I was researching some other professional exams or entrance exams to brainstorm some CPA exam study tips.
1. Timelines Destroy Procrastination
You are procrastinating when you should be studying for the CPA exam. You should be knocking out BEC practice questions but you’re searching for random trivia info about celebrities instead.
Everybody procrastinates. We are hardwired to be lazy. We are hardwired to avoid hard work.
I often think the CPA exam is really not a finance exam but rather an exam in discipline. It’s long and it is inconveniently spaced out while you have other commitments.
The first CPA Exam study tip is that you need to come up with a study plan in order to avoid procrastinating. Come up with the number of hours you think you need to pass. Then divide up these hours with the time you have available each day. One thing that I’ve noticed is that students often try to fill every minute of a study plan. It doesn’t work that way. You’d be surprised how much time is spent on showering, cleaning, running errands. You have much less time than you think. You might think you have 14 potential study hours in a day. You probably do not. I consider a solid day of studying anything north of 6 hrs per day. If you put in a solid 6 hours of CPA study time, consider it a victory.
I have yet to come across a CPA exam student who does not benefit from taking practice questions. You need to get comfortable with the timing of questions. You can’t get bogged down on questions that you can’t answer.
Secondly, for reasons that we’ve explained previously, practice questions are the most effective way of cementing knowledge in your brain.
3. Visualization Exercise
Before you go to sleep, visualize yourself studying diligently for 5 minutes. Create a mental picture of what you would look like studying in the proper way.
A lot Olympic athletes, surgeons and other high performers are big believers in the power of visualization.
Try it. It might work.
Those are three more CPA exam study tips to help you pass the CPA exam this autumn.