I reached out for help and this is what was said…

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  • #190838
    Topo30
    Member

    Hello all:

    I have not posted anything in about three months or so. That being said, I reached out to a director of a public university which has a *highly* respected undergraduate (accounting program) and CPA review course to discuss how they could be of some help.

    He was gracious enough to assess my feedback form from the IL BOE, and he stated the following: My scores indicate that there are gaps in the fundamental learning. He highly recommended I retake intermediate accounting courses at a reputable institution, so that I may solidify my foundation. He did not endorse his institution, just fyi.

    I am grateful for his assessment, but I do not have the desire to go back to the basics. After all, I have read numerous posts on this forum of individuals who have been out of higher ed for 5, 10, 15 years, choose a review course and pass the exams! I do give it my all! I study, do MCQs, SIMS. Rinse and repeat. Further, I do not feel that I am incompetent individual; otherwise, I would not have been promoted to Sr. Staff Accountant.

    Kindly give your thought and comments.

    Much appreciated.

    AUD-FAILED X5
    FAR-FAILED X1
    BEC-FAILED
    REG-FAILED

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)
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  • #634698
    Determined CPA
    Participant

    While taking classes will certainly help, I don't think it'a necessary to pass these exams. I've been out of school for 7 years and am slowly but surely getting through them. The key is to learn how to study and pass these exams. For some, that's reading the book and for others that's ditching the books and doing mcqs. You will need to find what's best for you! Ask questions on this forum. Google things. YouTube things. Attack the topics you don't know well and don't ignore them! Good luck!

    A - 75
    B - 78 God is good.
    F - 77 Answered prayers.
    R - 84! Done!!

    Paperwork sent - waiting for license!!
    Still on a cloud and in shock. Through God, all things will happen.

    #634699
    Mamabear
    Member

    I agree with Determined completely. These exams are not like any college course and going backwards is a waste of time in my opinion. These exams require that you teach yourself a good deal of the information. It's possible that the review course you picked just isn't a right fit for you. You have to figure out how you learn best and pick a course that aligns with your strengths. I didn't use a formal course. I read the book and worked in the test bank and asked questions and googled, etc. It's about figuring out what you aren't getting and finding a way to make yourself understand the material by any means necessary.

    CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
    BEC (08/10/13) 80
    AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
    FAR (04/12/14) 81
    REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

    #634700
    mw798
    Member

    Work experience has helped me through the exams as I have been out of school for almost 10 years. As a senior accountant, what are your job duties? There should be at least some overlap between what you do and what is tested on the exam.

    In terms of fundamentals, do you understand your debits and credits? How a balance sheet works? At the very least you need to have a fundamental understanding of that. If those topics are pretty foreign to you, I would review that and gain a basic understanding of it.

    #634701
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    What ???? No…

    just study harder. and then leave a week before exam to do MCQs until you utterly despise them.

    #634702
    NicoleL
    Participant

    A review course was plenty for me. I have been out of school for 20 years and Becker was all I used and it worked out great. Lots of the stuff (IFRS in particular) I had never seen before and some I hadn't seen since college (governmental) but Becker did a great job.

    FAR - 93 (YAY!!!!)
    REG - 93 (Double YAY!)
    BEC - 87 (Whew!)
    AUD - 96 (DONE!!!!!)

    #634703
    Topo30
    Member

    Thank you all for your thoughts and comments! I too was like “what the freak” when it was suggested that I enroll and start from scratch. Still am scratching my head.

    @Mamabear I absolutley agree with you that going backwards would be a silly move and a huge waste of time and money for me!

    @mw798 my duties range from monthly bank recs, adjusting JEs, compiling f/s, accruals, just to name a few. Yes, I do have a basic knowledge of DRs and CRs and how a balance sheet works.

    I have been prepping for the exams with Becker 2014 materials. Some of you have pointed out that this may not be the “best fit” review course for me and I am finding out this is the case. I am the type of person that learns best by visuals and by doing; explaining something to me is not enough, I need to be hands on. That said, I have been hammering MCQs like no tomorrow, but still have issues, obviously.

    Lastly, I still am considering taking this public institutions' live review course at one of their satellite locations within Illinois. Although, the director of the review program made that wacky suggestion. Also, the Controller commented to me that it may be time I change providers; she is pushing me to obtain my credential and *I* want the same.

    Thank you!

    AUD-FAILED X5
    FAR-FAILED X1
    BEC-FAILED
    REG-FAILED

    #634704
    mw798
    Member

    Well, my last suggestion would be to focus on one exam first and not move onto another until you pass it. Getting the first one out of the way is such a relief. It seems like you just went through each one.

    #634705
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    if the requirements to sit for the CPA exam reflected what it takes to pass the exam, it would be as follows:

    1) Financial Accounting 101

    2) A good review program

    3) Constant practice of MCQs

    4) A strong appetite for alcohol

    Going back to school is a waste. I learned more studying for the CPA exam through Roger than I did in school.

    #634706
    super.senpai
    Member

    i thought about grad school for accounting honestly. because it could only help in career and the exam. but its not required to pass. but then again who am i to say…

    BEC: 72,72, 77
    AUD: 47, 63

    #634707
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    You have to remember the college guy's life, paycheck, and existence is based on the notion that college education is a great learning tool. He's an academic director – if college wasn't useful, and if everyone knew it, he'd be out of a career. So, since he probably truly believes in education, it's natural that his suggestion to you would be college courses.

    That being said, if you've missed the very core fundamentals, it may be difficult to build on them with a review course. If you think he may be partially right, then I'd suggest looking around for a good Intermediate Accounting textbook (there are some you can truly learn from – read reviews etc. to find one that's understandable) then order one that's a few editions out-of-date and read through it – being out of date, this should be less than $10 including shipping. I took my Intermediate classes online with an absent instructor, so know that the info can be learned from a textbook – it may be a way for you to review and ensure that you've got your foundation solid. Is this necessary? Maybe not, but it might be an easy way to evaluate and pick up a few tricks.

    EDITED TO ADD: I'm talking about academic fundamentals, because the CPA exams are really a final academic exam. Obviously if you are performing well in your job, you're good at the real-world fundamentals, but those can be very different from the academic fundamentals. It's like when you take your driving test as a teenager – I always heard people joke that you needed to learn to drive by the book till you turn 16 and pass the test, and then you can learn how to really drive. It's totally different worlds. I can drive competently as an adult without ever using 95% of what I learned in Driver's Ed, but that 95% of book-knowledge was necessary to get licensed.

    #634708
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I'll play devil's advocate here.

    I just finished my master's of accountancy back in May and I really felt that gave me the foundation I needed to pass both FAR and AUD (particularly FAR). A review class is preparing you to, hopefully, pass the exam but if you don't understand the fundamentals, a lot of that material in a review class is going to be lost on you. While other people may feel differently, I feel that you really need a solid background and understanding of Financial accounting first.

    Just my opinion though.

    #634709
    Rocky123
    Member

    I have been out of college for 15 years, haven't worked with a good portion of the topics on the CPA Exams, and I was able to pass all 4 parts with a review course.

    I would suggest supplementing your review materials or trying something new. I used Becker self study for all of the sections. It worked for me, but maybe you need something different.

    Also, be honest with yourself. Are you putting in the time and effort? You didn't mention how often you study or for how long before you take an exam. Maybe you just need more time?

    The tallest oak in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground.

    AUD-PASS
    BEC-PASS
    REG-PASS
    FAR-PASS

    Rocky123, CPA

    #634710
    mla1169
    Participant

    I was in school for my masters while I was taking the CPA exams. I had a decent but not spectacular GPA (3.6) and still managed to fail 3 exams. Most accounting classes don't prepare you for the CPA. Intermediate accounting classes cover a very small amount of material in great depth while the cpa covers a huge amount of material at its very top level.

    FAR- 77
    AUD -49, 71, 84
    REG -56,75!
    BEC -75

    Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

    #634711
    Quinacridone
    Member

    The single best prep work I did for the CPA was going through the masters program at Auburn. After I got the MAC, I bought Beckers self study, but so much of what was in there I had covered while in grad school. The only test I really had trouble with was BEC (my IT is very deficient which really made that test particularly troubling).

    I found myself pulling out my Intermediate books while studying for FAR, especially for pension and depreciation.

    Becker would not have been enough for me to pass. Not even close. I work in Gov't (Fed) so had no help from work experience. In addition, I don't consider myself exceptionally intelligent and I have ADD. Lots of negatives on my passing, yet I did it.

    Don't knock the benefits of a really strong education. I actually think that it is quite foundational to passing.

    REG - Nov 4, 2013: 88
    FAR - Feb 27, 2014: 86
    AUD - April 5, 2014: 91
    BEC - May 6, 2014: 83

    Florida CPA 24 July 2014
    (Done in seven months - thank you Jesus!!)

    #634712
    mom23kings
    Member

    I have been out of school for 20+ years and only experienced in Internal Audit (10 + years ago). I would disagree with going back to school. I too started with Becker and passed my first two parts (Aud and Reg) with Becker. However, my time ran out and I didn't want to spend the money on the Becker renewal so I went with Gleim, finally passed FAR after 4X's and waiting on BEC. You can DO THIS! Also, I got the Ninja notes for FAR and BEC and the audio for BEC. I listened to the AUDIO everytime I was in the car. I think my three boys would be able to do well on BEC just hearing the audio as many times as they did. Hopefully, it will help them in economics in college in the near future. I liked the Ninja notes.

    You have to find the review that works for you but you CAN DO this without going back to school.

    Best of Luck

    Audit - 78
    REG - 53, 76
    BEC 71, 69 75
    FAR - 74, 74, 73, 79!!!

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)
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