Study time for FAR, Thoughts???

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    Topic
  • #1587861
    for_3_letters
    Participant

    Can someone advise me on the length of time needed to study for FAR, in weeks? I’m trying to study and take FAR by Sept 9 which is about 7 weeks. Wondering is that actually enough time or should I just wait until Q4 and take first week of Oct probably the 6th? This would be 11 weeks which seems a bit more reasonable. I have been studying since this past Monday, but it is taking every bit of my time just to keep up. This is mainly due to taking notes and massive amount of material. I am using CPAexcel.

    Why am I attempting to do this? I simply was trying to take in Q3 and if I didn’t pass have another chance to take in Q4. I have been thinking lately that with the amount of time it is taking maybe I should just spend more time and increase my chances of passing.

    I am aware it is based on hours. I’m converting to weeks. I have about 3 hours a day to study.

    Thanks for your time.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    Faith to pass!

     

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)
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  • #1587872
    cpApex Predator
    Participant

    I think a big factor is in how comfortable you are with the material at this point. If you have recently gotten out of school and have the intermediate accounting courses still in your mind, then maybe not as long as if you took a long break and have to relearn a substantial amount of the material. Personally, I haven't taken it yet. I will take it one week from today and have put in about 300 hours. I lost count a long time ago. Hopefully it will be enough. I am using Wiley as well. There is probably a more efficient way to do it, but I went through the test bank once averaging in the sixties and seventies. Then I went through the test bank a second time averaging 87. At that point I watched videos and read chapters on my weak points. Then I went through all of the Wiley SIMS followed by all of the Ninja SIMS. Finishing it off by doing the 1700 multiple choice questions in Ninja. Plan on capping it off with a couple practice tests. The day before the test I am going to go for a hike and let my mind rest as I have been putting in ten to twelve hour study days and am getting pretty fried.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - 86
    REG - 89
    Why do you lag?  What is it to you that idle tongues will wag?  Follow my steps through all such whisper of you.  Be as a tower of stone, unswayed by whatever the winds may do.  For when a man lets his attention stray, it saps his mind's force with continual change.  -Dante
    #1587875
    for_3_letters
    Participant

    Mr. James

    Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm not fresh out of school. Its been about 10 years. I'm married and have a 4 year old. I also work full-time so I'm trying to put in no less than 3 hours. It normal goes something like: 2 hours in morning, 1 hour for lunch (break), 1 hour after work possibly 2 if I'm able.

    You have put a lot of hours in and I know that I couldn't match that. Hope you do well on your exam!

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    Faith to pass!

     

    #1587887
    cpApex Predator
    Participant

    Thanks for the encouragement. I have a lot of hours in, but I think a lot of those hours could have spent more wisely. My suggestion to you would be to work out a system of processing the information. Maybe that is sticking to the exam plan Wiley sets up for you, watching every video and taking notes, something to help keep it in your mind. I didn't take any notes through the process and was kind of all over the place. What can be tough with FAR is that you can study a section for a few weeks and then after a month that information is already fading without constant refreshment. Maybe taking notes would help keep it fresh so you can constantly renew the information. Personally, I don't think I would be able to take the exam with seven week prep time after a break from school. I would rather delay and increase the chance of passing.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - 86
    REG - 89
    Why do you lag?  What is it to you that idle tongues will wag?  Follow my steps through all such whisper of you.  Be as a tower of stone, unswayed by whatever the winds may do.  For when a man lets his attention stray, it saps his mind's force with continual change.  -Dante
    #1587983
    Meg267
    Participant

    I'm using Wiley to study for FAR as well and at this point, I'm cramming. There is so much material! My test is in August, but I'm going to go for it because I'd rather take it and have a chance at passing this quarter than push it out and take it in Q4. If I have to, I'll take it again in Q4 after I've had more time to study. Seeing how my other exams have gone, I'll probably have to take it the second time. I usually feel much better the second time after having experienced it once.

    I work full time as well. It's hard to get the study time in. I'm exhausted after working 9 hour days and then studying 3-4 hours per day as well. My husband is ready to have his wife back.

    BEC - 57, 68, 78
    REG - 62, 82
    AUD - 61, 76
    FAR - 79

    Licensed.
    No one ever fails the CPA exam, there are only those who give up.

    #1588028
    Radez
    Participant

    I'm using a similar strategy to yours, given the score release timelines. I'd rather aggressively target the exams and have more opportunities to address deficiencies than to try and address deficiencies in advance, especially because what you feel is necessary to pass the exam may actually be significantly more than what is actually required to pass the exam. I say go for it. 🙂

    I'm using Roger. I can't speak to Wiley, but I targeted roughly 6-7 weeks for this. I have a commute of roughly 1.5 hours a day, so I listen to lectures in the car. I try to drill about 2 hours worth of practice questions in the morning and 1 hour at night. I'm on track to have reviewed all the questions at least once, and anticipate having enough time to review all of the questions I got incorrect on my first pass. I might wind up a complete failure, but at least then I'll be retesting in Q4 anyway.

    Keep in mind the score release for Q4 exams is December 22. If you test in Q3, find out your score in September, you have an additional 7-8 weeks to study before retesting.

    AUD - 98
    BEC - 93
    REG - 84
    FAR - 91
    #1588131
    Jdn9201
    Participant

    I think that's a good amount of time. I took FAR in Feb 2016 so it was before the test changed. I didn't plan on this but somehow I was able to pass first try with 3 weeks of studying. One mistake I think people make is giving themselves too much time. Just realize the longer window you study for the more time you will have for review. I don't have kids but I put in about 80 hrs in total while working about 50 hr a week. Good luck!

    BEC - 88 8/29/15
    REG - 82 11/14/15
    AUD - 83 1/8/16
    FAR - 80 2/29/16

    #1588151
    for_3_letters
    Participant

    @Meg267

    Thank you for responding. Glad to hear I'm not alone. I hope that you are able to be successful on your exam in August. Yeah I think that I'm going to just go for it as well.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    Faith to pass!

     

    #1588166
    for_3_letters
    Participant

    @Radez

    Thank you for the encouragement. I definitely needed the extra push! I have been thinking that I should get the Ninja audio and listen while I commute which is about an hour a day. Do you take any notes are do you simply listen to lectures in your car and do MCQs? I take notes so it slows me way down. Afraid to do just MCQs as I might not full comprehend a topic just through MCQs.

    I'm quite impressed with you AUD score, 98!!! Seriously! You seem to obtain a good grasp on things. I would like to say that I'm there but it takes a little more for me, but I can definitely do it. I'm sure you will do great on FAR.

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    Faith to pass!

     

    #1588167
    for_3_letters
    Participant

    @jdn9201

    3 weeks… that is fast. That is awesome to be able to pass in such a short time. You put in half the recommended study time so you must really have had an understanding of FAR prior to studying. Great job! What study material did you use? What was your study method? I think mine is taking too long?

    AUD - NINJA in Training
    BEC - NINJA in Training
    FAR - NINJA in Training
    REG - NINJA in Training
    Faith to pass!

     

    #1588659
    Jdn9201
    Participant

    Yes I was pretty strong already on financial accounting prior to studying for FAR which was helpful. I used Roger for all of my exams (he is awesome). As far as study methods, I listened to alot of the lectures while working, which saved me time at home to either repeat hard lectures or focus on mcqs. I also relied heavily on the outline issued by the AICPA. If a section was listed with a low percent on the outline, I'd aim to get about 40-50% of those practice mcqs right so that I could focus my time on the more important sections. One mistake I think many people make is they get overwhelmed and think you have to know every detail, which is false. You definitely have to take a big picture approach. Another benefit of studying over a short window is I only used 4 days to review. I didn't have enough time apparently to forget alot of what I studied.
    And lastly the main reason why I posted is because the amount of time to prepare for FAR varies so widely. I think if you are able to mold the material and the study plan to what works best for you, it'll help you to retain the information and make good progress.

    BEC - 88 8/29/15
    REG - 82 11/14/15
    AUD - 83 1/8/16
    FAR - 80 2/29/16

    #1588662
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    @jdn9201-that's very impressive. Ironically, it looks like i have the least amount of time to study for FAR (12 weeks) compared to all my other tests, but I do agree that the longer you take for review the more you forget. It's also very demotivating to study that long. I just took REG and think I would have felt better if I took it two weeks ago:)

    #1588824
    Radez
    Participant

    @observant08

    Thank you. I don't take notes in the car, I hope to absorb it by osmosis while listening. I don't consider an effective method of learning if you really want to master the material, but I don't think the exam is about mastery. I think the lectures are good enough to put some mental infrastructure in place. My main focus is on drilling the questions. I usually do poorly on a first pass, but reviewing what I got wrong helps really cement the nuances that I missed just listening to the lectures.

    AUD - 98
    BEC - 93
    REG - 84
    FAR - 91
    #1589037
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    If you do 3 hours a day for FAR, that should be enough. 3 hours a day for 2-3 months should be adequate! 150 hours is about what most people spend for FAR preparation. Then again, some people only study 3 hours a day for 3 weeks and still pass. It depends on how much stuff you can retain in your brain before the exam. If you're someone who is good at remembering things, then you won't have to study as much. If you're someone (like me) who doesn't remember what they ate for lunch yesterday, then it's going to be harder for you. Repetition is the key to keeping the stuff at the front of your brain so you'll have it ready when you go to take the test. If you work full time and/or have the kind of life with lots of other obligations, which doesn't allow for that…it makes for a very long, difficult road.

    #1589043
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    At LEAST 200 hours unless u are very smart and fresh out of school. The AICPA grossly understates the amount of hours needed to pass these exams. It's very unethical and misleading. Also, don't believe some of the “stories” u hear about passing FAR in a few weeks – not true.

    Goodluck.

    #1589132
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    ^ Agreed.

    Even some of the review courses have study plan calendars that are based on a “6 week per section” schedule. That might work, assuming you have the stamina to study 24/7 and don't work or have a family or other commitments. And yes, of course the AICPA has their nice little Pollyanna approach to prepping for and passing these exams – that the average candidate should be able to be done with all the exams in 6-9 months max, “but we give you 18 just because we're really nice and fair.”

    It's not uncommon to find people who spend 6 months trying to study for and pass a particular section. I've talked to more than one person who took FAR multiple times just due to the huge amount of material. One person I encountered awhile back told me that he took it 9 times before he passed. Definitely not the norm but you get the idea, it's just different for everyone (in his case though I think he just kept getting a bunch of really hard forms of the FAR exam.)

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