My General CPA Study Strategy
So, my non-accounting-related life has been pretty fun and interesting lately. I think I am finally ready to sit down and begin studying for the CPA Exam. Or at least, begin to figure out where to begin studying.
Study Stratgy
I have been reading the intro chapters to my old (free) books for now. I realized when I took GMAT that reading everything the study books have to say is important. For example, this one pointed out that it is better to spend a higher percentage of time on practice questions in a simulated exam situation than on the actual studying. This is something I had learned when I took GMAT but had forgotten.
So, my very loose plan at this point is to set a study schedule that involves a few weeks of studying all of the material, and then more weeks of doing practice questions, taking practice tests, and practicing using the software that I’ll need to be familiar with for the exam.
Which parts to take first?
I am still waiting to hear back about being able to sign up for the exam. I think I applied to sign up for the Financial Accounting and Reporting (4 hours) section and the Regulation (3 hours) sections first.
I did change my mind a lot at the last minute, and then I went on vacation to Italy, so my memory is a little fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure I stuck with those.
I decided to take FAR first, even though it is what we covered the most of in classes, because it just seems like the sheer volume of information will make it my biggest challenge. I do much better on tests where logic can be applied, rather than just memorized facts.
I decided to take Regulation second because… well… it involves taxes. And my weak spot of hating to memorize pops up there again.
I know Auditing and Attestation (4.5 hours) will require the most studying, judging by the length of the exam, but audit class just made a lot more sense to me than financial accounting or tax classes did, so I’m hoping that feeling will carry over into the CPA exam.
So, for now, I’m familiarizing myself with the test in general, then I’ll set up a more detailed schedule to study for FAR. Hopefully I’ll be able to sign up soon so I’ll know what my timeline is going to look like!
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