Jay is a weekly columnist as a Club 75 Blogger, where he documents his journey through the CPA Exam. He has been a member of Club 75 since April 2010.

Week 5:

Hello all. What a week. Q3 2010 is in the books and earnings season is upon us. The first of the major banks reported and beat earnings this week (JPM). The rest of the complex should be interesting next week. I mention this because quarterly close always means longer days, which equates to less study time during the week.

I got nabbed at work late on Tuesday and Thursday this week and didn’t get any studying done. That said, I did log 5 hours on Saturday, 6.5 hours on Sunday, 6 hours on Columbus day and 3 hours on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, my time gained on Columbus Day was negated due to the late nights on Tuesday and Thursday, but such is life.

I worked my way through all the lectures on Audit Evidence, but didn’t score too well on the homework, so I have spent additional time rereading the chapter. I plan on wrapping up the homework and supplemental questions on Friday/Saturday of the coming week and starting Chapter 5 on Saturday/Sunday.

I haven’t done a very good job going back and reviewing the earlier chapters very much, but have reread Jeff’s Auditing notes a few times.

When I’m done with chapter 5, I’ll need to review the earlier chapters and hit the multiple-choice questions. I scheduled my exam for November 15th, so I think I should be okay on time.

I forgot to mention, I’ve started taking a B Complex Vitamin and Fish Oil supplement daily. Not sure they are helping with the energy, but I do feel I am focusing a bit better (like Allyson said, I may just be imagining it too).

I think I’m also going to slow my aggressive plan down a bit, so I can work in a couple mile run 2-3 times a week. I’m thinking a lack of exercise and eating on the go probably aren’t helping me feel better. I also got myself a new HP laptop that seems great, so far, for only $400 bucks (Jeff's note: dude – Mac!). I can’t believe how reasonably-priced they have become.

Study plan for the coming week 5-7hours Saturday and Sunday and then 3 hours each on Mon-Friday.

My wife has arranged a play date for the girls on Saturday, so if I know they are busy, I won’t feel guilty spending more time in the library on Saturday afternoon.

On weekends, I usually only do 2.5-3.5 hours of studying in the morning/afternoon and then log the remainder after 9pm, when my girls are sleeping.

Well, good luck to all.

Jay-O