http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/forum/cpa-exam-study-test-strategy Powered by Another71.com en-US Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:51:52 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/search.php http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146605 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:02:59 +0000 chrisbrown3 146605@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>#33</p> <p>Trust your gut. Don't psych yourself out. If you are well prepared you will pass if you do not psych yourself out mentally. Positive thinking and just relaxing in the room will help you pass. Stress all you want up until test day but the minute you sit down at the computer, let it all go. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/questions-about-2012-cpa-exam#post-146604 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:49:14 +0000 CPA628 146604@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Nope. There isn't major change between 2011-2012, so you should be fine!</p> <p> I'm using Becker 2011 and they said majority of the information is the same, minus few changes here and there. Becker provides updates, and that should be sufficient. </p> <p>I wonder if Yaeger provides something of that sort. Good luck:!) </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/questions-about-2012-cpa-exam#post-146598 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:36:25 +0000 popscon 146598@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Hello<br /> I am an international student studying in the states<br /> I have been studying since Dec, 2011.<br /> I spend 6 to 8 hrs a day for the FAR and REG section. I think I am dedicated to this thing...<br /> Since I am studying with 2011 yaeger review, I worry if I am studying the wrong material.<br /> Can anyone help me with this ?<br /> I just want to ge some advices on changes in 2012 cpa exam. </p> <p>I checked AICPA website and did not find any announcement on the changes to the exam except the one that is<br /> effective in 2013.<br /> Other than that, is there major differences in 2012 exam? </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146596 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:28:05 +0000 Herbieherb 146596@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>#32 When you arrive at a new Prometric Center, find out where the bathroom is. When its time for your in between testlet bathroom break, the clock is still ticking. Knowing where it is, and which stalls may be broken can save you time. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/hello-study-plan-help-wanted#post-146595 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:25:16 +0000 Ashley 146595@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Thank you Minimorty :) If I am really into my studying I probably will only update my blog every once in while... at least that's what happened during my quarters at school. I've updated it more lately because like I've stated, I have plenty of free time and I get bored. And I don't have big commitments! I guess I will learn soon enough how bad this exam will be. I haven't felt it's wrath yet. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. Do you give yourself a day or night off during the week? </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/hello-study-plan-help-wanted#post-146586 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:08:45 +0000 Minimorty 146586@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>The CPA exam is like ripping off a band-aid. You know its going to hurt, so you want to get it over with as quickly as you can.</p> <p>If you really want this, I would put all of your available time and energy into it. You are working part time and it sounds like you have no other big commitments (spouse, children, etc.). This is really going to be the perfect opportunity to do it. If you get a great internship in the summer, go ahead and take it. It shouldn't preclude you from studying in the evenings and on the weekends. </p> <p>On another note, your blog is "cute" and actually well done. Much better than most I've seen. That being said, I really suggest you not put much time into your blog. That time is better spent studying. You have to live, breathe, and die CPA exam if you want to knock these exams out of the way. There is no easy path to getting it done. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/hello-study-plan-help-wanted#post-146574 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:56:13 +0000 Ashley 146574@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>I just wanted to say hi, I'm Ashley. I graduated Dec 2011 and I am going to start studying for the CPA exam. I ordered Yaeger and I have to wait until Monday before it arrives. I currently work 25ish hours a week. I am a school bus driver so I work mornings/afternoons. Anyways, I have been trying to think of how I want to go about taking the exam. I sent in my application &amp; transcripts so hopefully I will hear back soon. I was thinking of taking FAR in April, AUD in May, take the summer off (I might intern or maybe just enjoy it if I can't get an internship?) and then going after REG in October and BEC in November. I am wondering if I am drawing this thing out too long? Especially with the 18 month frame. I could have the worst time with BEC, just because it's last. I thought if I had to retake either of the first two, I would do it in the summer so that wouldn't mess up the rest of the schedule. Another thought I have is that I only work part time, so why couldn't I get this thing done and over with sooner? I just know that when I get an accounting job, I may never have a summer like the one coming. I'm not sure about studying for the exam during an internship. If I get the internship I am hoping for, then I really want to focus on that.</p> <p>I am just trying to hear other people's perspectives. I only know one person who has taken the CPA exam in the last 25 years and she is pretty busy with work. I just don't know know how to approach the exam. I can't really decide what to do. I was thinking that the schedule I mentioned would allow me to also have free time... balance :). But I know I can push myself hard if I wanted to. Maybe you could tell me, is it harder to learn lots of information in a short time, or better in a longer period? Could someone learn better studying 30 hours versus 20 hours a week or vice versus? I would think there would be a threshold where after a certain amount of hours a week it would be impossible to retain it all. Okay, enough rambling on, please give me your advice. Please be nice, but honest with your answers :) I know it's a monster of a test and any feedback I get is GREATLY appreciated! I just want to make a good plan and get going on this thing. </p> <p>P..s. Is it crazy that I am excited to start studying? I keep telling myself, you will regret this thought soon enough haha. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/2012-wiley-test-bank-the-good#post-146563 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:37:07 +0000 jenuno01 146563@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>The new Wiley online test bank is awesome! I always study at my office and for some reason, the old Wiley site gets blocked, categorized under "Sports &amp; Entertainment" lol. This new site does not get blocked - I am a happy panda. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/2012-wiley-test-bank-the-good#post-146556 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:26:03 +0000 misanthrope87 146556@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Sorry but the practice mode for 2011 made much more sense and was extremely user friendly. Sure 2012 looks nice, but it doesn't make up for what it lost. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th/page/2#post-146551 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:17:26 +0000 yankeeaccountant 146551@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Hmmmmm. I think I vote Katie takes REG for me next week ;P</p> <p> @ katie, awesome process......many talents you have: writer, CPA, maybe add CPA Review Company to the list?!<br /> ~~~~~~~<br /> I worked all the Ind Tax problems today, went much faster than Corporate. I guess that tells me I need to work more on Corp Tax! Now going to work about 50 more mcq's and then reread notes and then bed. Hope you guys had a good one.</p> <p>@JoMarie</p> <p>Great post this morning!! </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/so-are-the-odds-of-passing-aud-reg-or-far-greater-in-the-1st-window#post-146543 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:58:57 +0000 jjm1181 146543@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Just wondering. I'm still going to study my big round booty off but wanted to take a quick ADD break. Back to MCQs. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/so-are-the-odds-of-passing-aud-reg-or-far-greater-in-the-1st-window#post-146541 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:54:48 +0000 Jeff - another71.com 146541@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>I think the pass rate is less in Q1 due to people having less time to study. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/so-are-the-odds-of-passing-aud-reg-or-far-greater-in-the-1st-window#post-146537 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:50:05 +0000 Minimorty 146537@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Here is my take: it doesnt matter when you take the exam. The AICPA has already given each of these questions and simulations some sort of point value based on PRIOR exams and past data it has collected. The so called "curve" that the AICPA denies exists is based on all of the exams of the prior quarters. I really dont think there is much, if any, comparison from candidate to candidate in the same testing window. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/so-are-the-odds-of-passing-aud-reg-or-far-greater-in-the-1st-window#post-146536 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:49:46 +0000 jamesblunt69 146536@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>IMO it's dumb to try to micromanage all the factors that may go in to a pass or fail. Just study for the damn thing to the best of your ability; if you know the stuff you'll pass. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/so-are-the-odds-of-passing-aud-reg-or-far-greater-in-the-1st-window#post-146534 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:44:31 +0000 jjm1181 146534@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Due to busy season and all the public accountants and auditors being too busy to study or even sit? Am I at an advantage to not sit with a lot of those folks during the first window? I hope so... </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th/page/2#post-146516 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:46:15 +0000 jomarie 146516@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>@katie - sounds like you have an awesome plan of attack!!</p> <p>I think this "Superwoman" is starting to burn out. I'm going to call it an early night. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/2012-wiley-test-bank-the-good#post-146510 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:24:39 +0000 Jeff - another71.com 146510@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Great to hear.</p> <p>I have been messing around with it (see my demo video too) and the instant feedback is definitely there.</p> <p>You just do practice mode ... click the answer ... click "Next" in the lower right hand corner and the answer explanation pops up. You can then click "Try Again" and select a different answer.</p> <p>The Pop Quiz also has a cool feature...do 10 questions and then you get a report showing the answer you picked and the correct answer + any explanations. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/2012-wiley-test-bank-the-good#post-146508 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:09:02 +0000 jjm1181 146508@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>The reporting is stellar. I've gone through a few 20 MCQ practice sessions and am able to get a good grasp on my weak areas. The statistics are much more in-depth than the previous version.</p> <p>Also, being able to copy and paste explanations saves me time on writing out explanations and then retyping them for a more friendly format.</p> <p>Just wanted to say good job in these two areas. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/wiley-cpa-2012-test-bank-demo#post-146503 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:49:40 +0000 Jeff - another71.com 146503@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S_cQ4a4tULA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br /> <br /> <center><strong>Wiley Test Bank 2012 Discounts: </strong><a href="http://www.another71.com/wiley-cpa-software/" target="_blank">http://www.another71.com/wiley-cpa-software/</a></center> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146496 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:58:53 +0000 HumanPiranha 146496@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Try not to have a bunch of things to remember in your head, say for example, 30 do's and don'ts about how to prepare for the exam. it might just make your mind muddled. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146483 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:43:13 +0000 bobkorz 146483@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Yay! my thread got famous! :)</p> <p>Rule#31: Keep the goal in mind: CPA. When you focus on the goal, you know why you're studying so hard and are motivated more.</p> <p>And no, CPA does not mean Certified Pain in the..... :P </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146468 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:28:26 +0000 kandisjoy 146468@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Rule #30 - No matter how tired and frustrated you get during your exam, do NOT give up. Give the exam 110% or you will regret it!</p> <p>When on my last SIM for one of my exams, I was SURE that I was failing and I was super exhausted, and I just wanted to get the hell out of the testing center. I entered in my best guesses on my last SIM without really spending a lot of time researching in the research tab, and closed out of the exam with 15 minutes to spare. I got a 71. You better believe that I was kicking myself for that!!! </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146459 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:05:59 +0000 Jeff - another71.com 146459@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Podcast: Rules of the CPA Exam Part 1 - <a href="http://www.another71.com/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam/" rel="nofollow">http://www.another71.com/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam/</a> :) </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146433 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:44:07 +0000 bobkorz 146433@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>#27 : Read the MCQ CAREFULLY. Too many times people will select a "correct" answer when the question asks for what is "NOT correct".</p> <p>#28: If you are reading a MCQ and you see multiple correct answers, re-read the question - you are likely having a question that is asking for something that is NOT correct and you can discount the "correct" answers. </p> <p>#29 If you are reading a MCQ asking for the correct answer and you see more than one correct answer, and "all of the above" is an option, choose that. Even if you don't know if one of the answers above "all of the above" is correct. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th/page/2#post-146383 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:07:52 +0000 katiekanton 146383@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>@Peanut</p> <p>My plan of attack is really the same as my previous sections. </p> <p>Step 1: I watch the lectures taking notes and arranging things in an outline type format like:</p> <p>Accounting for Stock Investment<br /> * Stock percentage is less than 20% - Cost Method<br /> ----------Dividends booked as dividend income<br /> ----------Income on the Income Statement ignored<br /> * Stock percentage is 20-50% - Equity Method<br /> ----------Dividends booked as reduction to Investment<br /> ----------Income on the Income Statement recognized as income on prorata basis<br /> --------------NOTE: Don't recognize losses below level of original investment.<br /> * Stock percentage &gt; 50% - Consolidated Statements<br /> etc.</p> <p>Step 2: I read the book, adding to my notes if necessary, although generally my book goes into too much detail and I've learned that if it's not covered in the MCQs I probably don't need to know it anyway.</p> <p>Step 3: I do MCQs, adding to my notes any exceptions and quirks I learn about in the answer explanations. As I'm going through MCQs, I take a screenshot of the question, answer, and explanation of the ones I missed or guessed on. I paste this into a Word document and review it before I sit. (my software won't let me copy and paste text)</p> <p>Step 4: If I have time, I do the sims, and add any further exceptions to my notes.</p> <p>I just go through questions once. Then I just memorize my notes. This time, I'm going to try to make it a habit to print out my notes every day and add them to my stack and read the notes every night before bed. I'm hoping this helps with memory retention and will mean less time memorizing right before the exam. I know it sounds like a lot to memorize, but by the time I'm through I might only have 50 partial pages of notes, and most of it is just review or common sense. I use a highlighter on the portions I need to concentrate on (for example, for NFP colleges vs hospitals, what is considered income) and hit that right before the exam. </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/the-rules-of-the-cpa-exam#post-146369 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:32:49 +0000 katiekanton 146369@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>#25 Don't spread out your studying. For almost everyone, it is better to study every spare moment for 4 weeks than 3 hours a night for four months. </p> <p>#26 Read the most recent AICPA released questions and answers the morning you take your test (you can usually download them from your review materials website in the "updates" area). </p> <p>On both the sections I have sat for, there was a question straight from the most recently released questions (which I thought meant they were taken out of circulation, but apparently not). It's also helpful to see the official AICPA reasoning for how they worded the question. For example, one I read before my test was on a topic I was completely familiar with, in the form of "which of these is NOT", and one of the answer choices was something I had never heard of but sounded very official and logical. In the official explanation, it said something like "Answer A is a nonsense answer. The AICPA expects you to be familiar with the other three explanations and know that they ARE [whatever the topic was], and therefore the answer you are not familiar with is the correct answer." </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th/page/2#post-146363 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:26:14 +0000 Marivy22 146363@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Almost done with re-writing notes, B5 left........I am now working with progress tests in Becker 10 1/2 days to go :-0 </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th/page/2#post-146295 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:09:46 +0000 Peanut 146295@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>@JoMarie, wooohooo!! That's the spirit!! You've got this! </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th#post-146289 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:18:50 +0000 jomarie 146289@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>Ok I started BEC last night and wrote out my studying schedule. I have 11 weeks until E-Day "Exam Day" to conquer and master the BEC topics, along with being busying with tax season. </p> <p>I will be done with this exam once and for all!!!!!! </p> http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/power-week-of-february-6-thru-february-10th#post-146263 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:03:54 +0000 akb9874 146263@http://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/ <p>@yankee</p> <p>Thanks! I hope it works!! If you think of any tips please feel free to let me know! I am just plain pissed off that I failed FAR again so I am taking it out on REG! haha </p>