Studying while working

Studying while working is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Sometimes work weeks are inflexible, deadlines need to be met and it seems like you will never have time to actually get some studying in.  I have been trying to get up early around 5am and study for 2 hours and then go to work. Then after I get out I try to go to the gym, eat dinner and try to get in another 2 to 3 hours in before I call it a night. 

By the end of the day I am exhausted and am normally not as efficient (or awake) it is still 3 more hours of studying a day. If you break it down that’s 25 hours during the work week and a 100 hours a month. Then if you add in 10-12 hour study days on the week end you can easily cram in 180-190 hours of studying a month.

If you are a person that wants to enjoy your weekend or even one day of it you can easily do so by cramming in 5 hours a day. Also, if you are feeling like you are in need of a few extra z's to stay focused at work you can occasionally skip the morning (once a week, normally mid week, works best for me) session and still feel accomplished.

It sounds like a lot and will be exhausting when you are doing it. But if you plan around busy season and around the blackout months for the exam you can probably sleep in and not get up at 5 and still be able to get in a 120 hours or so of studying.  It’s definitely possible to take the exam during work and succeed at doing so but it will obviously be a challenge. If you are a new hire, such as myself, you will also be spending time outside of work learning how to use new tools and enhance your knowledge of how to most effectively do your job. I have found that a good strategy is to try to project how much time you will need to study to be prepared for the exam. Then make a schedule of when you will study and how long it will take you to reach you projected amount of hours you need to be properly prepared and give yourself a week of cushion in between. 

If you fall a week past the end of the test taking block you should consider whether it is worth taking the exam is worth it since even if you fail at least you will be able to take it again as soon as the block opens up again with a few more weeks to study. 

- Kevin