Hi guys,

I need some help! I graduated in dec 06 with a degree in accounting and finanace..my grades were OK not all that great but i had a tough time in accounting.  I want to start studying for my CPA exam but I have NOOO clue where to start!! i feel as if i forgot everything i learned in school..so should i go back and review that or just start studying using Beckers?  And i work full time..will it be enough if i study like an hour or two a day and take a test in 2 months? 

thanks in advance

naush

Big4Noob wrote: If you are going to be using Becker (not plural) then there is no need to go back and review your old school work. Peter Olinto, one of the Becker video lecture instructors, says that they teach assuming you were "blacked out" during your entire college experience and recollect nothing. So, for you, this is perfect. Also, Becker recommends that for each section, you spend 30 hours a week studying. They have study plans laid out in their text books. So, 1-2 hours for 7 days comes out to 7-14 hours a week. Hm...not perfect. For me, the 30 hours a week is perfection and would probably get you a score between 90-100. Also, 30 hrs/week seems near impossible to me, even when I'm not working at all. With that said, in two months, 1-2 hours/ day is not enough. Two hours MIGHT be enough if you're fully engaged 100%. Though I have found that I procrastinate for little bits during my study sessions and it keeps me from progressing. I JUST graduated from college and remember a lot of the material and 1-2/hours day just wouldn't work out for me. Maybe BEC. Definitely not FAR. Since you, for some reason, have forgot everything and it's been awhile, you're going to need to study more like 2-4 hrs/ day, depending on how disciplined you are when you're actually studying. For example, I should be studying now...but what am I doing? Exactly. You have to realize that studying for the CPA exam, and I mean ACTUALLY studying to PASS, it makes life somewhat miserable. Again, Peter Olinto talks about this. He says you're only truly studying for a professional exam if you consider your life to be a living hell. You cancel dates, don't go out with friends, your sugar pie screams, throws plates, divorces you, beats you...all the while your eyes are glued to the bright white light of a laptop screen swearing in your head about the answer you just clicked and it becoming highlighted in yellow (meaning you guessed wrong.) Of course, it's not this bad once you get the ball rolling, but it's good to think about when you AREN'T studying. Hope this gives you a bit of perspective.

You nailed it! Thats how I felt while I was studying.

It depends on how fast you pick things up (your intellect), how tired you are when you get off work, other demands in your life, etc.

Personally, I could not do this and pass if I was working.  That being said, you can do it but you should study 3 hours every night (it will take over your life), and 6 hours Sat and Sunday each.  You will schedule your exams 2.5 to 3 months out.  Try to stay focused and prep yourself for the test as fast as possible.  If you let too much time go by, you forget the details of the early chapters and have to start over.

Keep in mind that sitting for an exam you are not prepared to take is a major waste of time and money!  You can take each exam only once in a 3 month window, and they charge you to retake it.

You really have to have your eyes on the prize to make it.  You have to really really want it because you will sacrafice EVERYTHING in your life except your job to get it.  No friends, no social life, no family, no energy, no gym, nothing but Becker and the clock/calendar for weeks at a time.

Becker review should be enough but an hour or two a day wouldn't be enough to prepare you for exam in two months. As oldog suggested put some more time towards the weekend , stay focused and try to do it fast enough so you don't forget the old chapters. I also work full time and it is really tough, especially when your work is so demanding and you  just  feel worn out by the end of day. But still you need to be motivated with gotta get this done attitude. So far I have taken REG and AUD and haven't passed them, and now I am waiting for my scores for REG taken last month.