canson16  - Yes, that is correct. Whenever I felt I wouldn't retain anything, I just focused and repetitively memorized stuff. I'd do stuff I normally do to help me remember. This involved writing it down or making notes next to what i wanted to remember. That helped the most for me. I don't know what helps you but repetition = key.

Shipz  - I definitely did not know audit thoroughly. At the same time, I don't read the lessons twice or do the homework twice. I go through it once and then reread the stuff I'm unsure about and redo the questions that gave me trouble. I would need more than 12 days if I did EVERYTHING more than once. I also do not do simulations so that cuts my time. Shipz, honestly you just have to force yourself to study. I can't study 8 hours only when I am massively pressured (BEC). I study around 5-6. It's good as long as you hit what you want to study.

TNcandidate - Very true. REG and BEC were my strongest subjects and I put in the bare min for BEC and I did well in REG. AUD was pure luck imo. It could have gone either way (pass/fail). FARE I did OK because I'm not good at FARE. 

A good way to estimate how much time it takes to study for a test is to do one and mark your progress. I took FAR first.  I tried different studying approaches for every chapter to figure out what worked for me.

·         I found that it takes me 2 days to read and make copious notes for 1 chapter based on 65 pages. 

·         I didn't retain the information after 4 chapters, so I needed to do progress tests (redo the questions, or go through my notes) after every 3rd chapter.

·         I took 2 weeks to do a final review and feel some what ready for the test. 

·          Studying for more than 6 hours per day was unproductive.  Taking 1 day off a week made my studying more productive.  When you are reading and the material isn’t sinking in, its time to stop.

·         Make sure you understand the section before moving on to the next one. 

·         Don't attempt to memorize the first time through.  Start memorizing your flash cards the second time through the materials.  The goal is to understand the concepts first.

·         What you don't understand, memorize.

nice thoughts

and congrats on passing

I just found out this morning that I passed my fourth and final part. I just wanted to give some tips for those working away:

For background, I do NOT have a degree in accounting or business. I actually have a degree in European History of all things. I found myself in the business world and naturally gravitated to numbers and accounting. I actually went back and took the required classes necessary to sit for the exam. Now, even though I don't have the formal background in the work, I've passed. I'm hoping that this tells you that if I can do it, you likely can too. So here are the tips:

First, find the review course that fits you best. Each course has differences in how they present the information, as well as who is presenting it. Find out what fits you best and go with that. You can just grab the Wiley book and go balls out like a nut. Another book could be Gleim and their great CD full of questions to practice (I used this for 3 tests). You can go with the big boys and take Becker. I thought the cost was crazy for what it gave you in comparison to the competitors. Still, it works for many people out there. I think it is much more formal in its presentation. For a more relaxed presentation there is Yaeger. Yaeger gives you lots of content and awesome tips. The gist of all of this is to find your fit. I can't stress this enough as this could make or break you on exam day.

Another tip is to not give up. Every day you can, just study a bit. I work full time as a director at an accounting firm. Every night I would go home tired and pull out those DA** books. I plugged away over the last 9 months, chipping away at the concepts. Take each module/chapter one at a time, and every test one at a time. Before you know it, you will be done and looking back in relief and wonder.

I'd also suggest trying to get outside support. No person is an island and it's great to have help on the bad days. Whether this is friends, family, that special someone, or this forum, try to set up a support system. It will help you on those downer days when you want to chuck the book out the window.

On a more specific idea, I'd also know your journal entries. I can't tell you how helpful that is as the questions just become so much easier when you nail the concepts there.

Pay attention to how the tests are scored in particular areas. In other words, don't skip studying NFP or Governmental for the FAR when they make up such a big chunk of the test. Know how the tests are set up and plan your studying accordingly.

Well, those are the tips I can think of off the top of my head. If anyone has specific questions, just PM me. Best of luck to all!