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Quick Study Tips


(SmartPros) Most people don't have the luxury to solely study for the CPA -- most are balancing CPA review with school, work, friends and family. Becker Conviser offers tips on how to strike a balance.



Choose one or two locations for studying and use them only for this purpose
If your body and mind are accustomed to studying in a few specific areas, studying in these areas will be more efficient. Also, study in an area with good lighting. The brighter the area, the more alert you will be during cram time.

Take scheduled breaks
Pace yourself either by taking a five-minute break every half-hour or at the end of a chapter. Although you may feel the need to study 24 hours a day to cram for the big exam, this may be detrimental to your ability to absorb information and maximize study potential. Also, it creates the likelihood for study breaks to be longer and for study-time to be less efficient.

Try planning activities into your cram time. For instance, plan some five-minute breaks for stretching or getting for grabbing a snack. Plan in a half-hour break to go running, watch TV or call a friend.

Sleep
As difficult as it may to do, sleeping at least six hours a night will help you be more alert, making it easier to focus during cram time. If you feel the need to take a nap during the day to catch-up, limit it to 20 minutes. This is enough time to feel revived but not groggy.

Organize
Develop a daily "to do" list and prioritize your CPA review with work, school, family and friends on a weekly basis. This will help you focus on reviewing for the Exam when it's time to get down to business, but make sure to balance it with free time as well to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

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