Written By Guest Blogger Oprah M.
After one week of studying, I really feel like I have no life. Between getting ready for a five-year old’s party and studying, life has been busy. We had “family fun day” at the park for my kids, and I decided to stay home to study. Nonetheless, I know it’s temporary; my main priority is getting my CPA certification.
When I received my books and online access, I was so excited. I went straight to work reading over the Gleim material and their recommendations on the best way to study the material. I’m still trying to get a good grip on my studying schedule, but I would say that I put in about 10 hours last week. I’m trying to get up to 15 hours a week. Currently, I am one study unit behind my schedule, but I will make it up this weekend. At least I can take the Gleim audio review with me wherever I go; it’s a life saver. I’ve listened while doing the dishes, taking a walk, driving to work, etc. Whenever there is time, I listen.
Gleim makes it pretty easy to go through the review and I like doing the multiple-choice questions along with some True/False questions. It mixes it up. Gleim material is an easy read and gets straight to the point. Oftentimes during CPA reviews, you can get overwhelmed with a whole bunch of unnecessary information. After each subunit, you take a couple of multiple-choice questions to reinforce the information you learned.
As I study, I write notes for things that aren’t that easy to remember. Yeah, I know TIP, PIE, and GCDO—the basic stuff. But when it comes to knowing the Attestation Standards or Assertions, I need to write them down as well as practice the mnemonic devices. I’ve also created some of my own mnemonic devices to make it easier to remember. I have a goal to sit for the exam by the end of August, but I don’t want to rush my studying. I really want to understand what I am learning.
