[aspencookie]

I need to figure out a way to stay awake during the weekdays to study.

this is my schedule-

Work – 8am to 5pm or sometimes 6pm or 7pm
6pm or 7pm to 8pm — Get home and take care of pets (go for a walk etc) Arrive home back from the park
8pm to 9:15pm –Feed pets, eat dinner, rest, watch tv
Get ready to study
Study or TRY TO STUDY 9:15pm to 12am (this lasted a week)

usually now by 10:40pm im falling asleep
and then it starts all over again
Wake up at 6am most of the time 6:40am…
Get ready and make it to work at 8am

Start cycle all over again.

Every time I pick up the FAR book i fall asleep, i tried reading the other books but i dont have the attention span to do it.
I force myself to AT LEAST do something before sleeping, even if its one paragraph.

[Anonymous]

I am not saying it to be mean, but you don't get to relax or watch TV, get home, walk and feed your pets (1 hour) and hit the books. That's it, end of story. I have two kids and I hate to say it but I pretty much ignored everyone in my house until I passed my tests. I would hit the books as soon as I could, usually right around 9 or sooner if I could. My kids would do their homework or read and I sat there right next to them studying…

[Anonymous]

Have you tried studying early in the morning? Preferably at least 2 hours before your normal wake up time. You may be more focused and productive during those 2 hours in the morning than when you try to study at night after you're mentally exhausted from work. For me, a cup of coffee helps.

[TCav12579]

I also agree with above post… Maybe try getting some studying during lunch in as well? I think you're setting yourself up for failure if studying is the last thing you do to end your day. But this is different for each person and their learning type.

AUD - 99

BEC - 6/8/18

FAR - 5/12/18

REG - 86

[Anonymous]

I would also add that 9-10:45 of studying Monday through Friday may be sufficient. I also work full time so majority of my study hours are logged on the weekends but I always study on my lunch break plus 2 hours after work during the week. The key to your study success will truly be on Saturdays/Sundays in which i do 7:30-3:30 and 10-3 respectively. Best of luck!

“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it!” -Art Williams

[Anonymous]

LOL.. somebody said don't rest while studying.. Ain't nothing wrong with resting up your mind for a few before studying.

I think you can either try to get some studying early in the morning or go to work early and try to leave work early and then you can study. The current method is not ideal. You want to study when you have both physical and mental energy. As lame as it sounds, you should be excited to learn and blah blah.

studying during lunch break is not always practical. If you can, I suggest doing some problems over lunch break.

when I was studying, I studied 3 hours after work every weekday for 3 – 4 weeks and about 8-10 hours in total on the weekend. If you can get some quality studying done, then you don't need more than 120 hrs for FAR, REG and AUD and may be 80 hrs for BEC. This will obviously increase if you are having a hard time understanding the material. I would recommend not studying at home especially if you have people or pets around you. Definitely try to score over 90s on the mock exam on whatever study material. Also the areas you are struggling in, print it out and read them over and over slowly.

hope that helps !!

[ND]

There are definitely obvious choices in mitigating your issue (no TV/rest), but I'm on the same boat (studying until 12am). I've recently started having a cup of coffee at work around 5pm so that will keep me going until midnight. I've also moved my workouts to 5:30am in the morning so I don't have to worry about it after work.

AUD - Passed
FAR - In Progress
REG - In Progress
BEC - In Progress

[Anonymous]

OP, what FAR Book are you using?

[Anonymous]

With the schedule you described you can easily study 8:30-11pm then go to bed. That is plenty of time during the week, and then much more on the weekends. But if you're like me and too exhausted after work, to pass I just got up three hours earlier than normal each weekday and studied before work, then went to bed around 9pm. Both are completly doable, it's just a matter of how much you want it.

[aspencookie]

– i dont have lunch breaks, we are too busy, we eat while we work.
– i have to have 1 hour of eating/resting/and feeding my pets cause that's the only rest time i have when i get back home and i'm not giving it up
– my pets are not kids so they cannot be doing homework while i sit and study (do you know what its like to have a 200 pound Great Dane pawing at you and slobbering in your face until you entertain them),
-early mornings im putting in job apps to look for a better opportunity

– i guess i gotta figure something else out…maybe start doing cocaine…im just kiddddingggggggggggg!!!

[Anonymous]

I agree with @anyatver.

I also work 8a-5p, usually later during busy season, and sometimes on Saturdays. My wife also works full time and we have 2 kids under 3 years old and 2 dogs. Luckily, both of our parents are retired and are happy to watch the kids during the day, but when either my wife or I gets home they are ready to GTFO. From 5 or 6pm onward, my wife and I cook dinner for ourselves and the kids, go for a quick walk with the kids/dogs, eat, get the kids bathed, and put to sleep. If everything goes according to plan this is all accomplished by 8pm, but usually not until 830-9.

There is no relaxing or watching TV. I brew a pot of coffee, sit down, and do my Becker module(s) until I'm finished. Sometimes this takes until around midnight if it's a study intensive week.

I will try and plan one day a week, usually on a weekend, where I don't have to study at all and can hang out with my wife and kids all day. But sometimes I can't even do that if there are 8-9 Becker modules that week plus SIMS.

I used to be a big movie buff, I really enjoy live music & sporting events, I always kept up with my favorite TV shows, and I was in multiple recreational sports leagues. Since I started studying in August '17, all those things have been cut out unless it is the 3-4 weeks between tests when I am waiting on my scores.

Thankfully, I am 2 for 2 taking the tests and haven't failed any sections, but I believe it is because I am putting the time in. If you want to pass these tests you need to commit and make the time to study. There will be time for relaxing and leisure activities when the tests are over and the more time you make to study now, the less time it will take you to pass the tests and be done.

[Recked]

Try some Ginseng with royal honey.
It is said to keep you alert, without the jitters.
Just be careful taking any sort of stimulant late at night as it will affect your sleep patterns.
I found morning times to be the best time for me. I would not try this during busy season, but perhaps after, try and get up an hour or 2 earlier, slam a bunch of caffeine/coffee, hit the books, then go to work, then after work you have you pet time and dinner time, and get to bed early to do it all over again.

The CPA exam needs to be the priority. You need to reserve the BEST time for yourself and your studies, not finding time leftover when you are not awake or alert, and likely will retain very little.
After busy season, start taking a lunch.

Memento Mori - Kingston NY CPA & EA (SUNY Albany 2002)

FAR-93 11/9/17 (10wks, 250 hrs, Roger 1800+ MCQs, Gleim TB 600+MCQs, SIMs)
AUD-88 12/7/17 (3 wks, 85 hrs, Roger 1000 MCQs no SIMs hail mary)
REG-96 1/18/18 (6 wks, 110 hrs, 1400 MCQs, no SIMs)
BEC-91 2/16/18 (4wks, 90 hrs, 1240 MCQs)

[msquared17]

I agree with most of these suggestions. You didn't mention weekends. I'm an early riser so staying up late is hard for me. Maybe focus on quality versus quantity. I have adopted this method over the last few weeks. I much rather study intensely for 1.5 hours than drag it out for 3 and not retail half of it. I also take a day off work (or half a day) every so often and use it for studying. I hope you find something that works for you.

[Tncincy]

Well, Dedication is the name of the game. You have to get serious about study or prepare to be going around in circles, paying money and never passing this test. (finding out the hard way). We do find time to do what we want to do, and it doesn't matter if we have to stay up all night or all day or turn off the t.v or skip the gatherings. We find time to do what we want to do. If you are going to pass you HAVE to find time to study no questions asked.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[PDiddy2000]

Contrary what most are saying on here, there's nothing wrong with an hour of TV time especially since you're combining it with other things like walking dogs. I usually have an hour where I watch TV a night. I think you should devote your morning time to studying rather than looking for a job. I think you have to be fine with your job prospects being more fruitful when you have your CPA rather than right now. If a job comes up, by all means apply for it but to spend several hours a morning job hunting is a bit much. Wake up at 5am study until 6:30am or 7am, get dress for work.

FAR-Mar 9,2020 (failed 71), retest May 21
BEC-Passed(I had a few stops and starts because I was studying during my busy season. Lost track of my study stats.)
AUD-Passed(8 weeks,1877 MCQs, and 38 TBSs)-Wiley
REG-Passed(10 weeks, 2000 MC)-Wiley

[Tim]

If studying is your last priority then maybe the CPA exam isn't something you should tackle right now.

FAR - 97 (10/12/17)
BEC - 95 (01/15/18)
AUD - 88 (04/06/18)
REG - 89 (11/16/18)

[Author]

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