My Week-by-Week CFE Study Plan For The Next 2 Months

I just finished my Capstone 2 module workshop today. For my cohort, candidates on the west coast got the workshop delivered asynchronously (pre-recorded videos to watch). Candidates on the east coast attended the workshop live online. I did all three formats on my journey (in-person, asynchronous & online live) and found all of them have their own pros and cons. The conclusion of my last module workshop reminded me of that fact that CFE is fast approaching. In less than two months, I will be writing the 3-day CFE in my own hotel room in Vancouver (due to social distancing rules).

I have been sharing my CFE study plans here for months now (you can read the first one here). Unlike the previous ones, I decided to break my plan down week-by-week. Even though this plan is designed to fit my schedule best, I hope it is still of value to you. This plan should work even if you are not taking Densmore. I clearly labeled the Densmore-content so you can remove those and replace them with additional cases in the Capstone 2 module.

Note, I used the CFE calendar provided by both Capstone 2 and Densmore as a blueprint to come up with my own.

Note, this post contains a product that was sponsored by Densmore Consulting Consulting Services Inc. However, all opinions are 100% my own.

A Recap On Everything I Did In The Past 6 Weeks

CFE Technical Reviews – Progress

I am not really disappointed that I didn’t finish as much technical review as I hoped. I scheduled my move and accepted the new role knowing there will have to be some re-prioritization. I am in love with my new place so getting to finish the last stretch of my CFE prep here is 100% worth it. The new role (Revenue Accountant) I accepted is also the perfect career move for me so I know the long-term benefits will outweigh the cons (busy learning curve for now).

I started reviewing Finance technicals as planned but I never finished it (finished 2 out of 8 weeks). Capstone 1 completely took over my energy towards the end with Part 3 of the report and presentation due. I also moved in the middle of June and was busy for several days because of that as well. Then work got busy because I accepted a new role that started in mid-July. It was quarter-end and training for me so I was mostly tired after work.

Read all of my CPA CFE posts here

Capstone 1 – Final Report & Presentation

I shared my final thoughts about Capstone 1 as a whole in a separate post. In short, it was a lot of work every though it was a pass/fail. Your experience would also vary depending on your groupmates. I lucked out with mine as they were all responsible and punctual. There were instances where I thought I could have been more efficient if it was an individual project but there were also instances where I definitely benefited from having a group.

RELATED POST – CPA Capstone 1 – Tips on How to Do Well

Beginning Densmore CFE Prep & Capstone 2

I registered for the CFE Prep II with Densmore with the first submission deadline being Jul 10. That means I only got just over a week after Capstone 1 and before Densmore. During that week and a bit, instead of doing nothing CFE-related, I ended up watching the videos provided by Densmore and reviewing my CFE calendar. I thought I did alright (all things considered) with my first two Densmore Day 3 cases until I got the marked cases back (many NCs). It did not freak me out but I was upset for a little bit (like 10 minutes). I knew this was normal and part of the process. Densmore CFE prep and Capstone 2 would be meaningless if we all go in getting RCs and Cs on all the cases!

Updated Study Plan For CFE (Week-By-Week)

Until now, I have been following my study plan loosely because I started way earlier than required. I knew I had a lot more flexibility in those plans because I had the benefit of time. If I fell behind or got distracted by other shinier objects, I could easily just postpone my review. However, unlike the past 6 months, time is of the essence during this final stretch of CFE prep.

To keep myself accountable and provide you with a clearer plan, I am going to share my CFE prep plan week-by-week. Note, my CFE leave does not start until Aug 18 and I will be returning to work for one week at the end of August for month-end.

Week of July 18 (8 Weeks Before CFE)

• Technical Reviews
  • now that I have attempted four Day 3 cases and one each of Day 1 and Day 2 case partially, I have a list of technical topics I need to review.
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (80m, Perkins)
  • 1 x Densmore Day 2 case (300m, Kepler)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore videos on all of the competencies
  • Densmore video for Day 2
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar

Week of July 25 (7 Weeks Before CFE)

• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 2 case (300m, Elcar)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (90m, StillGood)
  • 1 x Densmore Day 3 case (80m, Fanatix)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore debriefing videos
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar

Week of August 1 (6 Weeks Before CFE)

• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 1 case (240m, WDI)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (80m, Roxanne)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Mock Day 2 (300m, EnviroCab)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #1
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar

Week of August 8 (5 Weeks Before CFE)

• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (75m, Veza)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 2 case (300m, Jump, Festival & Dreamy Donuts)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #2
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar

Week of August 15 (4 Weeks Before CFE)

• CFE leave starts on Aug 18
• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (90m, Lake Country)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 2 case (300m, Solar Panel)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #3
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar

Week of August 22 (3 Weeks Before CFE)

• CFE leave until Aug 29; Whistler trip (booked but undecided)
• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 1 case (240m, WDI)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (75m, TinyCo)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #4
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar
  • Additional cases from Densmore or Capstone 2

Week of August 29 (2 Weeks Before CFE)

• Back to Work
• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (70m, King Street)
  • 1 x Capstone 2 Day 3 case (90m, Elder)
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #5
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar
  • Additional cases from Densmore or Capstone

Week of September 5 (1 Week Before CFE)

• CFE leave resumes until CFE
• Technical Reviews
  • as required
• Case Submissions
  • None
• Additional Learning Resources
  • Densmore CFE webinar #6
  • Capstone 2 weekly webinar
  • Additional cases from Densmore or Capstone

Week of September 12 (CFE Week)

My hope is that by now, the only to-dos on my list are the following:

• check in at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on Sunday
• make sure I bring my wired mouse (I bought it for writing Core 1 in-person which turned out to be my only in-person PEP exam)
• just chill – my goal is to have 0 studying to do the weekend before CFE

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