Since fall 2016 exam results are coming out a few days later than usual, it’s natural to feel like you’re a bit more crunched for time this spring. Rather than dwell on losing a few days up front, I recommend thinking in terms of how you can get the most out of the roughly 100 days you do have.
With a good plan in place and the right level of focus, a late January start can actually work in your favor—not against you. I explain more below.
Commit to a study schedule right away. We offer a customizable spreadsheet study schedule that follows the exact order of the online seminar and also a study schedule built right into the website itself.
Reference the source material as much as you can, but don’t lose track of time in it. There are 3 broad strategies that I’ve seen work for people:
- Read the detailed study manual before looking at the source material
- Watch the video before looking at the source material
- Some combination of both of the items above (or switch up to keep things interesting)
Try to finish the first pass by mid-March
- This leaves time to review lessons you struggled with—flag these on your first pass
- It is critical to leave time to work practice problems and past exams
- Use the final 4–6 weeks to memorize as you go back and forth between detailed study manual and videos vs. the flash cards and/or condensed outlines
Urgency can be an asset. Use it to increase your focus and prioritizing studying over other competing activities.
People who start really early run the risk of burning out early, and there is a often this effect where people just naturally converge on March to finish their first pass, even if they start extra early.
No matter when you start, I think people who pass the exam end up putting in the about the same amount of time and effort in the last 2 months. Staying focused in the months of March and April is critical, and this challenges people who have already been studying for several months. It is easy to let the fatigue of studying get you into a slump in March.
If you are starting in late January, you are much less likely to hit a study slump.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me.