TIPS ON HOW TO STUDY AND MASTER TAXATION (Sir Rex Banggawan)

Things created by God are not meant for us to understand because we are just humans. Taxation is a
creation of humans. Since it is created by humans, it is comprehensible by any human beings like you
and me. There’s no reason you will not understand it if you put some effort and dedication to study it.
The depth of our knowledge on taxation differs only on the level of our passion and time investments in
learning it. My knowledge in taxation is developed through time. I did not acquire it overnight. 

Taxation is academically challenging because of its complex labyrinths of rules and its continuous
adaptation to changes in commerce, technology, social, political and economic factors. This is further
complicated by the differing or even conflicting opinions of academicians on certain points. Though
some of its rules are changing, the underlying concepts of taxation remain the same. A student should
find comfort on this by capitalizing on mastering the basic concepts and principles. Almost all rules in
taxation are anchored on concepts and principles. Learning them is very essential.

Here are my general suggestions or reminders for you

1.) Visualize the concept structure

Taxation is a perfectly interrelated structure of concepts and principles similar to a building blueprint. If
you can visualize the structure, you will better understand taxation. Know the concept structures and
the logical interconnection of concepts before studying the details of the rules and principles
implementing them.

2.) Appreciate the rules and principles in each concept structure.

Know the principles and rules in each concept structure. Understand their purpose, conditions and
limitations. Know the general rules then the exceptions. Understand the why first then the hows. You do
not necessarily need to memorize, simply appreciate and relate to understand.

3.) Tax is not all concepts; consider technicalities.

Concepts deal with ‘what should be’ in any given scenario. They guide the formulation of rules and their
reduction into principles. Knowing the concepts is relatively safe even if you don’t know the rules
because rules such as tax laws, regulations or rulings normally follow tax concepts. However, it is very
important to know when rules conflict with or depart from concept. When this happen, follow rules.
This is because concepts and principles are the general guidelines while tax laws, rules and regulations
and rulings are the specific guidelines. Knowing these conflicts will give you more accurate knowledge.

4.) Be able to independently apply tax concepts and rules.

Solve problems or illustrative cases testing the application of tax concepts and rules to see whether you
can do them by yourself alone. Do not memorize solutions. If you cannot apply a concept or rule with
certainty, that means you did not understand it. If you have doubts applying them then your
understanding is not firm. Get back on the concepts or rules and re-read them.

Do not touch reviewer books or review quizzers if you are not yet firm in your appreciation of the
concepts or rules. Your ability to answer them is not a guarantee of the completeness and accuracy of
your understanding of the underlying concepts. They will only give you a false hope. It is suggested that
you capitalize on the concepts and rules by reading textbooks first. If you have time, it is always
recommended that you read original sources.
5.) Reinforce and integrate the knowledge

You cannot gain mastery of taxation in one sitting. I advise you to maintain notes of the concept
structures and re-read the concepts from time to time. As you advance to a new topic, do not forget
past topics. Take some time to review the oldest topic you previously learned to ensure that they are
not forgotten as you gain more knowledge while you progress in your study.

Differing opinions of academicians

When there are conflicts of views, students normally follow the views of the majority. While this feels
safe, do not do this. The academic community at times has a crowd mentality. When someone said
something which appeals to the logic, everyone tends to follow even if that position lacks practical or
legal basis. When you see conflict, I advise you to carefully read and compare the basis or rationale of
the sources and check your understanding of the concepts and rules if they are reasonably justified.
Decide which one is right. If you are not sure, you can take the long process of personally validating the
best position to take by doing extra research on the original sources such as tax laws, court decisions,
rules and regulations and rulings. If you have access to the authors, talk to them then personally
evaluate their opinions.  Decide based on your own professional judgment.

The suggested topic flow for taxation review

For reviewees, stick with the following arrangement facilitate your learning:

a. General principles

b. Income taxation

c. Transfer tax

d. Consumption taxes (VAT, % tax and excise tax)

e. Documentary stamp taxes

f. Tax remedies

g. Local taxation

h. Preferential taxation

Good luck and God bless in your quest for real excellence in taxation and in your journey in building
yourself to be a real professional accountant for the future! Kelangan tayo ng ating bayan. Galingan po
natin lahat, mga kapatid.
TIPS HOW TO STUDY RFBT

By Atty. Cesar Nickolai Soriano, CPA

1. Like any board exam subject, the focus of the review should be on "understanding" the concepts,
rather than memorizing, this allows you to apply the concepts in more situations and have a deeper
grasp and retention.

2. Once there is reasonable understanding, try to apply it to specific examples or situations, and
determine if there are other provisions of the law where it may be connected with

3. Practice answering questions through your quizzers or if you have other materials you want to use for
practicing to determine if you did have a reasonable understanding of the concepts already. Do not be
dismayed if there will be incorrect answers, because precisely the goal is to practice, this will allow you
to make the necessary corrections/adjustments to your understanding

4. Have enough rest. This is a very important part of the learning process.

5. Utilize all resources that are available. Including asking your reviewers clarificatory questions.

6. Olfactory memory can help. Study with a particular scent and have that same scent available when
you take the exam.

7. You can also avail of memory enhancers.

8. Determine what time of the day you're most productive and study during that time.

9. Take advantage of the length of review that we have. Do not feel pressure that you must have
finished everything by now. We are months away from the exam and use that to your advantage. Re-
watch the videos or re-read the materials as many times as necessary to have a deeper understanding
and retention.

10. Never forget to pray. It helps you relax and refocus which makes studying more efficient and
effective.
HOW TO STUDY MAS

(Strategic Cost Management, Cost Accounting, Managerial Economics, Financial Management and
Management Science)

1. APPLY THE CONCEPTS

When studying MAS, it is not sufficient for you to simply know the concept. You should also know how
the concepts are applied. MAS is challenging in the sense that the theories are at times totally different
from the application. Example, the definition of types of budgets are quite easy to under recall, but the
problem solving is a totally different story.

Practice constantly, you have to solve and resolve problems numerously, not to memorize the solution
or answer but to internalize the approach, the concept applied, and for what reason that concept was
used. The process of repetition helps you attain mastery. Then solve problems with variety for you to
develop your own approaches. If you can develop your own approach that would be better, use your
creative skills. After solving problems, look for other possible questions. It also helps if you use ‘what-if’
approach by changing variable and determining the effect to the answer.

2. UTILIZE WHOLISTIC APPROACH

Understand how the concepts are applied in different situations. In MAS you are trained to become
managers. You decide in a micro and macro level. Analyzing the short-term and long-term impact of
your decision. This is one way of mastering the concept of relevance as applied in different settings.
Example, if a firm sells more than one product, we simply call it sales mix. If you want to determine
simple profitability, it becomes CVP-BEP product mix analysis. If you want to determine the effect of
product combination, you are now dealing with sales mix variances. In terms of profit maximization, it
goes back to CPV-BEP. But profit maximization with one constraint is simple relevant costing
contribution maximization, but when faced with multiple limited resources it becomes linear
programing product combination analysis. I suggest that after finishing all the topics under MAS,
visualize the entire subject then look at the relationship of each topic.

3. ANALYZE THE INTER-RELATIONSHIP OF CONCEPTS

When analyzing concepts determine how it is related to other concepts. Example, learning curve is
simply analyzing the effect of gaining experience as production doubles. Learning curve is directly
related to Learning and Growth perspective of the balanced scorecard. Moreover, it is related to labor
efficiency and variable overhead efficiency variance. And finally, it is considered in productivity analysis
specifically labor hours and labor cost as a test of partial operational and financial productivity.

4. DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS,….

Attention to detail is very important. The details will create a difference in decision making. Example, in
profitability analysis, number of units produced in one hour vs. number of hours to produce one unit is
totally different. A simple difference from sales units to production units can mess up your answer.

Aside from that, you should also pinpoint the details of variables used in different equations. It is a fact
that MAS is governed by equations. For each equation you must know the specifics of each equation.
Find the reason for why those variables were used. Understand what you information you are seeking
for and what the equation wants to tell you. Example, rate of return has numerous possible numerators,
it can be EBIT, EBT, EAT, EBIAT, EBITDA, GP, or even TCM. Return on asset of FS Analysis uses EBIAT
because it ignores financing cost to determine profitability of resources used by the company. The same
reasoning is used in Accounting Rate of Return of Capital Budgeting, it also uses EBIAT but the
denominator is only the investment base. But in responsibility accounting, the ROI or ROA is based on
EBIT because it only analyzes controllable costs. It just so happened that interest and taxes are not
controllable, hence not relevant in performance evaluation. However, when computing for EVA of
responsibility accounting, you have to use net of tax earnings because in compares the net of tax rate of
return on long-term sources based on WACC against net of tax earnings to enhance comparison.

5. DISCERN THE BEST TOOL TO USE IN A GIVEN SITUATION

As future managers you should know the appropriate tool and method to use when resolving issues or
choosing among alternatives. Example, when is it better to use NPV rather than PI or even IRR in capital
budgeting? In risk management, when will standard deviation suffice? When faced with one or portfolio
which is which is better, CoV or Beta? When considering market factors, which is best to use Beta, r2,
Alpha?

Consider different points of view of the decision makers. Example, if a firm’s debt-ratio is very high, the
creditor of that company would view it negatively, but the owners may view it positively if they are
deliberately using leverage. Another example, in portfolio management the higher the portfolio’s return
the better. But if you are the issuing company, the lower the WACC the better. I hope you get my point.

6. IDENTIFY WHAT IS RELEVANT AND NOT IN A GIVEN SITUATION, AVOID GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS.

For every new topic that you tackle, always identify the relevant cost. Example under variable and
absorption costing the relevant cost is limited to the manufacturing cost components. But when you
compute for contribution margin, you have to deduct all variable costs, manufacturing and not. In terms
of pricing decisions, variable cost based means all variable costs, and full cost or absorption costing
based means all cost components across all business functions. Why the difference? Because in basic
variable and absorption costing your concern is the composition of inventoriable cost and period cost, so
limit your analysis on manufacturing cost. But in pricing decisions your concern is recovery of costs,
hence all costs across all business functions become relevant.

Another example is the general assumption of avoidable costs being relevant. Yes, avoidable cost is
relevant in most decision situations but it is not relevant in special order pricing. Why? Because the
concern of the decision maker in special order is to determine the minimum price, which includes only
costs incurred, excluding avoidable cost.

Same principle applies with common fixed costs. In performance evaluation and relevant costing,
common fixed cost is ignored because it is neither controllable nor identifiable. But, under joint and by
product costing it becomes relevant because your concern is determination of a unit cost of a finished
product for external reporting. Moreover, common fixed cost suddenly becomes variable cost
component under Activity Based Costing, because of the “rule of one”.

7. UTILIZE DIFFERENT WAYS OF LEARNING

MAS is not confined with the traditional, “read-understand the illustration-solve.” Combine deductive
and inductive methods of learning. Deductive is the usual process as stated earlier. Inductive learning is
learning the concepts and approaches as you solve the problems. Inductive enhances your creativity of
generating your own approaches in tackling or solving problems. In my discussion, I don’t usually
provide all discussion in the lectures or the notes, many important concepts will only be discovered
when you are solving the drill questions or the on-line quizzers. This will give the student the chance to
discover the concepts and create their own approaches. This method even enhances retention. In a nut
shell, solving if using your own method is way better than just copying the approach presented to you.

8. STUDY WISELY, NOT STUDY HARD - Studying wisely is studying effectively and efficiency. This is
evident if the desired learning objectives are attained with less effort and time. These are for general
guidelines in studying. Visit the site below.
TIPS ON HOW TO STUDY FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING & REPORTING (Intermediate Accounting 1,2,3 and
Conceptual Framework & Accounting Standards)

BY KARIM G. ABITAGO, CPA

TIP#1: MASTER THE CONCEPTS BY CONSTANTLY APPLYING IT IN QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES.

Unlike AFAR and MAS, the way of solving FAR questions is quite straightforward. Straightforward means
kung anong ang sinabi ng PFRS or concepts, yun ang need mo in answering the questions. It’s just like
applying what you have understood. Sa MAS saka AFAR kasi uso yung working-back problems and
constructive accounting. Sa FAR madalang yung ganon. So if you want to master the concepts, apply it
by answering multiple choice questions (whether theories or problems) and straight problems.

Sir, need ko ba imemorize ang provisions ng PFRS? Although FAR is a standard-based subject, for me, di
naman required memorized mo ang provisions ng PFRS. What is a must is for you to understand the
provisions. Kumbaga kahit irephrase yung provisions ng PFRS sa mga questions, di ka maliligaw. You can
familiarize the provisions by answering questions (going back to the main concept of the tip). In relation
to these, let us go to the second tip .

TIP#2: ENHANCE YOUR RETENTION

Retention is a key in mastering FAR since FAR ang subject na may pinakamahaba ang coverage. Ang
tawag ko nga sa mga libro ng FAR ay “The Bible” (No offense sa mga devoted catholic diyan, I am also a
devoted catholic ) As you can see sa dami ng aaralin, malaking space ng utak natin ang kailangan. Alam
niyo ban a 10% lang ang maximum capacity na nagagamit natin on our brain, so we need to maximize
that 10%. You can enhance retention by reviewing the concepts of past topics first before you study a
new topic.

During my review days, if 1 day ang allotted ko to review FAR, 2-3 hours ang kinakain ko in reviewing
first the past topics I studied before I proceed to the next topic. This is a better way of enhancing your
retention by saying to your brain na wag kalimutan ang luma pag may dumadating na bago . Kidding
aside, dito pumapasok yung concept maps. Mahirap magreview ng past topics by reading again the
whole chapter (kung textbook yan) or whole material, mas madali at mas organized ka kung may
concept map ka. This guides you in mastering and reminiscing the past topics. Kasi if you memorized the
concept maps, then yung mga concepts sa loob nun ang alalalahanin mo plus mas may flow ang review.

One way also to enhance your retention is by reminiscing what you did for the whole day before you
sleep in the night. Aalahanin mo lahat ng ginawa mo as detailed as possible. You will start from the
moment you woke up until the time na pahiga ka na sa kama. Ewan ko lang but this is very effective for
me and also pampatulog ko ito during my time especially pag nagrereview ka na diba mahirap
makatulog lalo na pag feeling mo marami kang di natapos na aaralin on that day. When you are doing it,
di mo napapansin nakakatulog ka na.

TIP#3: ANSWER QUESTIONS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY

Answering questions efficiently and effectively helps you in mastering FAR. Sabi ko nga kapag
nasasagutan mo ng tama ang mga questions, naapply mo ng maayos ang concepts. But just like on
TIP#2, you also need to answer questions for past topics. Kaya ang ginagawa ko, after kong sagutan yung
mga questions for the first time, I mark them according to their difficulty, syempre yung mga easy
questions as much as possible di ko na babalikan yun lalo na kung madadaanan din naman sila nung
pagrereview ko ng concept map ng lumang topics. Usually average and difficult questions ang
binabalikan ko. But please take note yung classification na yan ng questions nagbabago as your review
goes on. Kasi minsan may mga difficult questions na nagiging madali nalang especially pag gamay na
gamay mo na yung concept. Kaya nga I also added a special question on my classification. Itong special
question na to, this is a comprehensive question, kumabaga kapag sinagutan mo itong question na ito,
halos maraming concepts ng topic na yun ang natatamaan. Kaya madalas ito talaga yung binabalikan ko.

In addition, pag nagsasagot ka ng questions for review purposes, do not simply answer it kasi di ka
nagrereview kapag ganon, instead ang nangyayari namememorize mo yung question. What you should
do is to understand the concept nung problem bakit ganon sya sinolve and correlate it to the concepts
or provisions ng PFRS. Kung theory man yan, as much as possible you can determine bakit mali yung
ibang choice. This is the proper review of the questions. Kaya nga nagmamark ka ng classification ng
questions e, kasi kung babalikan mo lahat tapos ganito ang approach mo, ubos na ang isang araw di mo
pa natatapos lahat balikan.

TIP#4: MANAGE YOUR TIME PROPERLY

As you can see, sa dami ng aaralin sa FAR, time management is a must. During my review, I allotted 2
days for FAR, especially mas marami ang concepts nyan di ko alam after I graduate at natutunan na
during review. So yung allotment mo depends on your prior knowledge on FAR, kumabaga this is
subjective. Also, 2 days sya since FAR is also a preparation for auditing problems.

In terms of proper time management, it requires heavy discipline. Discipline in a sense that you need to
stick to your schedule no matter what. Otherwise, magaadjust ka na naman sa ibang sched mo.
Remember time is of the essence for board exam preparation. Maraming temptation na darating but
you need to fight it because the license is worth fighting for. Astig kaya yung may dugtong yung name
mo ng three important letters on our profession, the letters C P A.

On your time management, magallow ka naman ng relax time for yourself. Kasi need ng katawan at utak
din natin ang magpahinga. Pero wag naman puro pahinga ah. Remember that if you want something,
you need to work hard for it. Nothing worthy comes easy. When hiking, as you approach the peak,
struggles come. Ganon din for CPALE, as the time of exam approaches, anxiety, depression and fear
come. You need to be strong to overpower them. Remember that if you did your best, God will do the
rest and just believe on his will. He will give the desires of your heart in His perfect timing .

TIP#5: ASSESS YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Assessment is always part of the review process. Without this, you can never tell whether you are ready
to take the exam or not. This is an inherent process in order for you to adjust on things that you lack of.

Kaya nga may mga preboards tayo na tinatake before the actual board exam diba? But take note that to
assess ourselves, we don’t need to wait for the preboard exams. You can assess your knowledge by
answering past preboard exams and materials of various review centers.

Ang proper assessment is that as much as possible you get 80% (zero-based) in answering new
materials. Ako during my time, I am conservative in terms of assessing my knowledge. Paanong
conservative sir? Everytime I answer new materials, binabawas ko sa score ko yung mga questions na
umulit lalo na kung namali ko yun nung unang take ko. Ang thinking ko kasi may tendency na kaya
natama ko yung ngayon dahil namemorize ko yung sagot. Another would be, binabawas ko din sa score
ko yung mga umulit na questions tapos natama ko nung una dahil hinulahan ko lang. Remember this
process requires honesty to yourself. WAG MONG LOKOHIN ANG SARILI MO! (capslock para mas
ramdam ) Hindi ko sya ibabawas obviously kung natama ko sya nung una sure ako na alam ko yung
concept. This conservative process of mine requires myself to strive further especially kung di maganda
yung score ko after mabawas yung mga dapat ibawas. Kasi ang feeling mo marami ka pang di alam kaya
you need to study further. Remember, one of the keys in passing CPALE is overpreparedness. Kapag
underprepared ka kasi yung mga madadaling questions nagiging mahirap.

So this would be all and I hope matulungan kayo ng mga tips na ito in studying effectively FAR. I pray
that you achieve your dreams and God bless you all! 

P.S. Maraming salamat sa mga nagtiyaga na basahin sya hanggang dulo

Warning! Long post ahead!

Look, I know you’re reading this to hopefully find motivation from a once-aspiring-CPA-now-a-legit-CPA.
(A topnotcher, even) You’re having difficulties? You want me to assure you it will get better?
Well…………………………….it won’t (sa totoo lang). BUT I CAN SAY IT WILL BE WORTH IT… in the long run…

After a couple of sleepless nights… few dosages of caffeine… missing a few movies, novels and games...
(kidding! A lot of movies, novels and games!) hating your terror professor… losing your social life… (you
want me to continue?) earning your degree… passing the CPA Board Exams… landing a great love-it-but-
hate-it-even-more-sometimes job… earning and learning to the fullest from your work experiences…
buying your car, house, 1-month vacation to your dream vacation destination (yeah, right)… You see the
point, right? IT WILL BE WORTH IT.

You can have a great future but you must survive your accounting student life first. So now…just breathe
before we start. Here we go!

1. HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS STUDYING.

Your attitude determines your direction.

To be effective, it will all start with having the right attitude. It is important to have a mindset for
learning. Convince yourself – STUDYING IS FUN. AUDITING THEORY IS FUN. It is not a punishment nor an
obligation but an opportunity to learn.

2. MAKE YOUR PERSONALIZED STUDY PLAN.

A goal without a plan is just a wish. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin

Why plan?

A study plan will help you organize your schedule and prepare the materials needed beforehand. Being
organized makes a great difference to your learning specifically when studying AUDITING THEORY.

When making a plan, it is important to set a specific time and target topics you want to learn/review.
Also, consider the following items:

1. COMPLETENESS. Identify topics covered by AUDITING THEORY (see Syllabus in Auditing issued by
BOA).

2. FUNDAMENTALS. Recognize fundamental principles and interrelated topics.

Why personalized?

There is no one-size-fits-all plan. YOUR plan should be specifically tailored to you. Note that study habits
differ from person to person so you must assess yourself first - your strengths, weaknesses and learning
style.

LASTLY, having a plan helps to reduce panic and frustration in your preparation for the examination.

3. IMPLEMENT YOUR STUDY PLAN

Plan your work and work your plan. – Napoleon Hill

Good planning without good working is nothing. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Having a plan is a start. But, implementing it is the most important part. During implementation, do the
following.

A. LEARN AND FAMILIARIZE THE CONCEPTS

Studying AT is not about memorizing words, it is more important that you focus on the concept. Try to
rephrase what you’ve learned based on your own understanding. Better yet, try to imagine how it is
being done in practice.

Knowing the concepts will greatly assist you in answering board examination type questions, not the
other way around.

B. PAY ATTENTION DURING DISCUSSION

During discussion, it will be more appropriate to focus fully on the discussion to easily grasp the
concepts to be imparted by the speaker (teacher/reviewer). CONCENTRATE AND AVOID DISTRACTIONS
to be more effective and efficient.

C. KEEP AND REVIEW NOTES

Jutting down important concepts will help you remember what you’ve learned later when you review.
You may use diagrams or bullet enumeration in summarizing your thoughts.

In addition, after some time, review your notes. Try to recall the concepts included in your notes.

Keeping notes and reviewing it afterwards will greatly contribute in developing your retention.
Remember, during examinations, your main weapon are concepts you have retained during your
learning.
D. PRACTICE

Try to test yourself through answering end of chapter questions and other review materials. This helps
you assess where you’re at with your understanding of the subject. In doing this, do it properly. You can
observe the following:

1. Apply concepts learned.

2. During self-assessment, set a specific time frame for a specific quizzer. For example, a 15-item quizzer
can be answered for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. When checking your answers, understand not only the answer but the concepts involved.

4. COMMUNICATE

As educators, it is your teachers’ goal to help you prepare and pass the CPA Board Examination. In line
with that, it is important for you to know that your teachers are willing to help you when you are having
difficulties with certain topics. Study groups, where students help each other and exchange notes and
information, also work for some.

Remember this, YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS JOURNEY.

5. REST BUT KEEP THE DESIRE OF ATTAINING YOUR GOAL

The time frame of our preparation for the board exams or for a particular semester is EXHAUSTING. Do
not hesitate to take PROPER STUDY BREAKS. These breaks help maintain high level performance,
improve focus, and reduce stress.

However, KEEP THAT FIRE BURNING! KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED! As they say, the motivation comes
from within – no one can hand it to you, but no one can take it away, either.

6. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

Don’t give up! Don’t give in! Keep the faith! And keep your eyes in the prize! – John Lewis

Keep your eyes on the prize but enjoy your journey. – Matt Serra

Your immediate goal as a student or reviewee is becoming a CPA - THAT IS THE GOAL YOU SHOULD
FOCUS ON. There may be new difficulties (to add up to the old ones) due to our current situation but
that shouldn’t hinder you from reaching your goal. When you experience hiccups while preparing for the
boards - distractions, stress, personal battles - go back and remind yourself of your goal. Ask yourself
“Why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? How badly do I want to become a CPA?”

In closing, all these are just tips for you. It doesn’t guarantee anything but definitely helps some people.
You have great challenges ahead but with proper mindset and preparation, you’ll get those three letters
after your name one day. As quoted by Michael Jordan, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it
would happen, OTHERS MAKE IT HAPPEN.” Well, that covers it. I give you my best wishes for your CPA
Journey.

Peace out.

Raymund Francis A. Escala

BY DARRELL JOE O. ASUNCION, CPA, MBA

TIP NO. 1: MASTER THE BASIC CONCEPTS

Pag nag-aral kayo ng specific topic sa auditing problems, be sure na namaster na natin ang basics. Kaya
pag inaral ninyo halimbawa ang Cash, isabay na ninyo ang Financial Accounting and Reporting. Gawa ka
ng notes mo and try using a song, acrononym, or mnemonics to remember information. Then, Sagotan
muna ang reviewer mo sa Financial Accounting and Reporting- yung mga problems and theories nya
then tsaka kayo pumunta sa mga mahahabang problems sa Auditing. Kaya dapat meron at meron kang
schedule na sinusunod pang Financial Accounting and Reporting at pang Auditing Problems. Kung naka
schedule ka sa subject/s na yan, concentrate ka dyan. You learn to focus on that subject and do not
multi-task.

QUOTE: “THINK OF SUCCESS AS A GAME OF CHANCE IN WHICH YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER THE ODDS.
AS YOU BEGIN TO MASTER CONCEPTS, YOU ARE INCREASING YOUR ODDS OF ACHIEVING SUCCESS”- BO
BENNETT

TIP NO. 2: ALWAYS FIND TIME TO REVIEW

Always find your time to review what you have learned. Pag inaral natin halimbawa yung cash/bank
reconciliation ngayon, need mong balikan yung mga different concepts ng nya. Sabi nga ng isang well-
known author na you need to review five times in order to put the concepts in your long-term memory.
Heto yung suggestion nya:

1st review- the day na inaral mo yung topic

2nd review- one day after na inaral mo yung topic

3rd review- one week after na inaral mo yung topic

4th review- one month after na inaral mo

5th review- 3 to 6 months after na inaral mo

Yung review is pwedeng sabihin mo sa sarili mo, ano yung mga concepts na dapat mong tandaan sa
topic na yan. Pwedeng 15 to 30 minutes lang yan na pagre review ng concept. Kaya ilagay mo sa
kalendaryo mo yung topic na dapat mong balikan at reviewhin. Pag binalikan mo yung concepts, hindi
mo kelangan na naka-upo ka sa study table mo at mag review ka, pwede kahit na nasa jeep ka, pwede
mong balikan yung concepts o naka pila ka sa grocery stores pwede mong balikan yung concept na inaral
mo.

Pag hindi mo kasi ginawa to, mawawala yung mga inaral mo, sayang yung effort mo na nag-aral nun.

QUOTE:

“Do it again.

Play it again. Sing it again. Read it again. Write it again. Sketch it again. Rehearse it again. Run it again.
Try it again.

Because again is practice, and practice is improvement, and improvement only leads to perfection.”

― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year
TIP NO. 3: QUIZ YOURSELF

Ang isa sa magandang gawin eh gumawa tayo ng flash cards sa Cash and other topics para sa sarili natin,
yung pag gumawa ka eh kung pwede mong hindi tinitignan yung mga notes or book mo, ilagay mo dun
yung mga concepts/formulas na kelangan mong tandaan.

Isa pang paraan eh, every week dapat mag schedule ka din ng time para i-assess mo yung napag-aralan
mo. For example Cash ang natapos mo ngayung linggo, pwede kang kumuha ng mga questions sa Cash
plus yung iba pang topics na naaral mo na sa mga reviewers/past preboards or exams then lagyan mo ng
oras para sagutan yung mga yung mga yun. Yung attitude mo dyan eh parang nagbo-board exam ka na
talaga. Then pagkatapos ay icheck mo, ano yung di mo nakuha mo? Ano yung mga namissed mong
concepts dun sa quiz na yan.

QUOTE: “YOU HAVE TO USE IT BEFORE YOU LOSE IT.”

TIP NO. 4: CULTIVATE SELF-DISCIPLINE

Para mafollow mo yung schedule at mareview mo ang auditing problems, you must cultivate self-
discipline. Sabi ng Brian Tracy, isang well-known author on self-improvement, “Discipline is doing the
things you don’t want to do in order for you to do what you want to do. You do things even if don’t feel
like doing it.” So kung nag schedule ka ng oras para sa mag-aral ng Auditing problems, kelangan mong
sundin yan. Pag-nag schedule ka ng oras na mag review, for example 3am- kelangan mong sundin yan!

This one is from the book of John Maxwell:

How are you when it comes to discipline? Do you often times hang out late with your friends (girlfriends
or boyfriends) rather than spending time studying? Do you rather watch movie, play games, or updating
your status in the facebook/social media rather than studying? Do you often times set your alarm clock
to study, say at 3 am, only to turn it off when it alarms and continue sleeping? Do you always start the
review with full of interest by being always present to all classes then suddenly lose interest at the
middle of review by being always absent? Are you easily being affected by problems at home or with
your friends to the point that you want to stop studying?

Learn from the Story of Reynald III

During the fourteenth century in what is now Belgium, there lived a man named Reynald III. Reynald was
a nobleman, the rightful duke over his ancestral lands, but his younger brother revolted against him and
usurped him. Reynald’s brother needed the duke out of the way, but he didn’t want to kill him. So he
came up with an ingenious plan. Because Reynald was a very large man, his brother had him put into a
room with a smaller-than-average door. If Reynald would simply lose weight, he would be allowed to
leave. In fact, the usurping brother promised that if Reynald left the room, his freedom and his title
would be restored.

But Reynald was not a man of discipline, and his brother knew that. Everyday, the brother had trays of
delicious foods delivered to his older brother’s room. And Reynald ate. In fact, instead of growing
thinner, he grew fatter and fatter.

A PERSON LACKING OF DISCIPLINE IS IN A PRISON WITHOUT BARS. ARE YOUR HABITS MAKING A
PRISONER OF YOU?