How to Organize Your Time

Carve  Out Time to Study

 
From Joe:  One of the hardest things about passing the CPA Exam is just finding the time to do the
preparation that is necessary.   We all live full lives that keep us running around constantly.   Then, we
suddenly try to add in a number of hours of study each day and there simply is not enough available
time.   I cannot tell you how often people write to tell me that they get to the end of each day exhausted
without having found the time to do any studying.  It is frustrating.  

How can you get organized enough to find sufficient time to study?   Well, I have two pieces of advice.  

  First:   Each morning I get up and do stretching exercises for about 30 minutes.   I am a big believer
that stretching keeps you active and helps you feel younger.   Then, I have my breakfast (an odd mix of
four types of grains, Greek yogurt, blueberries, three types of nuts, and Cheerios).   While I eat
breakfast, I make a list of everything that I want to get accomplished during the day.   For example, my
list for today has 14 things on it.  

  Then, as I finish up my meal, I go back and number the items on my list in the order that I am going to
try to get them done.   I number each of these things based on how long they are going to take and how
important they are to get done today.   For today, I have 14 things on my list numbered 1 through 14.   I
have accomplished the first five and now I’m on number six:   “write email lesson for
CPAreviewforFREE.”  

I stick the list in my pocket and carry it around all day.   It serves as my guide throughout the day.  

What I find is that on days where I have the list, I get more done (often much more done) than on those
days where I fail to create the list.   Knowing what I want to get accomplished and putting those tasks
into a structure helps me to stay organized and focused on what I want and need to do.   I often have to
rearrange the schedule during the day as events pop up in my life.   But having the basic structure helps
me get more accomplished.   I have a road map for my day.

For me, the key is having the self-discipline to use my time during breakfast to make that list.   If I don’t
get it done at breakfast, it doesn’t get done and I tend to wander around unorganized all day.

Give it a try.   Tomorrow morning, set aside a few minutes to make your “to do” list for that day and
make sure that studying for the CPA Exam takes up a prominent position.   Try it for a few days and see
if you don’t feel a greater sense that you are actually making legitimate progress toward passing the CPA
Exam.
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=65#sthash.ESnVEb84.dpuf

How can I ever be successful?

That’s a question everyone must ponder now and then.  It is certainly a question that we get here at  on a regular
basis.  Last Friday, we put a 6 minute video up on our Facebook page where a psychologist (Angela Lee Duckworth)
talked about her research into “success.”   She had been a consultant and then became a teacher (I think she was a
7th grade teacher but I could be wrong).   Maybe all teachers become fascinated with who succeeds and who does
not but she then went back to school and became a psychologist and began studying success.   
 
In her research, she worked with students at the West Point Military Academy, students at the national spelling bee,
teachers, sales people, and students who were at risk of dropping out of school.  She looked carefully in each case at
the characteristics of the people who eventually proved to be successful.   Her findings were that success was not
based on IQ.   It was not based on good health or good looks. 
 
Well, then, according to her, what is success based on?   I found the answer to that question especially interesting
since I am trying to encourage thousands of people (YOU) to be successful on the CPA Exam – an exam where half
the people pass and half the people fail.  
 
According to this expert, the one characteristic that is a real predictor of success is “grit.”   The more “grit” you have
the more likely it is that you will eventually become successful at what you attempt.
 
The next question is certainly obvious:   How did she define “grit?”   What exactly is “grit?”   You can watch the video
for yourself but there were several things that jumped out at me.   I don’t know if I would call any of these “grit” but
I would say that they are each a strong predictor of success.   Are these the terms that you would use in describing
your own battle with the CPA Exam?
--A person with grit has the passion and perseverance necessary to accomplish long-term goals.
--A person with grit has stamina.
--A person with grit is able to stick with his or her plans for the future—day in and day out, not just for a week, not
just for a month but for whatever time it takes.
--A person with grit works really hard to make those future plans into a reality.
--A person with grit lives life like a marathon and not a sprint. 
--A person with grit does not believe failure is a permanent condition. 
--A person with grit believes that people can improve with effort.   We are not destined to fail; we can improve
through work.
 
It was only a six-minute video but she packed in a wealth of ideas to ponder.
 
Want to be successful?   Of course you do – we all want to be successful.   We all want to make our dreams come
true.   We all want to attain the victory.
 
The real question is whether we have the grit necessary to make it happen.   Start focusing a little more on your
persistence and your stamina for making progress over long periods of time.   Passing the CPA Exam is not sprint.  
It truly is a marathon.  
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=79#sthash.fPIiTxGN.dpuf

Words, Action or Both?

 I am reading a book (published in 1997) titled A Regular Guy by Mona Simpson
who is the half-sister of Steve Jobs.   The “hero” of the book is a creative and
unique individual who starts an innovative company and gets very rich and
appears (obviously) to be patterned after Mr. Jobs.   I am not at all certain what
the relationship was between Simpson and Jobs but, in this book, the “hero”
does a lot of interesting things – many of which seem just plain eccentric but
some seem truly like a genius.  
 
About halfway through the book, the daughter of the “hero” looks at him and
makes a really tough assessment:   “but what he said was better than he was.”  
I stopped and read that line several times and wondered how often it applied to
me.   We all talk about what we are going to do, how much we are going to
accomplish in life.   We tell people all about our hopes and aspirations.   But is
that just talk or is it something that seriously guides our lives and pushes us
forward?  
 
Suppose someone went along behind us each day and wrote day everything we
had to say.   Which would be better:   the words on that page or the actions we
take?   We talk about accomplishments but are they just mere words or are we
capable of matching our words by our works?
 
Take a few minutes at the end of each day and write down three or four things
that you managed to accomplish.   It is never a bad idea to reflect on the work
that you do.   Then, ask yourself – would these actions match up with what I
would have said in advance?   If you are going to succeed in this life, if you are
going to pass the CPA Exam, you have to plan your activities in advance and
then you have to meet or exceed those planned words.   
 
Success is never impossible but it becomes nearly so if you lack plans and if you
fail to act.   Those are two essentials ingredients:   plans and action.   Start
trying to assess whether your plans and actions outweigh all of the words you
throw out so that you are, indeed, better than what you say.
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=93#sthash.EI0jAmAD.dpuf

How I Passed the CPA Exam

Two weeks ago, I included a couple of excerpts from my book Don’t Just Dream About
Success:   Stack the OHdds in Your Favor (available for $8.99 on Amazon—paperback
or Kindle).   The response was absolutely amazing.   Even I was shocked by how many
people were intrigued by the guidance that was included.   
 
So, I am going to include a bit more from the book in today’s lesson.   More specifically,
I want to share information from Chapter Seven on how I went about studying for and
passing the CPA Exam.   It wasn’t easy for me but I made up my mind that I was going
to pass and then set out to make it happen.  You can do it too!
 
Excerpt One (from Don’t Just Dream About Success:    Stack the Odds in Your Favor)
 
(My) encounter (with the CPA Exam) took place during the spring of 1970, and
culminated on May 6-8 of that year.  Long decades have now passed, but the
experience still influences how I face each of life’s new challenges.  Hitting the wall and
successfully pushing through the challenge has been one of the most positive
experiences of my life.  I discovered the power of personal evolution.  I learned to
manage my time effectively and gained confidence in myself.  If you (yes, YOU) plan to
stack the odds for success in your favor, such lessons are essential.  
 
Having majored in accounting during college, I took the CPA examination in a hotel
ballroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 6, 7, and 8 of 1970.  At that time, this
comprehensive set of tests was 19 ½ hours long and was only given each May and
November.  Then, and now, a candidate had to pass all four of the individual sections
as one of the requirements for admission into the accounting profession.  At that time,
the pass rate on each separate test was roughly 33 percent.  That percentage is eye-
catching because it reflects the true intensity of the challenge.  The percentage of
candidates who pass is now somewhat higher but, in those years, two of every three
candidates walked out of each of the four tests with a failing grade.  Not surprisingly, the
pressure was mind numbing.  Failure meant an additional six months of study before
the next set of exams was given with their own 33 percent pass rate.  Given the odds,
many bright, hard-working accountants took the CPA exam for years without ever
achieving success.  Most faced the challenge with a genuine sense of dread.
 
I returned to college after my Christmas vacation in January 1970, a senior accounting
major with decent grades earned at a good school.  A job waited for me following
graduation.  I had a fiancée and wedding plans.  I was ready (at least I believed) for
adult life.   But, the CPA examination stood in my path – very much like a giant wall. 
 
Excerpt Two:
 
Passing was important to me.  I wanted to get on with life.  I was ready to be an adult
and stop having to sit in little desks, listen to lectures, and take tests.  Moreover, I had a
burning desire to pass all four parts on my first attempt.  In college, my grades were
fairly good, but far from stellar.  For many reasons, the elevated level of ambition that I
felt so intensely in high school had disappeared.  I missed the feeling.  An essential part
of me had gotten misplaced during those four years.  The CPA exam offered the chance
to recapture the internal drive that had pushed me to succeed.  I was not aware at the
time, but completion of this examination became a genuine Level-3 goal for me.
 
Excerpt Three:
 
Success on the CPA exam offered a chance for redemption.  I wanted to pass all four
sections immediately to reignite the element of my personality that I had allowed college
to dampen down:  my passion for success.  (Not coincidentally, I later became a
teacher, in part, because I wanted future college students to have a better educational
experience than my own.)  To ready myself for the battle, during January 1970, I read
every piece of available information describing the CPA exam and the best method of
preparation.  Most articles vaguely suggested that candidates learn everything included
in the courses taken in college covering accounting, taxes, auditing, business law, and
the like.  “Learn everything” is a tough starting spot for any challenge.  February 1 was
scheduled as my first day of preparation.  That morning, I opened a textbook and set
out on my journey to find success.  Somewhat like Christopher Columbus, I plunged into
the unknown.
 
Three days later, I realized that I had slammed into a wall.  I had made a huge
miscalculation.  All of the possible topics encompassed too much highly complicated
material.  The information could not be absorbed fast enough.  I was already
overwhelmed.  The brutal truth was that I had no idea how to pass the May 1970 CPA
exam.  And, time was slipping away quickly.  I yearned for success, but did not know
how to achieve it at that level.  During high school and college, I had followed the
conventional “cramming” approach of writing down extensive class notes and
highlighting book passages.  Key words and ideas were then memorized to be
regurgitated on a test every few weeks.  Most of those examinations covered only two
or three chapters of material.  By paying close attention to the teacher, test questions
could even be anticipated.  Almost immediately, I realized my previous preparation
strategy was inadequate.  The CPA exam was too big.  In simple terms, I had always
prepared for a 100-yard dash, but now faced a marathon.  I had to adapt immediately,
or I was going to fail.
 
Excerpt Four:
 
My priorities were set.  I understood the level of sacrifice I was willing to make.  Now,
success depended on improved time efficiency.  Radical changes in my approach were
necessary.  Merely saying that I wanted to make 75 was not sufficient.  I could chant
that number all day, every day, and not add a single point.  I could meditate about the
goal; I could pray over it.  But, real action was required.  Focusing on a desired outcome
is always easier than doing the work needed to move from here to there.  My
preparation had to evolve in order to stack the odds of making 75 in my favor. 
Immediate change was mandatory.  Further procrastination was not an option.  I
identified five specific adjustments and started that same day to implement them.
 
1 – To this day, I tend to go to bed and rise each morning at very specific times.  At
heart, I am an accountant who prefers to live a fairly regimented life.  My first
adjustment was to stay up 30 extra minutes each night and wake 30 minutes earlier the
following day for additional study.  A full hour was immediately added to my daily
routine, a huge increase in available time.  For three months, I could learn to live on a
reduced level of sleep.  My body would just have to adapt to this new schedule.  When
facing a difficult challenge, be willing to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. 
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do.  Don't bother just to be
better than your contemporaries or predecessors.  Try to be better than yourself.” 
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Four Tips for Success on the CPA Exam

We all want to be winners.   We all want to be the champion.   We all want to pass the
CPA Exam (although that can be an especially difficult goal).   Wanting to succeed is
human nature.  
 
How do you turn that intense desire into results?   How do you become a winner?   How
do you attain a championship?
 
I watched a pro basketball game on television recently.   The playoffs are now being
played.  Only four teams remain and they are all vying to become the champions.  
 
That particular game was very close and the coach for one of the teams called time out
to rally his players for a final push toward victory.   During this game, the coach was
wearing a microphone so the fans could listen in to what he had to say to his team.   He
looked at each player and said “When this is all over, don’t let anyone be able to say
that the other team played smarter or played harder than you did.”  
 
What great advice!!!
 
My guess is that many of you are preparing to take the CPA Exam in the near future—
possibly this summer.   The pass rate on each part of the exam is roughly 50 percent so
it is not an easy exam.   Success is tough to attain.   Nevertheless, when you walk away
from that testing site, never let anyone be able to say that the other candidates studied
smarter or studied harder than you did.  
 
If the rest of the candidates managed to study smarter or if they studied harder than you
did, then they have more right to pass than you do.  That’s only fair.
 
So, how do you study smarter?   How do you study harder?   Let me give you four quick
recommendations based on my 35 years in this business. 
 
1 – Put in enough hours.   If you cannot invest sufficient time, it is awfully hard to find
the points you need.    Without a sufficient amount of time, you are just praying for a
miracle.   I always recommend 60 to 100 hours for each part of the exam as a
minimum. 
2 – Study on a regular basis.  Don’t run hot and cold in your studies.   I prefer for
candidates to study 3-4 days (or more) each week.   Taking too much time off just
causes you to forget what you have already learned.   The knowledge leaks out of your
head.   Make preparation a very regular part of your daily life.
 
3 – Schedule all of your study sessions at least one week ahead.   If you don’t have a
schedule, it becomes so very easy to procrastinate and wind up getting nothing done.  
Write down when you are going to study each day and for how long.   Then make sure
you stick with that schedule.   Many people end up chanting a mantra:   “I meant to
study.”   That chant does not do you any good.  It does add a single point.
 
4 – Realize that college is for learning material.  Success on the CPA Exam is
different.   It is all about learning to answer questions.   Focus your preparation time and
effort on answering as many questions as you can.   That is where the points are.   I
always suggest that candidates answer all of the questions
at www.CPAreviewforFREE.com TWICE.   The second time around is when you really start
adding points.   Initially, whenever you miss a question, read the answer very carefully.  
Jot down a few notes to help ensure that you will get it right the next time you see it.  
Getting better is the real key to passing the CPA Exam.   Answer each question twice
and make sure you improve your chances of getting it right the next time.
 
If you want to see how to make use of our website and our FREE 2,500 questions,
watch my video:  
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxs814aZP0k
 
Remember, when you walk away from that testing site, you don’t want anyone to be
able to say that the other candidates studied smarter or studied harder than you did
and, therefore, they deserve to pass more than you do.  
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=105#sthash.WuFeL04v.dpuf

The Five "C's" to Pass the CPA Exam

one of my favorite college students from last semester sent me an email.   She said that
she had been studying diligently for her first part of the CPA Exam but was getting a bit
nervous.   She wanted to know if I had any last minute advice.  
 
I told her that for decades I have suggested that candidates who are getting ready to
take the CPA Exam should focus on the “five C’s.”   I am a big believer that anyone who
puts in a sufficient amount of study time probably has enough knowledge in their head
to pass.   Thus, the key to success during the exam is making sure that this knowledge
gets out of the head and onto the test.   The five C’s can help that to happen.   They can
assist you in maximizing your points.   And, that is really what you want – to be able to
earn all of the points that you deserve.
 
If you are taking the CPA Exam during the July-August testing window, here are five C’s
that I would like for you to think about as the day gets closer.
 
#1 – Be careful.    I have given thousands of tests over the years and I am always
shocked by how careless a person can be during a test.   1 + 1 does not equal 3.   The
word “not” cannot be ignored in the middle of a sentence.   A question about individual
income taxes is different than a question about corporate taxes.   Read each word of
the information provided, each sentence.   Don’t skim through a question and then
guess at what it is asking.   Check your math.   I cannot tell you how many students
have wound up in my office crying over the years because they made careless errors on
an important test that cost them the grade they wanted.   I have one suggestion:  
Practice being careful.   As you work study problems, get into the habit of taking care.  
Too many people are sloppy when they practice (because it is just practice) and pick up
bad habits that carry over to the actual exam.   When you practice, always be as careful
as possible.   As they say in sports, the way you practice is the way you’ll play. 
 
#2 – Be consistent.   Each of the four sections of the CPA Exam takes hours.  
Candidates often start out strong.   For about 15 minutes.   Then the adrenaline starts to
slow down and they suddenly feel exhausted and trouble starts.   In school, most tests
look like 100-yard dashes where you have 30-60 minutes to show what you know.  
Slowing down is not really an issue.   Each part of the CPA Exam is much more like a
marathon where you must maintain a strong, steady pace for an extended period of
time.   The questions you face at the end are just as important as the questions at the
beginning.   When you get to the end, you want to be as strong as when you first
started.   Your goal should be to get as many questions right during the last hour as
during the first hour.   That is a challenge but you can do it.  
 
#3 – Concentrate.    Never lose your focus.   When I talk with candidates, they often tell
me about the room being too hot or too cold or that the chair had a squeak or a light had
a flicker.   That is nonsense.   You cannot let small inconveniences distract you from
your one true goal.   When that exam begins, the only thing that is important is the
question you are looking at.   To help your concentration, take a break every 30 minutes
for a minute or two just to give yourself a chance to recharge your batteries.   But the
rest of the time, you have to ignore absolutely everything in the world but those
questions.   I often tell candidates in live review courses:   “if the building catches on
fire, I want you to be the last person to leave because you did not notice the smoke and
flames.”
 
#4 – Stay calm.    Success on the CPA exam is important to you and to your career.   It
is easy to get overly excited, like a young child on Christmas Eve.   Such excitement is
not helpful.   It quickly burns up your internal energy so that you become exhausted
before the test is half done.   Keep your mind on calm things as you wait to get started.  
Think about a mountain stream or snow falling or a pleasant melody – whatever works
for you.   If you were going to pitch in an important baseball game, you would want to be
just as calm as possible.   The same is true for the CPA Exam.    Never clinch your jaw
because that is stressful.   Stay cool and calm.
 
#5 – Have confidence in your own ability.   Believe in yourself.   Any doubts that you
carry with you into the exam room will hold you back.   Put in the study time and you
have every reason to believe that you know enough to pass.   You won’t make 100 but
that is unimportant.   You know enough to get 75.   Believe that and act that way.   In
virtually everything you do every day, confidence is helpful.   And, that is especially true
for the CPA Exam.
 
Want to maximize your score on the CPA Exam?
--Careful
--Consistent
--Concentrate
--Calm
--Confidence
 
Those five will not guarantee that you will pass but they will help ensure that you get all
the points you deserve and that is very likely to be enough to pass.
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=108#sthash.hyJ4Sgi0.dpuf

How To Become a Champion

It is an interesting time in sports.   The Los Angeles Kings just won the National Hockey
League championship and the San Antonio Spurs recently became the champions of
the National Basketball Association.   And, of course, soccer’s World Cup competition is
being played in Brazil. 

I have always been fascinated by teams who manage to take on the best competition
and win.  This year, the Kings in ice hockey and the Spurs in basketball were quite
simply the best.   They just played better.   And, at the end, they won and got to
celebrate like a bunch of kids.   You couldn’t help but be excited for them.  

Okay, if someone came up to you and asked the question:   How do you become a
champion?   How would you answer?   What would you say?   How would you respond
to the question,  "How do you become a champion?"

It really isn’t a mystery.   I think we all have a pretty good idea of what it takes.

After some thought, here is my answer (or at least some parts of my answer):  

1) – Whether it is the Spurs or the Kings or any other champion, they start out to win.  
They don’t begin the first day of the season trying to be good.    They start out with one
goal:   to be the best, to be the champion.  It is hard to be great if you don’t set your
eyes on that goal.  It is hard to be great if you start out working like you are shooting for
4th place.   With the CPA Exam, no one wants to get close.   No prizes are awarded for
close – you want to pass the exam and pass it as quickly as possible.   If you are not
absolutely sure that you know what you want, it is difficult to get there.   Don’t shoot just
to be good.   Go all out to be great.

2) – The work has to be consistent.   Champions are not excellent now and then.  They
don’t play hard only when they are in the mood.   They play like winners every day.  
Likewise, with the CPA Exam, you cannot study just when you feel like it.   Preparation
has to become a genuine obsession.  You must be willing to study when all of your
friends are out having a good time.   It is certainly a sacrifice but one that should end
quickly if you do the work and earn those 75 points.   No one wants to study all the time
but it will only be for a short period if you go out there and get the work done.   You are
never going to get ahead by doing exactly as much work as everyone else.  Life doesn’t
work that way.

3) – In basketball, they talk about “taking care of the ball.”   Ice hockey players probably
say something similar such as “taking care of the puck.”   That means that you have to
be very careful.   You cannot make foolish, careless mistakes.   The CPA Exam is
exactly the same.   Whether you pass or fail often depends on how many points you
give away by making careless errors.  If you miss a question because you don’t know a
topic, that is to be expected.   It just happens.   But, if you miss a question because you
are careless, then that is just heart breaking. 

Now and then, we get emails from candidates who swear that one of the questions in
our database has the wrong answer.   They are often very upset at us.   99 percent of
the time, the question has the word “not” in it and they carelessly missed that word.  
Don’t get distracted.   Read each question with care and think through to the best
possible answer.  
 
Okay, what are the keys to a championship as well as to making 75 on the CPA
Exam?   You might want to write these down and repeat them to yourself as often as
possible.

--You need a desire to be great right from the very first day.
--Work consistently—don’t run hot and cold in your preparation.
--Eliminate carelessness—never give any points away.
--When it counts, be ready to play your very best game.
- See more at: http://www.cpareviewforfree.com/resources.cfm?name=article&article_id=107#sthash.edshGk2D.dpuf