My Study Plan

Today I sat for FAR. I don't know how it went. I never know how it goes until I get the official score. 

One of my twudygroup friends (I will explain twudygroup in a later post) asked me how many times I "over'd and over'd and over'd." I wish I could give her a simple answer like I "over'd and over'd and over'd" each question 5 times. But it really isn't that easy. Some questions I might have actually only done once. Others I probably couldn't even count that high without my 10-key (lame accountant joke!).  She asked via Direct Message on Twitter.  There is no way I could answer her question in 140 characters.  So I am going to do it right here and everyone can get the benefit of my answer. 

First, I want to remind you while I have passed individual sections of the CPA exam, I have not passed all in the time frame allowed. Thus, I am not a CPA, YET! I am not an expert in studying and I am not claiming to be one.  So please realize my study habits may not be the ones that work best for you.

Second, I do believe everyone needs to over and over and over no matter what your study habits are. The information needs to stick in your brain. No better way then repetition.

I currently use CPAExcel as my study course.  It is broken down into topics, then subtopics then bite sized subtopics.  As you complete each bite sized subtopic the topic turns a color. Red - You don't know shit! Better do it again! Orange - You know more than shit but you should review it. Yellow - You are almost there! One more time! Green - You go it. Move on! (The explanations are courtesy of me!) Each topic has video lectures (these are extra - I did purchase them), the chapter out of the textbook, Proficiency Questions, Exam Questions, Flashcards, and if applicable, task based simulations. I also have used Wiley Online Test Bank for variety. My over and over and over works with both and just about every test you will ever have to take in your life.

So without further ado here is my study plan for every section of the exam without me even looking at how much there is and how much time I have. This is what I do.

I go straight to the Exam Questions. In CPAExcel there can be anywhere from 1 question to 30 questions in this part depending on the material. I complete all these questions on exam mode. Exam mode is just as it sounds. You are timed and don't see the correct answers until you complete that section. This is the mode that the color indicators happen. I get my percentage correct for that topic. Then I go back and redo all the questions in study mode. Study mode tells you right away if your answer if the correct or incorrect. It gives you an explanation of why it is the correct / incorrect answer. It doesn't matter if I got it correct or incorrect I read ALL the wrong answers and then the correct one. Then reread the question with the correct answer. If there is a section I really don't understand I will watch the lecture. If I still don't understand I will read that section of the textbook. I make study cards for not only the topics I don't know at all but also for the topics that I semi know. The only study cards I don't make are the ones that I ABSOLUTELY know. I sometimes create my own and sometimes just copy what the ones that are included in the software. I do this from top to bottom for ALL the lessons.

After the first review is done I go over the topics that are red and redo those questions. I want them to be at least orange!

Depending on my time I will keep doing this. I would ideally love everything to be yellow. But that isn't practicable most of the time.

When it comes down to two or three weeks remaining I start the main point in my over and over and over process. I do practice tests, all questions review over and over and over. With CPAExcel you can chose to have questions randomly from all the material, from the questions you haven't seen yet, or the questions you haven't answered correct yet. With Wiley you can chose to do ones that you have gotten correct or you can chose to do all the questions. You can also add in TBS, which I do at this point (more on TBS below). Wiley also has a feature that you can chose what topics you want the questions from. So if you are weak in a few topics, you can review them in testlet. Some days I do just the ones I haven't answered correct yet (this includes the ones I haven't seen yet). Some days I do all the questions so I can review what I already know. I keep going until multiple choice questions are coming out of my ears!

Now for the Task Based Simulations.  I take a few days and I review and WRITE out every single TBS on my yellow legal pad. (Accountants LOVE yellow legal pads!)  You know they aren't as hard as they sound if you write them out and realize what the question is asking. I review the ones I really don't understand. A few days before the test I try to take a day or more to just focus on TBS.  For me, they cover a lot of material in one problem. I feel like I get more bang for my time by doing them. I review more concepts at once and how they fit together than if I did MCQ for that time. But don't forget to go back and over and over and over your MCQ!

On weekends I do a practice test a day. It is normally on the weekends only because I have more time and you will need a lot of time to complete and review a test. Again, during the review I read the answer explanation.

During my over and over and over process I will complete mini testlets of 20 MCQ at a time. I don't have a long attention span so this is good for me. I just keep doing these over and over and over until I have to leave for the test!

I am sorry friend, I don't have an answer of how many times I over and over and over. How do you feel? Should you do one topic more times than another topic? Are you stuck on some questions? Use your gut. I know you are smart or you never would have made it this far! I know that's a longer answer then you were expecting but that's my answer! Good Luck Studying! I will be right there with you!