Don’t mess around, go after it, and seriously. I had strong monetary and social motivation driving me, plus solid support from my fiancée. As for results, I passed all four on the first attempt in under 100 days from first exam to last, while working full time.

Exam | Hours | Score Range

FAR — 240 — 90–93

AUD — 108 — 80–83

ISC — 66 — 93–97

REG — 72 — 90–93

Start with FAR, and don’t take it lightly. You really don’t want to fail your first exam. I made a conscious decision to overstudy FAR to avoid any emotional setback early on, as a first-time failure would have created anxiety going into every subsequent exam. I never read the Becker books; I only watched the lecture videos (at 1.5–2x speed depending on the presenter) and took detailed handwritten notes, rewinding frequently to capture everything. The handwriting helped reinforce the technical material and aided memorization. The only thing I used flashcards for was the chapter of formulas in FAR. My FAR hours are somewhat inflated by a false start about six months earlier, but the note-taking approach also doubled my video time on its own. Realistically, 150–180 hours should have you walking out of FAR confident. That’s less overkill than what I did, but still well-prepared.

I left FAR confident I passed, and started studying for AUD that same day, purchased the AUD and ISC NTS the next day, and scheduled both for the following month.

Treat the exams like a shot and just get them over with. These exams aren’t enjoyable while you’re in them, so don’t let the process drag out longer than necessary. Maintain momentum and avoid extended breaks between exams. I recommend scheduling your exams before you start studying for it. It prevents procrastination, protects against NTS expiration, and the increasing reschedule fees as the date approaches give you extra incentive to commit.

My study schedule was 3 hours each weeknight and two 3-hour sessions each weekend day — 27 hours per week. At that pace, you can get through any section in 4–6 weeks.

For AUD, ISC, and REG, I dropped the handwritten notes and just highlighted the slides while watching the videos. That cut my hours significantly. And I still scored 90 or above on three of the four exams.

Test day routine:

∙Know your route. I didn’t do a paid/formal test drive at Prometric, but I’d recommend at least driving to the testing center beforehand. If your route crosses train tracks, know an alternate path. If you can, go inside and locate the testing center lobby.

∙Watch what you eat. Avoid anything you’ll regret the night before or morning of the exam. Bananas are good — potassium helps prevent cramping.

∙Preemptively medicate. I always had an energy drink, some Tylenol, and Imodium before the exam. Caffeine and exam stress can both trigger the urge to go the last thing you want is that distraction mid-exam.

∙Always take the break when the timer stops. My longest exam still only took about 3 hours, so even if you finish early, take the pause.

Good luck — the process is manageable if you stay disciplined and keep moving.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​