[OnMyWay732]

I see a lot of people asking about “is this a good study plan?”, and I admit, I’m guilty from when I first started. I was even asking if a time frame is long enough.

Here’s the truth: Not one person on this forum can answer that for you. The real question is “Is this a good study plan for ME?” And sadly, we don’t know. No one knew for me, and I don’t know for anyone else. So what to do?

Well, again, here’s the truth. You’re about to begin studying for the CPA exam. This means you have been in school. What worked for you? Did you daze out when your professor spoke, but you understood completely when studying that night? Did doing the homework help you, but reading a text didn’t? Were you someone who only deals with exams under pressure and cram the last bit of time? (this last point is NOT suggested)

For ME, I loved the lectures. The guys were very corny with the jokes and sometimes you wish you could shut them up, and guess what…you can! But the lectures helped me understand topics where I felt lost (especially in FAR). The MCQ was repeated over and over and over, a key for me in AUD and BEC. Reading the book didn’t do much for me except for REG.

Now does that sound like a good study plan? Some people might be laughing at the thought of that, but for me it worked. The unfortunate truth is the first exam is a trial. See how your study plan works. Tweak it If needed next time. If you passed but feel you should have read the book more, you just learned. If you didn’t pass, well then you know something needs to change.

We are all here to help everyone, but I don’t want someone relying just on what others are saying. This is your exam and you will find your best method.

AUD - July 2014 - 76
REG - August 2014 - 82
FAR - November 2014 - 78
BEC - January 2015 - 81

DONE!!!!

Used Becker online. Who needs a text when you can burn your eyes out staring at the screen for months on end?

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you're hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

[Anonymous]

To add to that, my “study plan” changed for each and every section. I had to just continuously adjust based on where I was at in the process and how comfortable I was with the material.

Thank you for posting this. When I was a new to the exam I also combed through to see what study plan is best and I (like you) realized quickly that what works for one person really may not work for you. There is just not a prescribed formula. You just have to start studying and go for it.

Also, it may cost you another $225 in fees in the long run but please don't get your NTS until you're ready to sit. I always got mine about 3-4 weeks out. I see so many people get their NTS early only to have it's expiration looming over their head so they walk into a test they are not ready for. It's just not worth it.

[OnMyWay732]

@Brooks…I do have to argue your last point. I think that's another subjective area. I scheduled my first one 2 months before, and then each one the day I took the preceding exam. For me, I needed that date in my head of when the exam is and plan accordingly. If I just went on studying without a date, I would still be studying for the first one hahaa, but I appreciate another point in the topic. Thanks

AUD - July 2014 - 76
REG - August 2014 - 82
FAR - November 2014 - 78
BEC - January 2015 - 81

DONE!!!!

Used Becker online. Who needs a text when you can burn your eyes out staring at the screen for months on end?

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you're hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

[June2016]

You are right, everyone will have a different study strategy that works for them. But it helps a lot to just hear how other people are doing it and then to adjust it to what fits you best.

I've had to adjust my study strategy several times until figuring out what works for me but another71 posts helped a lot to figure out which strategies to try.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much agree:

I will disagree a bit with the NTS. It took me nearly 2 months to get my first NTS approved because of unforseen issues (they didn't get one of my transcripts and it took a few phone calls to figure out what was going on). So you don't want to wait until the last minute on your first one because it might take time to process it. After the first one, the rest of mine went through in less than 48 hours.

I've been offering up this tidbit of advice a lot lately and this seems like a good thread to put it in as well. Don't take the exam until you're ready for it. A lot of people want to rush the process and they're not truly ready come exam day. By no means do I advocate losing a testing window or risk letting another portion expire. But if you need an extra two weeks to preapre, take those two weeks.

[Anonymous]

I think I need to clarify what I mean here:

Many people get the NTS for all four sections at the exact same time thus giving them six months to pass. This avenue is attractive because of the fee savings. I also do not mean to wait until a few weeks out for your FIRST NTS. It took me two months to get mine is well.

I am simply saying that get your first NTS, take your first section and for subsequent sections maybe wait to get it until about a month out. I also need a deadline and that date in the future helped me plan out the rest of my study time. Yes, I know, we're talking about how everyone is different. I am just advocating against getting them all at once, at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Yeah. That I can agree with. I'm sure it's a combination of wanting to save money and being overly optimistic about passing all 4 in such a short time.

[OnMyWay732]

I agree with all this. The first exam is really your test to see how you work, and if you're lucky enough you'll get through that one also

AUD - July 2014 - 76
REG - August 2014 - 82
FAR - November 2014 - 78
BEC - January 2015 - 81

DONE!!!!

Used Becker online. Who needs a text when you can burn your eyes out staring at the screen for months on end?

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you're hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

[mkrohmer]

After I took my first test I got 3 NTS at the same time. I think this is the best thing for someone like me to do. I am a crazy procrastinator (looking at this blog instead of studying). I think having a set date will force me to buckle down and get it done. Also my Becker subscription is ending soon so I kind of have to. In college I never studied for more than a day or 2 for any test. For example: I only studied for the GMAT for 2 days. So while taking BEC (my first test) the first 2 weeks were spent actually learning how to study. It was tough and the hours weren't very productive but once I learned that MC and writing out the tougher concepts worked for me, it wasn't so bad. Like you said, everyone is different but I would suggest getting through the lectures and HW relatively quickly. Then spend more time going through the questions and concepts you struggle with in more depth. A lot of concepts didn't make sense to me but in my 2 weeks of review they all started to come together. I never felt completely comfortable with the material but got an 83. If I waited until I though I was prepared I would still be studying.

If you are a procrastinator I would suggest getting multiple NTS and actually booking the exam. If i had not done this I wouldn't be studying as seriously as I am now. Also I think starting with BEC is a good idea for procrastinators as well. In my mind getting the “easiest” part out of the way and starting that 18 month timer is essential.

BEC - 83 (1/23/15)
FAR - 80 (4/3/15)
REG - 88 (5/14/15)
AUD - 81 (7/3/15)

[Anonymous]

Mkrohmer's comment I think perfectly highlights the OP's point. I would absolutely never recommend that someone do what mkromer did but I'd be wrong because it worked for them. We're all just so different.

[OnMyWay732]

Exactly. I fully understand why people ask for other people's study plans but if they don't understand they need to personalize it, that's when it becomes dangerous for them

AUD - July 2014 - 76
REG - August 2014 - 82
FAR - November 2014 - 78
BEC - January 2015 - 81

DONE!!!!

Used Becker online. Who needs a text when you can burn your eyes out staring at the screen for months on end?

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you're hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

[Author]

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