Breaking The CPA Exam MCQ Sound Barrier

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In today’s blog article, Steven discusses how he uses multiple choice questions to study for the CPA Exam. 

Ive come up with an analogy to explain how quickly I can work through CPA Exam multiple choice questions (MCQs) during the last week before I take the CPA Exam breaking the MCQ sound barrier.  Okay, maybe its a silly analogy, but it does seem like Im at a much higher speed of working through the CPA Exam MCQs now that Im getting closer to taking the CPA Exam, compared to where I was when I first started.

To elaborate, when I first started working through MCQs, I had a pretty difficult time getting through just a few – ten questions might take an hour to complete. Once I made it past the initial learning curve, I began to pick up steam and eventually started working through twenty-five to thirty MCQs in an hour.  Finally, a few weeks before the CPA Exam, Im able to get through hundreds of questions on the weekend and at least fifty a day during work breaks, so suddenly it isnt an impossible feat.

If my MCQ progress was mapped on a graph, the slope would be steadily increasing as the change in progress increased, relative to the change in time.

Initially, when I started to work through these questions, I would feel a sense of foreboding and become emotionally drained because the questions were so difficult. I would say to myself, Wow, it just took me an hour to do ten questions. Ill never pass at this rate. However, the longer I worked through the questions, I started to realize that answering them became easier. Effort, perseverance and a positive attitude will help you to accomplish amazing things. So now I say to myself, These question will soon be so easy that Ill be able to answer them within ten seconds.

I usually begin with new questions first thing in the morning and then after work or when I’m tired Ill review old material. It also helps for me to take minimal notes while studying new questions that I come across. I usually write down the most important words associated with certain terms to expedite my ability to understand the terminology. I’m close to sitting for my exam and I’m feeling the pressure, but am staying positive and working through my study material as quickly as possible.

-Steven

More Posts from Steven:
The CPA Exam Is like a Rubik’s Cube
Feeling CPA Exam Burnout? Consider This Tip! 
Taking the CPA Exam? Stay Positive!
Waiting for CPA Exam Scores
Studying for the CPA Exam Is like Running a Marathon
The Art of Studying for the CPA Exam
Creating a Plan for AUD

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