Time management is the most important lesson of the Chartered Accountancy course which stays etched in the minds of the CA students lifelong. CA exams require meticulous planning. After having come to know the importance of a study timetable in my last post, let us now venture to discuss how to create our own study timetable. Read on...
In my last interaction with you all, I had explained the importance of a study timetable with my own story. This post will continue that topic to talk about how to create a study timetable.
You can read my previous post here: Importance of Study Plan in CA exams (Part - 1)
The question of how to create a study schedule seems to be a normal question. But trust me, it is not as simple as you think. If you don't want to chop and change the schedule every now and then, it is important to give it a good thought before you go on to pen it down.
Most people suggest that preparing a good and effective timetable is not a work of merely 2 hours. People take more than half a day to the whole day to prepare a study schedule. Why? Because it requires a lot of planning beforehand in setting targets, prioritizing things and setting timelines.
Things to keep in mind before preparing a study timetable:
Set realistic targets - overambitious targets can cause disappointment
Be disciplined and focused. Once a plan is prepared, stick to it. Initial difficulties such as various temptations and lack of concentration etc. should be conquered with determination.
No study plan can be successful if it is not followed and executed sincerely
Do not try to cheat off the schedule as you are only cheating yourself.
Do not try to procrastinate things. Prepare a study timetable the moment you have registered for the course and have received the study materials from the ICAI.
With this background mental exercise down, let us now venture to see how an effective study timetable can be drawn...
Make a list of all the subjects you are supposed to study chapter wise and topic wise.
Run an ABC Analysis on each topic - A for topics with high difficulty level, B for medium difficulty level and C for easy level.
Prepare a list of all the sources of Study Material you want to refer to - books, notes, pdfs, videos, etc.
Attempt to gather all the resources as soon as possible, preferably before you start studying that particular subject for the first time.
Count the number of days till the exam
Divide the number of days based on the difficulty of the subject. Preferably earmark more time for practical subjects for better grasp and practice
Divide the total chapters by the number of days assigned to that particular subject. For example, if you earmark 5 days to a particular subject with 8 chapters, provide half a day to each chapter and one day for revision of the entire subject.
Each subject should be studied at least 3 times before the examination.
While studying a chapter, make notes or a summary of the chapter, not in sheets but in separate notebooks for all the subjects. This will take time but is extremely useful for studying on the previous day of the exam
Notes can be prepared simultaneously while attending classes on a day to day basis. Remember to update the summary books of all the subjects before the classes end. This will help save time.
Do not chop or change the study materials once you have read them and have found to have the maximum coverage (ideally 100%) of the syllabus. This will only waste time. But always aim to go for the best and updated set of materials - be it from the ICAI or coaching centers.
Suppose you read a book on Law from a particular author but found it to be not very useful in helping you secure you an exemption in Law. In this case, it would be better to identify this shortcoming before the second round of studying Law so that you have sufficient time to get hold of another book and gain command over it.
Hurrah!! Now you are ready with your customized study schedule and all raring to go!!. So what are you waiting for? Just get your books out of that shelf and start your preparation with the blessings of God !
Oh no... Just a word of caution again (I know I have a bad reputation for this :p)... Discipline and strong will power are of utmost necessity when you have committed to that well-prepared study schedule.
Remember that your relationship with CA studies is going to be more precious and demanding than the relationship with your partner (GF/BF). So you need to be at the highest level of commitment and dedication.
That is all I had to share in this installment of how to prepare the study timetable. But wait a bit... I have another part to this series lined up for you, which will talk about the stages after the study schedule is ready and you have started to follow it to the tee.
So stay tuned and keep sharing the content if you like. You may also join my Telegram group here.
Thanks for reading:)
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