[D]

I just got off the phone with Yaeger… in short the guy I spoke with said the recommended hours to study for each section are as follows: FAR- 200, AUD- 80, REG-160, BEC- 100.

I know everyone is different in when they feel ready, etc., but geez… 200 hours for FAR? For all of my sections I’m planning a max of 7 weeks to study, with at least 20 hours of studying per week depending on how comfortable I’m feeling as the test date approaches.

What do you guys think about these recommended hours? Its making me feel like I’m underestimating how much I will need to study- and here I thought 120-140 hrs/per section was great!

**************************
AUD: 77  (Jan 2016)
BEC: 80  (May 2016)
REG: (rematch May 2017)
FAR: (rematch Apr 2017)
**************************

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AUD - 74, 77! (1/2016)
BEC - 80! (5/2016)
REG - tbd (8/2016)
FAR - tbd

Study materials: NINJA MCQ/Audio/Notes

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!"
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[jeff]

No … get the NINJA Study Planner (free):

cpa-exam-study-planner

Studying 20 hours a week…

FAR – 6-7 weeks … 120-140 hours

AUD 6-7 weeks

REG 5-6 weeks

BEC 5-6 weeks

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Anonymous]

I would not go by any specific number of hours. Just because someone has studied FAR for 200 hours doesn't necessarily mean they know more than someone who has only studied 100 hours. I think it is the quality of the studying you are doing that counts, and it will vary for each person depending on where you're starting from. I have been out of school for 10 years, so I studied FAR for 4 months. However, someone that recently graduated could possibly get by with only studying 3 weeks.

I didn't even bother keeping track of the # of hours I studied. I just studied until I felt pretty comfortable with all of the material.

And keep in mind, you will never feel 100% prepared no matter how much or how hard you study.

[OnMyWayToCPA]

My thoughts are that they are just that–recommendations. I would just take them as general guidelines so far as BEC and AUD will most likely not require as many hours as REG and FAR.

But the amount of time each person needs will decrease when you consider how many classes they have already had on the subject/what they still remember, their experience in the industry and so forth…

So to me these seem like the hours for someone who has had little or no exposure to these concepts…

I studied a max of 20-30 hours for BEC, but those topics were my strong point in college.

AUD on the other hand will probably take me upwards of 50-60 hours to be ready for the exam. (I previously studied for about 20 hours and that didn't cut it)

I'm confident that you can grasp the concepts with the 120-140 hours that you have planned. Good Luck!

B - 79 PASSED (1/4 there!)
A - 77 PASSED (1/2 there!)
F - 79 PASSED (3/4 there!)
R - 83 PASSED (DONE!!!!!!)
Review Course: Lambers , Wiley and Ninja

[jeff]

I think I studied 40 hours for AUD 🙂

As a general rule – it will take the guidelines I used to fully go through a reputable cpa review course .. watch the vids…take notes…do MCQs…review with a “CRAM” or NINJA-type product etc.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Anonymous]

AUD should definitely be more than BEC. The Yeager-guy got the numbers wrong 😛

[RedRage00]

I used Jeff's planner with a little tweeking and it's helped me pass all 3 on the first attempt. I'm hoping to be 4 for 4 in about 3 weeks when I get my AUD score.

apbandj, 4 months for FAR? Yikes, I would have poked my eyes out LOL! More power to you. I was ready for that section to be over with. I gave myself 8 weeks since it was my first test and everyone said it was a beast.

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

[Herbieherb]

It depends on the candidate. I took 8 weeks for FAR, 4 weeks audit, 6 weeks REG, and 3 weeks BEC…pass all 1st time consecutively. Watched Yaeger vids 2x and cram…did all mcqs and sims at least 3x. 120 hrs vs 200 hrs might seem like a lot but do you really want to under study and fail??? just take it over again and repeat? Only you can gauge your own prepardeness

NEW YORK- DONE

[D]

Herbieherb- I see what you mean, but I would never just base my studying and preparedness off a set amount of study hours. Of course I'm going to follow a plan and be diligent and ballpark how many hours I want to aim for… just thought that for the “average” candidate that passed on the first time, 200 hours seemed like an insane amount!

Jeff- thanks for that link. I have submitted my info and will base my studying off the plan once I get it! 🙂

**************************
AUD: 77  (Jan 2016)
BEC: 80  (May 2016)
REG: (rematch May 2017)
FAR: (rematch Apr 2017)
**************************

----------
AUD - 74, 77! (1/2016)
BEC - 80! (5/2016)
REG - tbd (8/2016)
FAR - tbd

Study materials: NINJA MCQ/Audio/Notes

"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!"
----------

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how people count hours???? I base my study on what I complete or what I understand or don't understand and then go from there. Obviously, over studying won't hurt your chances.

[RedRage00]

We're accountants Jack…counting hours is normal LOL! I wouldn't say I was counting hours…Jeff's spreadsheet does it for you. I would just add in the amount of hours I studied each day. It wasn't necessarily counting hours for me, but it helped me stay on track with my studies.

I agree with Herbie…it depends on the candidate. I did make sure I had adequate amount of time to study because like Herbie, I didn't want to risk failing just because I didn't study enough. I'd rather study enough for 6 weeks than half ass it for 3 weeks, fail, and then have to study again. Screw that. I want this torture to be over.

Texas CPA
Licensed, March 2012

[Anonymous]

@Jack Don

I count weeks only and have no idea how much I've studied for each exam. Not to mention the retakes 😀

[Herbieherb]

Ya I counted weeks who knows how many hrs somedays I.would hit 14 hrs other days hit 2 or less. The most important is make a plan and stick to it. I planned it over weeks.

NEW YORK- DONE

[Author]

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