Want to PASS? Take Notes
Studying for the CPA Exam is time consuming and it seems like it’s all one can do to just get through the material once and do the requisite MCQs prior to sitting for their exam. However, if you slow down and take notes while studying (in lieu of highlighting), I think it will pay big dividends.
When I highlight something, I rarely come back to it. For one, it requires flipping back through the book material, which I am not likely to do. Once I’m done with a section, I’m doing MCQs over the material and moving on to the next chapter. What I have found is that I am likely to forget what I learned, save for some nuggets that I pick up or remember/reinforce via multiple choice questions.
For Regulation, this go-around I ditched the Excel method of taking notes and went old schoool with a legal pad. I wrote down every little blurb and nuance that I thought I would forget 4 weeks from now when I was doing a final review. I did this for tax only (Yaeger has a great Law and Ethics handout that they give you…taking notes isn’t necessary for this part). Before I knew it, I had over fifty pages of notes.
A week prior to my exam, I re-wrote my notes and condensed them using sheets of graph paper with 2 columns on each page. I separated them by section (Indiv, Corp/S Corp/, Gift/Estate, Partnerships) and stapled each section together. They served as an excellent cram tool as well.
I took them with me to the testing center and read them one last time prior to walking in the door…it was very effective for short term memory purposes. Using Yaeger’s HomeStudy and taking notes in this manner was instrumental in scoring high on REG. I highly recommend it. This was the first time I had taken notes this way and will be doing it again for FAR.
If you’re trying to conquer a section that has thus far been a thorn in your side (BEC anyone?) or are taking a section for the first time, give this method a try. It’s a throw-back to college days, but I’m convinced that it works better than highlighting alone.
Related posts you might like:
- An easy way to take notes while studying for the CPA Exam… I’m working my way through Yaeger CPA Review’s Regulation HomeStudy program and I’m finding that I need to make notes of rules/exceptions so that I won’t forget them when I...
- How to Pass a Section of the CPA Exam in 20 Days You wake up one sleepy Monday in August. June is a distant memory. July was a blur. In your groggy state, something begins to nag at you. August. August....
- How to Study for the CPA Exam Your Netflix que can wait....
i just found out that i passed FAR, so now i’ve passed all 4 sections (all on the 1st try). I’m no superstar, but I wanted to share my strategy with everyone to try and help.
1. purchase study materials
2. study 1 hour per day for 90 days
3. take 1st test
4. take 1 week off
5. study 1 hour per day for 90 days
6. take 2nd test
7. take 1 week off
8. study 1 hour per day for 90 days
9. take 3rd test
10. take 1 week off
11. study 1 hour per day for 90 days
12. take 4th test
I found this method to work for me because after 1 hour of studying i stopped retaining any information, so this was a productive and efficient way to take the exam and using it i passed all exams on the first try. hope this helps!
wow – thanks!
90 days sounds like a lot per section at first, but it gets you through all four sections in a year.
It sure beats the 3 year plan I’m on.
Congrats on being done!
I’ve been reading your blog for some time and want to congratulate you on your focus and persistency. These are attributes that will most certainly play out in your career moving forward.
I have question on BEC. What in particular did you do to study for the Planning and Measurement section (managerial and cost accounting). For me this is by far the most difficult part of the BEC exam. Last three scores were 70, 73 and 71. This is the section holding me back. Any suggestions?
Thanks and again congratulations on all your hard work and this teriffic site!
I used Yaeger’s cram and did as many MCQs in the Wiley text as I could. I read the answers as well so that I know why one is right and the others are wrong. It was enough to get me through. I think maybe God was just looking out for me on exam day because I absolutely hated BEC.
So, do as many MCQs as you can over the topic. Cindy @ Yaeger is an excellent instructor on the topic. I’d get either the cram or the full course. You’re very close!
I’ve just become a recent fan of your blog. Thank you for all the great information! I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I have 3 different books for Auditing – Becker, Wiley, and Kaplan. I don’t have any video lectures, so I’m kinda going at it on my own. What would be the best way to tackle this monster? I found out this morning that I passed FAR and I recently passed BEC and REG, so AUD is my last one. Any advice would be much appreciated!
I have always found video lectures very helpful because it feels like you have a “partner” to wade through the monotony.
Take a few minutes and check out Yaeger’s AUD demo and see if it’s something you want to invest in. Their AUD course is $295. AUD is *generally* regarded as the less-difficult of the 4 (based on my experience and the poll at the bottom of the site), but there’s also a lot of material to know.
If you have a rock solid foundation, you can answer any AUD question. If you don’t and walk into the exam without that base – you’ll get destroyed.
I recommend at least a cram, but if you can afford it, I have found the HomeStudy courses worth the extra $$.
Excellent piece of advice. I have done that for all the three exams. I passed them all with very good scores in three months (all on the first try). I strongly agree with your suggestion. I also agree with your comment about the Ethics and Business Law handout from Yaeger. He made it easy for me to pass the REG section with a very limited preparation.
Many thanks to YOU and YAEGER.
I am thinking about sitting for the CPA exam this year. I have a Bachelor’s in Accounting, but no real accounting experience. I am currently teaching, but I want to change my career to the accounting field. Without having any experience in accounting, would you recommend me taking the CPA exam?
how can i get the notes online?
Hi,
I completed my KCSE studies in 2008 but due to family finacial instability, I am stunned to pursue my CPA. I am looking for anyone to sponsor my education.
how can i access cpa part one online notes?am a private candidate.please help
I am starting now studying for CPA part1[sect.1&).Please give me strategy on how i will pass my exams of june 2012.