one on the way (if they would release my darn score) and it sucks. I thought each time that I did enough and I have yet to do enough to pass. I do know since I am not able to study all day as some are I have to spend more time each exam. I read a lot of the passing peoples posts after score realase and some are studying 12 -16 hours a day - every day and doing 3000 questions. I can't do that amount in the same time they do because I have to work, I don't have an option to quit, but now I know I have to allow myself enough time to get through the material and practice it until I turn blue before I sit - it does not work if you do not know the material - trust me!
Study hard and stay strong & you can do this. I know I will someday!
Becks
offlineMember
SoAnxious, here is a question for you. Do you use the Wiley audio cd's? I have previously used Gleim's and I hated them! I'd love to have something like that to pop into my car because I'm in my car a lot!! I have an hour commute to my weekend job and also have a 2 hour commute to my live Becker class so I would love to buy them if they were worth it.
Becks- Quick question. Just curious I have not seen you post this, but how many hours do you study a week? If it is less than 15 hours then I don't think the CPA exam is a high priority for you right now. It sounds like you love the things you do in your life and like finance guy said, it is not necessary to give everything up but you have to commit to 15+ hours a week and it has to be sound quality study time. In my case, I had to give everything up during the week but weekends there is always time to do your own thing and get good quality study time in. In my situation work and family consumed every minute I was not studying during the week. I always crammed 6-7 hours a day the weekend prior to my exam. It was tough for me but I wanted to pass this exam.
Soanxious - you ever have a question or anthing you want to ask me feel free to email at leenad5@msn.com since Jeff had to disable the PM feature of the forum. This was done due to someone figured out how to spam the PM. I have also followed your post. Good Luck on your next exam. Also, though I reside in IN, I was born in Jacksonville, IL. Where are you from?
Soanxious
offlineMember
Becks - I do have the Wiley Audit cd and I use them in the car. I like them better than the Gleim less techincal, but still informative. They are produced by the univeristy in IL from Champagne Urbana. I like to listen to reinforce what I am learning, but don't rely on it to get me through because I don't retain it by just listening to it. As we can see with my scores Becker (0nline) did not work for me. I listened, I did questions, I highlighted. I am 37 and I need to write it down. So...I am old school and do my own notes and note cards (I own two sets of Beckers with dust on them that are outdated). I have done much better recently writing my own. The downfall - it takes more time.
Lee_IN - Funny because I am a former IL. I grew up in IL and left several years ago. I work in Chicago though and have done all my testing there. I am (one day) going to be licensed in IL.
I seen someone else's post that said that the pm had to get shut down. Sad that someone would hack future cpa's. I am working on my fraud examiners license also. Yeah - I am the person someone really wants to hack. Really - an, in debt due to all the student loans, and CPA fees, CPA candidate. Maybe we are more challenging as future CPA's. Seriously? I can send you a note to the email you provide with my email. Sad. Poor Jeff. He is just trying to help people and they have to mess with his website.
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