Elizabeth is a NINJA CPA Blogger.
Hi all,
I am depressed and I believe almost through the grief phase. Alas I did not pass AUD. I scored a 64.
I can't recall the last time I scored so low, being the masochist I am I went through my recent exam score and zip. Thus, my depression was compounded by all my near misses and my current 64.
Frankly I was quite surprised. To all those who received similar results I can emphasize with you and to those who passed CONGRATS – take a moment and savor that feeling.
You might recall, I have been studying for AUD for months – actually almost seven, though who is counting. I implemented the methodology I use to study for the sciences to my AUD exam.
As you might recall, my beloved dog Spencer also woke up that morning unable to walk. Seeing as he just needed his medication tweaked I ended up thinking his illness was a blessing as I did not overanalyze any questions though apparently I fell into a number of easy traps.
After my fail a good friend and I dissected how I studied, i.e. did all the MCQs then explained why all the answers were correct, why the wrong answers were wrong, and how to make the wrong answers correct. Aside from the time consuming nature of this process, I did take almost 7 months to study for it.
Her contention, which I feel is valid, is I was looking as to why all the answers were wrong and in essence over-analyzed every question. Since I over-analyze to begin with, this heightened my tendency as my score reflected it.
A support system is important. A good friend of mine is going through the same process. When one of us is down the other is there to provide support and a listening ear and when necessary a swift kick in the butt.
She allowed me to wallow for a few days and then told me to get back on the proverbial horse. Also having a sounding board is amazing to discuss studying techniques etc.
Going forward I plan to study AUD and take during Nov. My one MBA class is an excellent review for FAR so I plan to take FAR in Jan. My game plan is to not waste all the time I spent previously going through and analyzing all MCQ.
As such, I plan to review so many pages a day but spend the bulk of my time just doing MCQ and then some more MCQ. Of course I will also be re-writing NINJA Notes.
In summary, while I am very upset I am also pleased with myself. My studying techniques obliviously hasn't lead to the results I was looking for and I had the courage to something that works for me in school.
So while it did not pan out at least I made a change and now I am making the necessary revisions and we will see what transpires.
Have an enjoyable though more importantly productive week.
Cheers,
EAB
