I found having a plan was the best way to study. I would agree with RichardH about mastering the Crap-5 and also that the more applied subjects come together the more you get stuck into doing examples etc, but I don't necessarily agree that you can't get through it without writing stuff down. I didn't write notes when I was studying (but did during the distance learning brush up weeks), and I found reading and re-reading when I didn't understand something to be sufficient.
It all depends on how you learn best, some learn best from writing, others learn best from reading, some by applying (I would fall into a mix of reading and applying depending on the matter) and some learn best through listening. It is up to you to find out what works for you!