If you are like many CPA exam candidates, you’ll be spending this weekend cramming for one last section before the final window of 2009 closes on Monday.
Lucky for you, Going Concern has some suggestions for fighting off that the turkey hangover and getting through the holidays without blowing your study routine:
For CPA exam candidates, the final few weeks of the year can be a time of extreme pressure and/or procrastination. I wont name names and bust any of our CPA Review students out (you know who you are) but I can tick off at least 25 people taking the exam today and next Monday, trying to squeeze in one last part before the New Year.
So how exactly is one supposed to show up for an exam the Monday after Turkey Day before the Tryptophan coma has worn off?
Plan better next time: This is a terrible time of year to be sitting for the exam but unfortunately its also the busiest. More candidates cram into the final testing window of the year than any other window so if youre testing in the 4th quarter next year, keep that in mind when youre scheduling your exams. Schedule early and dont get stuck testing the week after Thanksgiving.
Prioritize: Do you really need to hit your parents house, your in-laws house and your best friends grandmas house for Thanksgiving? If youre really serious about preparing through the weekend (which you should have already been doing weeks before this), cut dinner short, stick to one holiday meal and spend your Black Friday studying instead of getting trampled in the Wal-mart parking lot. Its better for your brain and better for your wallet.
Those are just a few, head over to GC for the rest.
Some other suggestions that GC may have missed would be to take care of yourself this winter; taking the exam can take a lot out of you, and with the added stress of the holidays, you can easily find yourself exhausted and spread far too thin. Take the time you need for yourself to refresh and recharge but don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the time of year. Remember: the CPA exam is not an IQ test, it’s a test of discipline and that means even during vacations and holiday time off.
Happy Turkey Day to everyone from your friends at Roger CPA Review! Now get back to studying!