Hello everyone!

This is my first post and I need some feedback from all of you who have been involved in this grueling process.

I just graduated with my BS in Accounting in December 2010 and I bought the Becker Review material (waiting for the self-study in the mail) this past weekend.

I plan to start studying ASAP (last week in Jan/first week in feb) and try to sit for FAR in Early April, then take BEC in late May.

I work full time and I have a 16 month old at home. I can probably get in 3-4 hours of studying mon-fri and then about 6 hours on the weekend.

Has anyone passed the exam while working full time and playing mom?! Is 20 hours a week sufficient to pass?????

I am having sooo many doubts, I need to stay positive!

Words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

Some  thoughts and recommendations. 

I wouldn't register for my test dates until I had at least 75% of FAR or BEC done. Personally I would start with BEC over FAR.  FAR is just so much material, unless it's your strength.

If you can manage to take any time off toward the date of the test or even half way through as a study day I found that helpful. 

Use Feb as a test period.  If you truly get 15 hours of studying done in a week.. does that mean 1 chapter a week of lectures, mc and simulations? The lectures are about 3 hours a chapter and I just don't think you can sit for three hours, so most times I would do about an hour, do multiple choice in order to absorb it all..

I would do a chapter on the weekend and use the entire week to review that chapter, do the mcq at least twice and then the simulations before moving on.  Durring most weeks I would review the chapter I just had done as well as the chapter before or an area of weakness before moving on. 

Once I finished all the chapters, I went through the last few years AICPA released questions and  notes. In addition to Becker, I did purchase the wiley books for extra MCQ's; but really only used them toward my final review, not when studying.

I work full time, plus do taxes during tax season  and have been out of school a long time. (graduate in 1980)  My first section was BEC, November 2009 and I took one section every window and passed on my first try; my last section will be FAR this Feb, giving me an extra window to pass if needed.  Even though my kids are older, it still was a balance. 

I will say it's a perfect time, while it's challenging now, doing it when they are "in school" or involved with activies is even harder with working full time. Use that as motivation to complete this now, telling yourself it's perfect timing.

I got behind last year between work, a fall that required back surgery and missed a window but the key was feeling really prepared with each section has paid off with passing marks.  If you just finished accounting that helps, but it's also about reading the "wording" of the questions and working under the time deadline that takes practice.

Good Luck,  and this board is a great resource !

 Cathe

Colorado Board

BEC, 11/09 passed

REG, 05/10 passed

AUD, 11/10 passed

FAR  FEB 2011

Thank you so much Catco,

I am so caught up in trying to do this VERY fast, that I am setting myself up to fail. I think I am going to do as you suggest and not schedule my test date until I am 75% done with FAR. I already paid the FAR fee, so that is the first one I have to take. Hopefully my Becker self-study will show up this week and I can get started. :)

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom, I guess it is better to do it now while my son is still young, he won't remember at this age. Better to do it now...I agree!

Thanks Catco!

I am also a working mother, it is hard but I've been putting it enough for a long time now.

I just sent my application of intent, so as soon as it gets approved I will schedule to sit for BEC, hopefully this testing window, if not I'll have to wait until April.

I am studying with Yaeger home study, I study 1 hr before work, 1 hr at lunch, twice a week, I study 1 hr after work, and then 3hrs saturday and sunday. I just started last week, and today was a bad day and could not get any studying done, so I wil have to make it up during the week.

Hello everyone!

This is my first post and I need some feedback from all of you who have been involved in this grueling process.

I just graduated with my BS in Accounting in December 2010 and I bought the Becker Review material (waiting for the self-study in the mail) this past weekend.

I plan to start studying ASAP (last week in Jan/first week in feb) and try to sit for FAR in Early April, then take BEC in late May.

I work full time and I have a 16 month old at home. I can probably get in 3-4 hours of studying mon-fri and then about 6 hours on the weekend.

Has anyone passed the exam while working full time and playing mom?! Is 20 hours a week sufficient to pass?????

I am having sooo many doubts, I need to stay positive!

Words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

Most of my students (live on skype) work full time and find that they need 3 months to prepare for each part. 

Darius P

CPAexamTutoring- email provided in profile...