Study Schedule Strategy motivation, particular, structure

vagabond

Has anyone had particular success in setting up a study schedule using specific tools or an approach? I was thinking of using excel to structure a schedule where I study X hours per day, leaving 1 night a week free, and have specific due dates for study sessions. Such an approach would provide motivation if I saw I was falling behind.

I realize this is probably a fairly obvious approach but if anyone had specific success and would be willing to describe their approach, it would be appreciated.

JPSem

I'm using Schweser for the Level 1 exam. I heard Stalla is good and I surely can vouch for Peter Olinto. He was MOTIVATING and EXTREMELY helpful in the Becker Review course for the CPA. So if I was going to use Stalla for future levels, having Peter Olinto on your side would be a HUGE +

Bulla564

bifstik Wrote:
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> Keep studying till you understand and remember all
> the materials.
>
> It doesnt matter whether it is 300 or 100 hrs, so
> no point setting up a schedule or calendar...


i completely agree! .. the hrs that CFAI recommends is just an average estimate. i think it takes diff people diff amounts of time to learn the material. way more hrs for someone who has no finance background vs. someone who has an undergrad/mba finance degree

soddy1979

For those of you that are CPA's and used Becker, curious to know if you selected Stalla or Schweser. I am also a recent CPA, planning to take L1 in Dec and trying to make a decision on which one to use, I have access to both. Thanks

Siddimaula

I also finished all 4 sections of the CPA exam in 6 months using Becker and my accounting bible (keiso) lol....my study strategy then, was to MASTER the material in each section and start doing the questions/exams in passmaster.

Given that you can finish a section in 1-2 months, you must fully understand/master the material in order to absorb all the material by exam date and pass. Glad I did, because that strategy worked.

I'm currently using the same approach for Level 1 but I feel that I'm not that efficient and I'm overstudying. I spent almost a month on Ethics, Equities, and FI. Obviously, there are a lot more readings/SS left.

Question- Should I really master the material and spend more time on each SS before moving on or should I focus on getting as much reading done as possible, get a good understanding, and come back when it's closer to the exam and master the material?

Should I complete the questions in Qbank after each topic , wait until the last month or after finishing a functional area, (i.e asset valuation, investment tools, etc.) and do them all @ once?

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

suyash1989

Keep studying till you understand and remember all the materials.

It doesnt matter whether it is 300 or 100 hrs, so no point setting up a schedule or calendar...

koba

Analyze_This Wrote:
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> Sorry about double post...rookie mistake.


make sure it doesnt happen again, Mr. CPA

MonkeyBusiness

Sorry about double post...rookie mistake.

JGovender

When I did the CPA, I had a calendar and had the goal of 15 hours per week. Each day I would put the amount I studied the previous day. I would know by the weekend how much I needed to get the minimum 15 hours. Simple, but effective.

sdada

Ill share mine.

I am studying for the dec 2010 L1 exam. I have an excel spreadsheet from jan 26 - nov 31. where each day I fill in how many hours I study and where I left off or what I did.

beside that table I have an estimated number of hours Id need to study every day to reach 300 by nov 31 and 600 by nov 31. I then have an identical section for actual totals. so it sums how much Ive studied to date. I then have it automatically calculate todays date and how many days until the exam as well as average hrs I have studied per day so far.

lastly I have percentage complete progress tracker which divides total hours studied by 300 and then 600 to show my study percentage completion.

Ive been studying for 2 weeks and have had great success with this. I can see everything I need in terms of planning and my progression and can see if my avg hrs studied per day starts dropping.

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"Tough guys don't do math. Tough guys fry chicken for a living."
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