[Anonymous]

Hi,
I have been out of school for 15 years and now decided to really get serious about this exam.

Everytime i begin studying i feel completely lost on what an effective study strategy is to pass, for example BEC. I am giving myself 4 weeks to study BEC – is this too little?

Can someone please share tips, routines, tricks that helped them to focus, stay organized, continue to build momentum, meet due dates and begin passing these exams!

Thanks,
CPA002

[TaxKeep]

Buy a study program and follow their plan. Roger worked for me, but you can find many others on here who've had success with other plans. Whichever one you get, it's worth it. “If you study, you will pass!”

The point of each and every one of them is to get you in a routine. It does not matter how the material is delivered, it matters only that you are carving out time each day to specifically study.
You only get better with specific practice, and that is especially true for the act of studying.

AUD - 83
BEC - 79
FAR - 78
REG - 86

“Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else.” - DFW

BEC-79 (10/15)
FAR-78 (01/16)
REG-86 (05/16)
AUD-

[Anonymous]

I agree with TaxKeep. Putting yourself on a schedule where you study every day for x amount of hours (and double or more that for weekends) will help immensely.

I set many goals for myself for each section to break up the studying into manageable chunks and keep myself on track. Most of the time it was things such as “get through the first 2 sections by next Friday, then half of the MC by the following Fri”. Whatever works for you.

4 weeks is probably not enough time if you are working full time. I took an average of 12 weeks per exam (studying about 20 hours a week), because I didn't see any point in sitting for the exam if I didn't have a pretty good idea I'd pass.

I am 10 years out of school and feel like we have both an advantage and disadvantage over kids just graduating. The “book” material is less fresh, but the work experience makes up for that, IMO.

[JMG]

I would also make a point to keep track of your weaker areas, generally if you are older you will be able to answer a lot of questions just on common sense/life experience alone. So I would try to narrow the material down to specific areas and then take good notes to reinforce and later review. Good luck!

Your fail scores are like battle scars, so wear them proudly!

REG - 76 (expired 7/31/18)

BEC - 69, 72, 80

AUD - 62, 70, 74

FAR - 50, 60

[Defo]

The best tip i have is to find a way to deeply internalize the goal. If you can convince yourself that CPA means enough to you, then the rest becomes easy. Would it have been better to take the test 15 years ago? Absolutely! but you want to take it now, and the past is the past. There is no reason to set an arbitrary age limit on what you can accomplish or allow yourself any excuses to fail.

I am 10 years out of school as well, so I can relate to your thoughts and frustrations. Find a way to make it one of the most important things in your life and you won't fail.

AUD - 83
BEC - 84
FAR - 78
REG - 92

AICPA

[GAPilot715]

I highly recommend getting a review system. Get on a study schedule and stick with it. It is easier when studying becomes a part of your routine. Spend every free moment you can studying. I typically dedicate 2-3 hours a night and more on weekends, but every 10-15 minutes I have free during the day I pick up a chapter summary or material and read over a topic to stay fresh. Don't neglect the material in previous chapters as you move through a study program. I would periodically take MCQs cumulative of the material I had covered to that point to stay fresh. Try not to just practice MCQs to solely get a high score, but when you practice understand WHY you are getting questions right or wrong. It'll help you understand what you know and what you don't know.

4 weeks could be enough time for BEC, but it depends on how well you are understanding the material. I recommend studying FAR first. I haven't taken BEC or REG yet (currently studying REG), but I can tell you there are a lot of FAR concepts that you'll see in AUD and you may see some in REG. FAR is a beast and it will let you know whether you have a good study strategy or not.

Just remember, just because something works for me or someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. You have to figure that out on your own. Take other's ideas and see if it can help you based on your study style and ability to retain and understand information.

Licensed CPA

 

FAR - 92

AUD - 92

REG - 86

BEC - 91

 

[Recked]

I too am out of school for 15 years.
I find that I hit a mental brick wall after about an hour. Maybe 2 at the tops if I am watching the videos, but any hope of pulling through MCQ's in 80 seconds is impossible.
Study, recognize when your mind shuts down, take a break, and then hit it again.
On the weekends I can study from 8am until about 7 or 8pm and get in about 7.5-8 hours with the breaks.

All things get easier with practice. Just stick with it, and aim for quality time over quantity.
10 questions with review is typically taking me about 20-30 minutes, and I struggle to maintain focus through 20 question quizzes.
It will get better with practice.

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)

[gt1981]

Older candidate here too, I was an adult student even in college – so I'm quite old compared with most candidates studying. I have not sat for any yet, and I postponed my first exam (AUD) three times this year because I couldn't get into a study groove. I finally was a no show and decided a month or so ago to get it all in gear. Eliminating all distractions was my first step and quantifying every minute of my day has been helpful to me.

Cheering you on!

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - NINJA in Training

Testing Signature

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. Some great tips here.

Have to keep on plugging away.

CPA0002

[shawn in VA]

I am 10 years out of school. The exam is doable but you have to put in the time. The poster that said that 3 months is reasonable time to study is on some kind of illegal narcotics.

You will forget the earlier information. I would go with your original 4 week plan and put in 30 hours a week and see how things go. That will give you 120 hours in with material fresh in your head. BEC really does not have much material but it is a tricky exam and underestimated

AUD - 84
BEC - 81
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - 75

AUD - 84

BEC-  81

REG-75

FAR- TBD

[shawn in VA]

30 hours a week sounds crazy but I have wife and 2 kids and work FT. Its not too bad if you can do 9 sat , 9 sun, and split the remaining 12 mon to fri.

AUD - 84
BEC - 81
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - 75

AUD - 84

BEC-  81

REG-75

FAR- TBD

[shawn in VA]

BEC at least in the Roger Material has the smallest book and least amount of lectures. It is doable in 4 weeks but you have to sacrifice.

AUD - 84
BEC - 81
FAR - NINJA in Training
REG - 75

AUD - 84

BEC-  81

REG-75

FAR- TBD

[studysled]

I'm 14 years out. It's definitely doable.

4 weeks for BEC is pretty tight. Ideally, I'd say give yourself 8 weeks if it's your first exam. 6-7 if it isn't.

Bottom line, even if you only have 4 weeks, I'd aim for around 1,600 MCQ's, and maybe 50ish Sims to give yourself a solid base. That's after watching videos/conceptual learning. Which can get a little time consuming if it's your first time through digesting the material.

In my opinion, don't focus so much on number of hours (quality of hours varies greatly), but focus on the measurable goals of how many MCQ's and Sims you do.

Structured exam prep programs (MDS has great videos, I use that course) are a must, at least for me. Ninja MCQ's/Sims and audio driving to/from work fill in the gaps nicely, especially the final two weeks before the exam.

Either way, don't be afraid to fail an exam, because at least you've given yourself that base knowledge that you can build on for the retake.

My strategy, and the one I'd recommend, is to take BEC first and build your confidence. Then do FAR and Audit because of overlap, then Reg.

BEC - 79 (5/13/16)

REG - 76 (7/1/17)

FAR - 89 (9/9/17),  (73 on 3/7/17)

AUD - 80 (11/20/17),  (73 on 5/8/17)

 

 

 

 

[Sweet<3 soon to be CPA]

OMG! I was so happy to find this post! I am 10 years working post undergrad and I find I don't have a long attention span (similar to ReckedRacing above) and just barely (75) passed my first exam BEC in March.
Fast forward to September and I am 3 out of 4 passed – I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel!! I feel that being an older test taker has its advantages AND disadvantages but I think that the experience that comes from working supersedes all. Sure I am not studying as hard as I think I NEED to, but I am passing and I found review courses that definitely help fill in the gaps- using Roger for lectures and Ninja MCQ.
I honestly cannot see myself passing fresh out of college w/o work experience. Again this is just me. Currently I am attempting to tackle FAR and it is definitely scary (and some things new) but my strategy to watch lectures, take notes, and then just do MCQ till I hate life worked for 3. Now it has to help me cross the finish line!

***!!Best of luck to all!!***

BEC - Passed

REG - Passed

AUD - Passed

FAR - Passed

[oisbuddy]

I am 10 years out, I was at the same place as you guys last year at this time. Started in AUG '16 and finished in MAY '17. I do govermental/NFP audits and a moderate amount of tax returns. It was tough studying, but honestly I have-assed it especially with wife and kids needing constant attention. Remember the exam doesn't test most subjects since they have to squeeze in the material into a few questions. My advice is knock out FAR and REG first. Chances are if you are 10 years+ out of school, you know you accounting so FAR is a breeze for us compared to kids right out of school. REG sucks, but if you do tax returns at work, the new exam will be a breeze for you. BEC blew since I never use the material in real-life, I skimmed through the AUD book in one week and passed it.

AUD - 81
BEC - 77
FAR - 81
REG - 81

He gone...

[Ivy]

Roger said “ you are allowed to bring fingers to the exam.”, I used my fingers did some adding from your out of school years and realize I am the oldest one here. So far from this list, Yeah!

I find out exercise helps, I run or swim every 2 to 3 days which have helped me focus on the study a lot longer. also more efficient. and of course, the best part is I do not feel old at all.

[Author]

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