Hey, if you are expecting a day-to-day basis study plan. I am sorry, I don’t believe in one-plan-applies-to-all-approach. However, I will share the process I followed to work out a plan for myself.
Step 1: Assess your strong and weak points in each subject.
- Example: CA Final Financial Reporting
- Confident: Accounting standards, Ind AS, Valuation and the small chapters
- Ok-ok confident: Corporate restructuring
- Least Confident: Consolidation of Financial Statements
Step 2: Once you have categorized the whole syllabus as above, I prefer to start with a mix of my 2 extremes.
So my study plan will include me starting my day with the one I am least confident for and wrapping up my studies with a revision of my most confident areas.
Step 3: Setting achievable small goals. Make a To-Do list first thing each morning.
If you talk to people who have qualified, or if you reach out to them for a doubt, many times they say, they had not prepared that topic very well. It is strictly not advisable. But you have to find a midway, very widely known as the smart study. Analyse the exam papers and focus on the obvious marks gaining areas.
Keep ticking things off the list as you complete each. Do not get overly obsessed with ticking items off the list.
Your focus area is concept clarity and retention to perform your Taandav in those 3 hours!
Step 4: Revise. Key to CA Final exams is the revision.
You remember in childhood when we had to memorize our maths tables. It was a tiring and uninteresting process. But after repeatedly revising it, we did manage to learn it so well that it was at our fingertips. And it helped us in our future classes in maths application.
Over here, it isn’t even rote learning, you have your concepts clear. It’s just that certain points slip our minds, mainly because we have a lot on our plate, for that reason we need to revise it.
Step 5: Solve as many questions as you can, after finishing each chapter. Don’t wait to solve the exam paper directly.
You need to have a clear idea of the application of what you have studied. That’s what Institute tests us on.
Step 6: Writing.
You do realize, it is a written exam.
In those 3 hours, the examiner will judge you. Your concept clarity, writing speed, clarity of thought, nervousness, lack of practice, everything is visible in that single sheet of paper.
You may be the best in practical work in the office. Doesn’t help here. We need it on paper, with a pen.
Step 7: Hiding answers while trying to solve questions.
We are considered adults, responsible for ourselves. Hence, solutions are given to us immediately after the questions in most reference books and the practice manual.
While studying, very often we are so eager to finish things off that we simply jump on the answers without giving our minds a chance to apply what we have just studied.
This step is extremely crucial. Even more than planning/revising.
It is taking you 2 hrs to do it today, no problem, STILL, take those 2 hrs. It will save you 6 months.
A lot of strength and integrity is needed to follow Step 7.
But I haven’t met a single person till date who failed by following it.
These steps aren’t in any chronological order. But each one is very important.
Also, many people are comfortable in setting the target of qualifying the exam, ie. The bigger picture. For me, my target is only to be a BEAST in those 3 hours of exam time. It helps me from not getting distracted.
I might have missed out on some points here, please feel free to share them in comments below.
The abovementioned points are the ones that I am focusing the most on, pick and apply what suits you best.
Happy Studying!
CAclubindia
