Tips for motivating holiday studying

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #1391564
    smoothiezguy
    Participant

    I don’t know if you all are like me, but I’m not looking forward to what the holidays are going to do to my study time, or more accurately, my motivation to study. With stuff happening and family members around and all that goes on, it’s really hard for me to stay motivated to study in the midst of it all.

    Any tips to keep yourselves motivated to study despite busy schedules, holidays, etc.?

    BEC - 83 x1
    FAR - 87 x1
    AUD - 71 | 82 x2
    REG - 93 x1

    I'm Done!!!

    CMA - 430
    BEC - 83
    FAR - ?
    AUD -
    REG -

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • #1391577
    Skynet
    Participant

    Spiked Eggnog will help you deal with the stress of Family and the CPA exams.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #1391664
    mschnei42
    Participant

    SmoothiezGuy! I will use AUD as an example. I know you've already taken three exams, but this method motivated me even with a busy schedule, so I thought I'd share! Hopefully this helps others, too! 😀

    STEP 1: Purchase Becker.

    STEP 2: Hook up your laptop to your flatscreen via HDMI and make sure you've got good speakers to simulate a “theater-like” experience. Sit in a comfortable reclining chair with a snuggly blanket.

    STEP 3: Watch one Becker lecture per day in your “theater.” I would often enjoy a snack and a non-heavy alcoholic beverage during each “movie.” Don't touch MCQs or SIMs yet. By watching all the lectures first, you get exposure to most (if not all) testable topics. This builds instant familiarity with all material and increases your confidence. [DAYS REQUIRED = 6 (AUD) – 4 Hours/Day]

    STEP 4: Read each Becker chapter. I used the online book (since all of the notes, underscores, etc. were already there). Deploy the online highlighters for color-coding: Green = Acronyms, Pink = Pass Keys, Blue = Formulas. This comes in handy for final review. Play cognitive stimulation music for background ambiance during this process. I would typically get through one chapter per day. [DAYS REQUIRED = 6 (AUD) – 6 Hours/Day]

    STEP 5: After reading and highlighting a chapter, do the MCQs for that chapter. Each chapter of MCQ problems would be a day of studying for me. [DAYS REQUIRED = 6 (AUD) – 4 Hours/Day]. These were always done in a jacuzzi with Teddy Grahams. If you're wondering, yes, I'm an adult.

    STEP 6: You've now watched all lectures, read all chapters, and done all the MCQ questions. Damn. What diligence! When it came to SIMs, I conquered these as a final test. I would do one chapter of SIMs for a day of studying. At this point, your content knowledge is quite robust, so these should be confidence-boosting. If you dominate a practice SIM, reward yourself! I'd typically call in the GF and demand compliments/worship/substantial physical contact. If you can dominate a SIM, you can dominate anything. Anything. [DAYS REQUIRED = 6 (AUD) – 4 Hours/Day].

    Using this method, I was able to study and take each exam in about a month (of course, FAR took slightly longer). It requires intense commitment and no distractions, but never a 10-12 hour brain drain study day…which can give you time for family and events. I would always plan to have 1-2 weeks buffer before I took an exam to flip back through the online book and make sure I had all acronyms, formulas, and pass keys down.

    TOTAL DAYS FOR AUD: 24 + 1-2 Week Buffer
    TOTAL HOURS FOR AUD: 108 + 12 (Final Review) = 120

    These exams are easy with a plan! (: Good luck!

    AUD - 98
    BEC - 93
    FAR - 95
    REG - 92
    Peter Olinto bought me a beer, and it was glorious.

    AUD: 98
    FAR: 95
    REG: July 11, 2016
    BEC: August 8, 2016

    #1391726
    bucknell39
    Participant

    I would say April 2017 and the uncertainty of the new exam format should be enough motivation. You are almost done!

    AUD - 84
    BEC - 79
    FAR - 81
    REG - 78
    CPA in PA - Feb 17

    AUD - 84
    BEC - 69,79
    FAR - 70,81
    REG - 81 (expired),78

    #1391729
    smoothiezguy
    Participant

    @mschnei42 – Wow, that's intense, but looks like it really worked well for you based on your scores. 🙂 That's exactly how I would attack it if I didn't have a full-time job. With work and all, I'm flying to get 2 hours of study in on week days and 8 hours on weekends. It just means that I have to take longer to get ready for an exam…

    BEC - 83 x1
    FAR - 87 x1
    AUD - 71 | 82 x2
    REG - 93 x1

    I'm Done!!!

    CMA - 430
    BEC - 83
    FAR - ?
    AUD -
    REG -

    #1391751
    Gary
    Participant

    Think about how much alcohol you can buy with that 200 bucks you'd save by passing it on the first try!

    AUD - 89
    BEC - 84
    FAR - 89
    REG - 90
    AUD - 89

    FAR - 89

    BEC - 84

    REG - 90

    YES!

    AUD 8/18/16
    FAR 11/16
    BEC 1/17
    REG 2/17

    #1391760
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I now wish I had a hot tub! That approach sounds amazing! I have to admit that I was driving myself nuts by taking a couple of days off at Thanksgiving, but now I decided that with a full time job and two kids, as long as I am studying every single day, no matter what it is-reviewing the book, doing MCQ, preparing flash cards, I am ok. I study about 2-2.5 hours a day, with 40 min. of that on my commute and another 2 hours or so at night depending on how busy I am. I am currently through the Becker book for BEC as well as all the homework, so this is my review phase. I didn't feel like I was studying much, but I typed up detailed notes on Chapter 5, did about 60 MCQs with Ninja and prepared flash cards for Chapters 1-2 as part of my review between Mon and today. The key is to keep going and don't beat yourself up-CPA prep is part of your life, not all of your life.

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