Down to the Wire: FAR One Week Away

He has been a member of Another71.com's Club 75 since August 2010.

Week 7:

One week to go until Financial Accounting and Reporting and as it stands today, I’m pretty confident with what I know so far and that if I can keep to my study plan up until next Tuesday that I will have a good shot at passing the test.

After finishing the Yaeger CPA Review CRAM, my Wiley CPA Test Bank scores went up 7 points. But more importantly than the 7 point upswing was that it gave me a good idea of what my weaknesses were.

I made a list of what my weak areas were and I created a test of just that area and I’d read every single text link and answer until I had it memorized and after I finished the mini-testlet I noticed that I felt as if I had learned the topic.

I felt confident that if asked a question, I’d know it and know the concept behind it, or I at least have it memorized and hopefully it’ll stay in my head until the test is over. So I’ve still got a few mini-testlets to do this week of areas where I’m uncomfortable and I’ll just do them this week, then this weekend do a practice exam and see where I am on topics. I also will have to set aside some extra time and focus on simulations, as 95% of my time so far has been centered on lectures and MCQ’s.

It seems my strategy has evolved so much in the almost 10 weeks I’ve been studying so far. So I’ll have a better idea of how to approach future exams as you really learn about yourself and what methods you learn best. It’s been a roller coaster ride of emotions from frustrated, confident, guilty, annoyed, it’s hard to sum up.

I knew the exam was tough, but it really dominates your thought process and seeps into every single aspect of your life. It’s even there as you sleep, at the grocery store. It’s almost as if your playing a 24/7 chess game against the CPA Exam. Constantly strategizing, studying and plotting your next move.

It’s mentally exhausting at times. It makes you long for simple times when you could just go to the grocery store and pick up milk without thinking of well if I get the Gallon instead of the half, I won’t have to do this next week and I’ll have an extra 20 minutes to study.

Next time you hear from me, I will have taken Financial Accounting and Reporting.

-J.W.