[AndreA]

How do you handle stress? I’ve been studying since May and I’m getting tired and sometimes angry when people tell me what should I do. I study full time from Monday to Thursday (about 14-15 hours a day) and part time from Friday to Sunday (about 5 hours a day).

FAR - 73, 78 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 50 SIMs)
AUD - 73, 81 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 40 SIMs)
BEC - 71, 71, 74, 84 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 10 SIMs)
REG - 84 (WileyCPAexcel 2,000 MCQs, 15 SIMs)

CA Ethics Exam - 94%

NEVER GIVE UP.

[Biff Tannen]

If your into brain supplements, neuroignite works like a charm. Also make sure to work out and eat healthy. It’s good for your brain health

AUD - 78
BEC - 84
FAR - 79
REG - 85

“An investment in knowledge pays the best dividends” - Benjamin Franklin

[Club74]

If you're studying 14-15 hours a day 4 days a week since May, I think you may be burned out. Assess the quality of your study hours. Burn out is a big problem for folks who have been studying for long periods of time and it may make sense to slow down, take a few weeks off to recharge before getting back to it. I recently passed BEC and REG over a span of 8 weeks studying close to full time but am seriously struggling right now to study FAR and its been close to a month now. Thinking back, I should have just taken a month off instead of putting in these ineffective hours over the last month. Good luck man – persevere!

AUD - 78
BEC - 74, 79
REG - 79
FAR - 74, 81

Maybe I shouldn't have made my username "Club74"

[Anthony]

Adderall, no need to thank me.

AUD - 82
BEC - 80
FAR - 81
REG - 82

FAR - 74 first attempt

[Anonymous]

How do you support yourself? Just curious.

Stop goofing around. Put headphone on, airplane mode on baby. Wifi Off. Yeah buddy! Stay focus! Soon I will be a cpa.

[f]

Wait what, you study 14-15 hr a day!? Either you have super focus powers or you're overdoing it. Don't push yourself too much. Quality over quantity. For me, I feel max 4 hours of studying with mini breaks in between was all I could do. More than that and my retention just went down and I started reading paragraphs 2 or 3 times. Don't burn yourself out. It's a marathon not a race as others say on here.

A-

B- 82

F-

R-

[DocJ]

“14-15 hours a day of study”

Okay, that is WAY too much.

No way can you pass by burning yourself out with that ridiculous amount of study. The brain is a muscle like any other in the human body, it needs to pace itself and get enough recovery. I over-studied with FAR last time and got a 59 for it. Everything I've read online says that the ideal amount of study time in a day is like HALF of what you're doing right now, because at some point you're just not gonna give a &#%$ anymore. You gotta find a right balance between how much time to commit and how much to relax, step back, do OTHER stuff.

If you're really that committed, make your “other stuff” things that can help your brain out more. Take an hour a day for some exercise, even just a light walk or something. And another hour to read a random book for leisure. And another hour for meditation. And another hour to cook a healthy meal with good brain food. And another hour to take a nap or add to your sleep at night (if you're studying 15 hours, I'm guessing you're sacrificing some sleep, DON'T DO THAT!!!).

Even after all that, you'll still have many hours to study to your heart's content, but now with other stuff to enhance your brain and burn out less.

[AndreA]

Thank you guys! I usually take about four breaks (10-15 minutes) and 1 hour to eat + I take supplements such as vitamin B, D, Omega 3. My approach is simple and based on this quote “If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and give it all you've got” it worked well for me at first, because I noticed that I retain information much better when I review the material on the same day (this takes about 3-4 hours), but now I can't fully focus and it kills my time.

FAR - 73, 78 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 50 SIMs)
AUD - 73, 81 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 40 SIMs)
BEC - 71, 71, 74, 84 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 10 SIMs)
REG - 84 (WileyCPAexcel 2,000 MCQs, 15 SIMs)

CA Ethics Exam - 94%

NEVER GIVE UP.

[inviteyou]

Drinking a lot of water while studying is helpful, your brain needs it.

I use the Pomodoro Tracker (the Pomodoro technique/method) when I study and love it. Study for 25 minutes take a five minute break, do that four times and then take an extended break for 15/20 minutes; then start the process over again. I find that I can study all day long when I use that method and I'm not tired at the end of a study day. Plus your brain retains more information studies show. Pomodoro Tracker also helps people who have low attention span, helping them to study for at least 25 minutes straight and then take a break, etc. When I first tried the Pomodoro method I felt like I was just getting into a grove after 25 minutes and didn't want to stop, but try it. I noticed immediately how I wasn't so tired after the first day of trying it and was amazed at how that mini break brought a freshness to studying.

The herbal supplement Lion's Mane is great for memory support as well as Brain Octane (MCT) Oil by Bulletproof. Omega 3 is good for eye health and helps with dry eyes since we are staring at MCQ's, SIMS, etc., during most of our waking hours. Speaking of eye health, if you wear glasses or contacts, make sure your eye prescription is up to date.

Sleep. Sleep is key to staying focused during the day, so make sleep a priority. I go to bed early and wake up early.

Of course, it goes without saying exercise and yoga helps too.

I watched a few videos and TedTalks on foods that stimulate the brain, brain foods, and foods that increase memory. Blueberries kept coming up in some of the videos but I can't eat fresh blueberries fast enough or get tired of them, so I bought dried blueberries at Target and can tell that I have a “brighter” sense of concentration when I snack on those.

Green tea, ginger tea.

Find something to help you relax. I found that doodling helped me, so to make my doodling productive (lol) I bought some coloring books but for adults and use art pencils. I don't do it daily, but it's an option to have on hand.

And, if you are studying that long, make sure to take a shower daily!!

AUD - 76
BEC - 87
FAR - 78
REG - 75

practice, Practice, PRACTICE!

[bigstakk]

You only need to study about 4 hours per day even full time. On weekends, when I am off work I would do 6-8 hours. The law of diminishing returns is real. If I can do it with a full time job, commute, wife and a toddler then you can certainly get this done with seemingly no other responsibilities than just passing this exam. I personally would suggest getting a job (preferably in public accounting) as you will learn a lot in your job and be surrounded by motivated people in the same boat. Ultimately, you just got to want it and not let anything get in the way of your personal goal. Take these exams only if you think you can do what it takes to pass. You could be 3/4 done but instead you’re only 1/4 done so that’s also why the end seems so far away. Be more efficient and more determined. It’s a tough battle and it’s all on you to get it done. Good luck.

AUD - 81
BEC - 87
FAR - 80
REG - 82

______________

Ethics Exam - 90%
Licensed CPA in CA

[DocJ]

“The law of diminishing returns is real.”

What he said.

This goes for everyone: You can only do so many bicep curls before your arm gives out. Same holds true for your mind, you can only read so many pages before your brain gives out. It's very easy for us as humans to forget the brain is a physical, tangible muscle just as prone to exhaustion as any other body part. That's why you gotta get out of your own head and realize when you're pushing too hard and hurting more than helping.

Quality >>>>> Quantity.

[12tang]

You're sprinting a marathon. I passed FAR before I worked full-time in 2015 and even then, I was studying with a relaxed schedule. About 3 hours every day. This allowed me to relax my brain, focus on my health and fitness, and regenerate my energy and drive for the CPA exam. Some are able to study hard and hit these exams with 3-4 weeks of study. I am not that type of person and you might not be either. Everyone has their own pace. I like the scene in the movie Pursuit of Happiness, when he's taking his series 7 exam. And one of the other guys finishes earlier than he did. He meets him in the elevator and he asks how he answered the essay question on the back page. The guy to finish the exam first says, “essay question?” and his jaw drops and he leaves the elevator in a panic. Moral of the story, pace yourself. Good luck!

BEC - PASS

FAR - PASS

AUD - PASS

REG - PASS

BOOM!  JUST LIKE THAT, I GOT MY LIFE BACK!  =D

Using Becker self-study
FAR: (82) 175 hours - 1st attempt
BEC: (XX)
AUD: (69) 45hrs of study - 1st attempt
REG: (XX)

[AndreA]

Thank you for the good advices! I'm gonna work on myself and try to improve the quality of my study sessions. Hopefully I passed AUD and I'll have BEC in 2 weeks, so may be I'll have 3 of 4 🙂

FAR - 73, 78 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 50 SIMs)
AUD - 73, 81 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 40 SIMs)
BEC - 71, 71, 74, 84 (WileyCPAexcel 3,000+ MCQs, 10 SIMs)
REG - 84 (WileyCPAexcel 2,000 MCQs, 15 SIMs)

CA Ethics Exam - 94%

NEVER GIVE UP.

[Oh]

I started using Time Timer. It's been a great help.

It enables you to ignore the clock, but just focus on each task with time you designated.

A lot of people recommend me, but I hesitated because of the price, but I don't regret it now.

Downside is I'm just so addicted to it now I can't live without it.

[inviteyou]

I'm not sure what the Time Timer is and if you are referring to the Pomodoro Tracker, but the Pomodoro Tracker is free! Just Google it and you can use that while studying on your computer or use Brain Focus which is a free app on your phone (for Android users).

AUD - 76
BEC - 87
FAR - 78
REG - 75

practice, Practice, PRACTICE!

[Author]

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