Make your own flashcards with your own wording so you understand them and review them as much as possible.  Waiting in line, lunch, etc any time you have.  As far as getting motivated its hard, especially when you haven't been in school for a couple of years.  I graduated in 2006 with a degree in accounting and it was hard to get myself back into study mode but it will be worth it in the end.  good luck!

I'm also a 30-something accountant, practicing for 3 years. Average intelligence. Passed 3 parts (BEC, REG, FARE) using Becker. Will take Audit this weekend.

When studying, feeling stupid & defeated is part of the experience.

Becker is all that's needed to pass the exam. Supplemental tools will be overwhelming. Plus, the bank of questions for any tool are almost the same.

What worked for me:

1. If you work FT, invest in the flash cards. Time is precious especially if you have a family. The Becker cards keep your studying focused.

2. Like Becker says, do all the questions & get 100% right at least once. Note: Average folks like us won't master the Q's at this stage.

3. Be organized. Make study notes in the Becker book. Time consuming, but very helpful during review.

4. Finished all the homework & lectures? Don't get conned into buying the cram review from Becker. Waste of money. Instead . . .

5. Becker tells us how each chapter is weighted on the CPA exam. Begin reviewing the most heavily weighted first.

6. Re-read all the Becker outlines. Re-read all the chapters.

7. Becker has a "Progress Test". It pulls random questions from each chapter. One chapter at a time, aim for 75-80%. Take the test over, and over, and over, and over until you are consistently at >75%. (Surprisingly, many of these questions show up, almost word for word, on the exam.)

8. Do the simulations.   

9. Be real. If a person isn't comfortable with the material 2-3 days before the exam, reschedule.

The lazy feeling? Family time is important. Balance that with a few hours of hunkering down, and you'll be fine. I study with ear protection (like used on a gun range), a timer (take a break every 45-60 min), and a candle (grapefruit scented). My husband locks me in tiny room & checks in every hour with water & a smoochy.

rogercpa wrote: ... and maybe you can afford a few extra channels once you've earned your CPA license and possibly a promotion! ...

I like that!  Maybe I should tell that to my husband to give me more support on this.  He'd be in football la-la-land. LOL!