[CPAGRIND]

Something that has worked for you.

[EuroAddict]

Here is what I used and done:

Becker books/online vid + NINJA MCQ

1. Watch video/highlight along etc
2. Go back and rewrite everything I highlighted (yea it's a ton).
3. Do HW Q's and SIMS then move onto the next chapter
*Notice I didn't say read the book. To me that didn't help and took a ton of time*
4. Once I was done with Becker Q's I would then attack Ninja Q's.

-----------------------------
BEC - 77, 03/2015 (first try)
FAR - 79, 05/2015 (second try)
REG - 83, 12/2015 (first try)
AUD - 84, 03/2015 (first try)

I got 99 problems but the CPA ain't one.

[mtaylo24]

-Try to hit the library at least 2/3 times a week.
-Give yourself enough time to go through the material twice
-Turn off the TV every now and then
-Try to keep your final review as cumulative as possible

CPA (2017)

REG:  75

BEC:  76

FAR:  77

AUD: 78

 

CMA (2019)

P1: 380

P2: 360

AUD - 1st - 60 (12/12), 61 (2/13), 61 (8/13), 78! (11/15)
REG - 55 (2/16) 69 (5/16) Retake(8/16)
BEC - 71(5/16) Retake (9/16)
FAR - (8/16)

[TheHoundThatRides]

Use a combination of the content outline and common sense to try and figure out where you should be focusing your study time. If you can't wrap your head around an advanced concept that is one tiny bullet point in a section that is less than 10% of the exam, maybe don't stress about it. Focus your studies on more important and more heavily tested things

Still can't believe Roger devoted an entire AUD chapter to sampling.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[EuroAddict]

Also, if there is something you struggle with write it down and re write it. That helps it sink in a bit.

And I always open a new bottle of bourbon right after the exam 🙂

-----------------------------
BEC - 77, 03/2015 (first try)
FAR - 79, 05/2015 (second try)
REG - 83, 12/2015 (first try)
AUD - 84, 03/2015 (first try)

I got 99 problems but the CPA ain't one.

[Stilgoin]

I do exactly what EuroAddict said earlier. I write the highlighted parts of the Becker books and then do NINJA MCQs. As you can see from my scores, I wish I had done that the first time around. Good luck!

Stilgoin, CPA

There are enough critics. Be an encourager

B | 62, 78
A | 73, 67, 79
R | 82
F | 59, 59, Waiting

Ethics | 93

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
~Winston Churchill

“In a world full of critics, be an encourager."

[Tripin93]

Stick to your whatever study method worked your entire life! Some people are audio learners, others are visual, some learn by doing. To learn the material, use the same practices that were effective for you in college and high school.

Also, do multiple choice to practice, to test your knowledge, and identify your weaknesses. (If you learn by doing, also do mc to help you learn.)

Motivated by JC. I do it to make God proud.

FAR: 91 July 2015
AUD: 83 October 2015
REG: 81 January 2016
BEC: 83 February 2016

[Jdn9201]

1. Stick to the study methods that helped you most in school.
2. Work smarter, not harder. I've been able to cut a lot of time out of my studying by doing 2 things – focusing on the content specific outline, and giving myself pretests from Roger's MCQs before I started BEC and REG. If I scored above a 70 on a pretest, I skipped that section's lectures.
3. Pick the order of tests that makes sense to you. Many suggest taking FAR first. I had a hard time getting motivated, so I focused on knocking out the 2 I thought would be the easiest for me to pass (BEC and REG).
4. Always do the AICPA practice exam and always practice using the AL for AUD, REG, and FAR!
5. Be careful to not stretch your studying out over too long of a period. I realize people have various committments (family, work long hours in public, etc.) but I've never studied over a period of longer than 6-8 weeks. Any longer than that, and it becomes much more difficult to retain material.
6. Give yourself a break after each one. I didn't really plan this out, but I wound up scheduling my exams before holidays in order to give myself about 10 days off. It helps to clear your head and get prepared to study for the next one. Also, being busy doing fun stuff took my mind off of waiting for my exam score.
7. Don't go too hard in the final days prior to the exam. Even in undergrad, the few times I cut my sleep short or stayed up all night to make something perfect or study harder, I really paid for it for about a week afterwards. I always choose a good nights sleep over staying up late because it gives me the most energy to be at my best on test day.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[Lostinamerica]

My advice is do not ignore SIMS preparation. When I failed an exam, I looked at the diagnostic and that was the only thing that was weaker while almost everything else was stronger. It is esy to sit around and do MCQs but with the exception of BEC, you can score a 100% on MCQ and still fail.

There are people around here that score in the high 90s and they clearly have more figured out than I do. Of course, it could come next week and I failed another and will be coming to this thread asking the same thing. Good luck

B Passed
A Passed
R Passed
F 8/31/2016

[wombataholic]

Shut down as many distractions as possible during study sessions. Hit the library or coffee shop if your family is likely to disrupt your study session, put your phone on silent/leave it at home, only keep your study materials up on your computer screen, and if studying in a potentially noisy location, bring soft earplugs.

AUD - 91
BEC - 85
FAR - 91
REG - 92

CPA, CFE
Passed all 4 CPA exam sections with Ninja Notes/MCQ/Audio

Licensed CPA
Passed each section on the first try with Ninja Notes/MCQ/Audio

[kzielasko]

It sounds easier than it actually is, but create a study plan and stick to it. I had the hardest time when I started studying because I would skip multiple days and keep pushing back my exams (as evidenced by the large gap between REG & BEC). Once I made a conscious effort to create a study plan, I only skipped days that I had planned to take off. It really helped me keep on point.

With the regards to the actual studying, I would stick to try to understand the concepts and then do as many MCQ's as possible. Most study programs say this, but the key is not memorizing answers, but rather understanding why you got the question right/wrong. That was definitely my most effective method of studying.

BEC - 8/17/15 - 81 (Ninja 10 Pt Combo)
REG - 1/16/15 - 87 (Ninja 10 Pt Combo)
AUD - 11/26/15 - 90 (Yaeger & Ninja MCQ)
FAR - 2/13/16 - 84 (Gleim & Ninja MCQ)

[Tripin93]

To piggy back on what Lostinamerica said, please practice the simulations! I really liked simulations, because it forced me to understand the concepts in an alternate context. During my final review for FAR, I spent the majority of my time on SIMs and scored a 91. For my other sections, I practiced sims significantly less that I did for FAR. I think my lower scores for REG and AUG illustrates the impact that SIMs can make.

@jdn9201, I LOVE your idea of utilizing pretests! I've never thought about that, but if I was starting over I would definitely take pretests.

Motivated by JC. I do it to make God proud.

FAR: 91 July 2015
AUD: 83 October 2015
REG: 81 January 2016
BEC: 83 February 2016

[Tripin93]

Also, avoid purchasing all of your exams at one time! Yes, it's nice to get a discount. However, you need to pace yourself and focus on one test at a time. When you register, you'll plan on finishing a section in X weeks, but it might turn out that you aren't progressing as quickly as you planned.

If you have flexibility for scheduling your exam, you can take more time to study if necessary. If you run out of time on your NTS, you might be forced to take an exam before you're fully ready… and then you might fail. Each NTS is only valid for 6 months.

Motivated by JC. I do it to make God proud.

FAR: 91 July 2015
AUD: 83 October 2015
REG: 81 January 2016
BEC: 83 February 2016

[Author]

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