In continuation of my last talk on being CA, here we will walk that talk practically. Feel free to come back to me if you have any doubt in any point, will be more than happy to share more on it since I have tried to keep it short.
If you want to achieve something that you have never before, you have to do something that you never did before.
No war can be won if you have best of the best plan. And all best plans have its offset plan that will help you out when you find yourself losing on the midst.
Target: Minimum 100% revisions 3 times before exam. Study at least for 12 hrs effective daily including Sundays & holidays.
So with what one must be equipped with to fight and win this war.
Plan: A workable schedule.
Best Tools: The best of the best books, notes, compiler and a scanner to understand the trend.
Strategy: A good strategy.
A Mento: A mentor or coach (not covered here) who will be guiding star in your life.
1 - Plan: A workable schedule.
A goal without a plan is just a wish. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. If you don’t know exactly where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? So we have to build the framework in which we will execute the tasks.
Why I said above workable schedule and not mere plan or schedule. Success of any plan or schedule depends upon the conditions in which it is going to operated and the strength of person who is going to execute. So I will be just guiding however its you who gonna make it happen. So you should adjust and tweak it as mentioned.
Available Time (Days): If you are going to attempt May 13, then you are left with 3 months or 94 days if you are starting your study from Jan 27 and 103 days for second groups.
So if you are appearing for both the groups you are having 11.5 days per subject (94 Days / 8 Papers) & 25.5 days per subject (94 days / 4) if you are planning for only one group. If you are appearing in second group you will have 9 days extra in your kitty so you have 25.75 days per subject.
So if you are studying for on an avg. 12 hours a day, per subject you have 141 hours if you are appearing for one group, 282 hours if you are appearing in only 1st group & 309 hrs if you are appearing for only 2nd group.
So considering this timeline you have to make your daily schedule for down the line 3.5 months.
Tips:
a. Only study 2 subjects in a day. Its professional course so do not mix up too many subject in a single day.
b. Create a revision timetable. It is important to ensure that you cover all the topics covered in the exam.
c. Remember to take regular breaks and get out and exercise.
d. Find the right hours. Don't study when you're really tired. Make full utilization of your bodys strength.
e. If you are good in studying in morning hours, so wake up at 3.30AM & start studies at 4 AM.
f. If you are good in studying in late night, so stretch up to 4 AM. Because after 4 AM your body clock will start function against your will.
g. Make a cluster of 2-3 hours to study at a stretch. Don’t take more breaks, this may reduce your productive yield. You may feel you set for long hours but actually effective study was done for less than 50% of ACTUAL TIME you spent on.
h. If 3 out of 5 lessons are easy and can be finished fast, finish them first, so you can spend quality time on the difficult lessons without fretting. Small tricks like these will help you complete your portions quickly.
2 – Best Tools: The best of the best books, notes, compiler and a scanner to understand the trend.
Find out the best books which makes you understand the subject. No author is bad but the way they write may not be your forte of understanding. So discuss with friends & teacher and find out the best of the best Text Books, Notes. See this source of study is going to create your fate. So do all research before selecting final source.
Tips:
Before seating for studies you should make ready the books, notes which you are going to refer in advance. So that not a minute is wasted by you searching books.
Try studying with a dimmer light (though not overly dim). Statistics say that 75% of people study and focus better in a brighter room with little noise.
Keep faith in your study material.
3 - Strategy:
Find out the subject in which you are the best. Focus on scoring the most in that subject, you have to put more of hard work in to so scoring 70+ will be sure shot passing CA with the help of that subject. So unless you have practiced it 3-4 times (2 times by writing) you wont be able to score in it.
Here I will quote an example of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. When he was young Tendulkar would practice for hours and hours in the nets. And not to amazed but only that one shot. So you should study daily for 2 hours of that favorite subject so this will surely help you to complete its study for 3-4 times with that tremendous confidence.
The reason I am insisting is to do so is we seldom focus on this point of view and we always believe that study this for lesser time will make you pass, so eventually you end up scoring in forties and failing in aggregate. At that point of time you realize that more you have scored, definitely you would have cleared in this attempt. So don’t leave on your luck and be master of your own.
Convert weakness into strength:
Yes we have already set plan to how to take out the most from your bestiez. Now we will focus on converting your weakness into strength. I will cover here one example; analogy of this can be applied to any weak area. So lets take a case that you always complains that you are very weak in theory subjects. You are not able to retain what you have study and so on.
So again quoting my favorite punch line here, “This all reasons are just a crap”. This is stories which you have been telling since aegis to everyone and sorry to say you have made this to reality.
- See while reading you have to foremost understood the question, that what is intended to ask.
- Then learn the concept, what is concept.
- Before starting with reading evaluate what you know about it and compare with what is given in study material.
- Now you have to just fill gap by remembering what you didn’t know.
Voilla you have re-discovered basic of learning.
You can also use visualization technique to remember the concept.
Tip: Read - visualization - write down important point - recite.
Ensure 20 hours of minimum study during exam days, no more stretches, keep your best of energy so that you will be more awake to solve your papers effectively.
Solve 100 percent of the paper, allot time for each question by calculating 180 minutes divide by no. of questions to answer will give you time to spend for one question.
You need some time to have fun and it is better to revise when you are feeling relaxed than to exhaust yourself studying all day! The only caveat is, you need to avoid procrastination.
4 - Most of the most IMP:
If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe, So feed your mind daily with positive and motivating thoughts. Cut off all unwanted feeding this may lure you and distract eventually.
Listen inspirational songs, play game in which you love & win. Watch inspirational moving clips.
Everyday give your best then yesterday, in terms of study, confidence, learning and all. Do not fall below yesterday anyhow.
Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.
Remember if you gonna hit it then hit hard else do not dream of it.
You are warrior, If you fall, stand tall and come back for more.
CAclubindia
