Welcome to REG Study Plan Talk!

This is the place where you can put your REG study plan in writing and put it in action.  Talk about your broad-range plans for tackling REG as well as your nitty-gritty day-to-day study plans.  Compare and contrast with others about what works/worked for them and help each other "tweak" study plans accordingly.

Don't forget to check out the forum's area on Study Tools & Review Programs...that's the place where you can discuss, compare & contrast review programs, books and software.  You can find it here.
http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=4

Good Luck with your Studies!
CPAnet

Here's something to help you brainstorm and possibly jumpstart your own study plan.  Don't forget to come back here and put your plan in writing! 

It's a visual Studying Methodology tool forum member cpasunj created for his BEC & REG study plan and you can find it here, especially check out the Routine Studying section.  It was great to see "visit CPAnet Forum" under Motivation!

Here are some ideas to hopefully get you started...

#1 is the dialog that takes place in the post How to Study
The post does not address a specific section of the exam, but instead addresses overall strategy and planning and has great dialog...hopefully it will give you some good ideas for your study plan: http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21473&am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;PN=0&TPN=1

#2 is a specific plan from minicre in the How to Study post above:

Here is what worked for me thus far:

Read the chapter once on your own. Then watch the Becker lecture or whatever you are using (if you are using one). If not then just move on to the next step. Next, do MCQ. Mark the ones you get wrong and the ones you just guessed and got correct. Re-read notes, but this time only the important stuff. During this read, you will notice the stuff that is important because you will see it from the MCQ questions. Then make flash cards (although this step may be more useful in some parts morse so then others, for an example reg. and aud. flash cards are VERY useful, as apposed to fare and bec which they are not as helpful, or so i find). Now do simulations.

Move on to next chapter, and do the same exact steps. 

IMPORTANT: after 1 or 2 chapters go back to the MCQ and do the ones you got wrong, or take a "becker progress test on those chapters" to refresh your memory. Remember reptition is key.

Finally when all is said and done. Redo all the MCQ questions again, and mark down the ones you get wrong AGAIN, and write an explanation as to why. Re-do sims if you have time. And re-read only important parts of chpts if you have time.

Yes, I know this sounds like a lot, but IF you do this... YOU WILL PASS the CPA!

Finally, my last point before I stop babbling... The best way to approach this method is to write our a clear and defined schedule for the entire weeks/months you are planning to study. DETAILED SCHEDULE. If you know what you need to get done in a week, you will do it. If you just dabble, you will not get everything you need to do, done!

GOOD LUCK, and hope this was helpful! 

#3 from rogercpa here:

cpadude22 wrote: thanks to all of you for your help.  another question.........how much time per week did you guys study?  I know everyone is different but i just want an estimate.  how long (eg couple months?  3 months?) did you guys study?  if possible, breakdown for each section please.  once again, thank you very much and good luck to all of you

The AICPA recommends 2 - 3 hours of self study (M/C + Sims) for each hour of lecture that you watch. Just going by our course lecture times, this works out as follows:

FAR - 96 hours
REG - 72 hours
AUD - 60 hours
BEC - 48 hours

Keep in mind that is just a minimum suggestion - I think previous posters really have the idea of "self study" down to a science! And I definitely recommend a previous poster's suggestion of sitting down and writing out your entire week - from waking up to going to bed, you need to account for each and every hour in your day (including TV time, nights out with friends, etc - although some of that should be put on the back burner until you pass!). Otherwise, it's just too easy to procrastinate.

So...what's your REG Study Plan???

Start talking...

My Becker license has expired so I only access to the text book and six of the seven lectures (2007).  I have done the lecture and read the text for chapt. 1, but for chapt. 2, I don't have the lecture so I only read the text.  I used CPAReviewforFree to answer questions and I think it helps in the comprehension.

I originally planned to read and listen to lectures while doing CPARFF MCQs, but I'm now wondering. Do I really need to listen to lectures and read? And then too, should I supplement questions with GLEIM MCQs (spend another $55), since I can tell which of those are from past exams, and also because I would be able to track my time per question and progress easier?

I plan to sit for REG during the third week of April.

Comments/suggestions welcome.