[roulette777]

I’m currently a 2nd year accounting student. I was wondering is it too early to start reviewing lightly for the CPA exam. I was told to start by an alum and wondering what you guys thought.

Thanks!

[mla1169]

I honestly believe 2 things about this exam. First, there is no such thing as “reviewing lightly”. Unfortunately its all in or not worth the time. The second thing is that long term memory has little benefit–meaning theres nothing in it for you to study more than 6-8 weeks per section. Make the most of your undergrad years, make a game plan for how you'll ultimately meet the requirements for licensure (look into internships in campus recruiting) but don't worry about actually studying just yet.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

I'm with mla on this one. I think the best thing you can do is make a plan for when you're done with school. It's awesome that you already know what you want to do. It took me 10 years of being out of college before I figured out that I really should have taken business & accounting courses, instead of getting a psychology degree. Doh!

[Anonymous]

I agree with mla & CrockPot – there's really no reason to start studying now.

However, once you are eligible to sit for the exam I recommend you get going on it for real. I wish I had taken it more seriously when I tried the first time in 2009-2010 rather than still working on it now.

[Marc]

What i think is that the best way to prepare is by Killing those courses that are relevant to the CPA Exam. Financial Accountinng Courses, Governmental accounting, Auditing, and tax,

Make sure u get the requirements for licencure in as many states as possible – u never know where you will move next. (I currently need another class to meet requirements in the state i'm in now which sucks)

Good luck, if you do well in school, understand ur courses, CPA will be much easier.

Enjoy school to the max – its the best time of your life …

No signature needed.

Passed And got my license too ..

[MustPass1988]

I agree with @isauditfor me. I'm studying for FAR now and absolutely kicking myself for not giving my full attention and understanding to Intermediate Accounting & International Accounting. Especially in those classes, make sure you aren't just memorizing things for tests and forgetting it, really take time to understand the concepts because it will help you immensely when you take the tests.

AUD: PASSED [81]; Expired, retaking August 23rd
BEC: PASSED [83]; Expired, retaking July 11th
REG: PASSED [83]
FAR: FAILED [64]; Retaking May 23rd

[roulette777]

I realize this is a bit off topic. What do you see the Big 4 firms look for? Do grades matter after you have your CPA? Any insight would be appreciated.

[whonis2002]

Roulette 777 Grades don't matter once you have your CPA. Its what you will bring to the table that counts most.

[roulette777]

@whonis2002 what about for your first accounting job? I heard thats the only time that grades matter.

[Anonymous]

@roulette777 Since you are a 2nd year student, the best thing you can do to study for the CPA exam is to do well in your accounting classes. A lot of information from the CPA exam comes from academic classes, so if you learn it now, it will only be a review once you prepare for the CPA exam (as opposed to re-learning it).

@whonis2002 @roulette777 You are both right. Grades don't matter once you have your CPA. But at the same time, grades are extremely important when it comes to your first job.

[SammyJ]

Speaking as a recent college grad, Imma say yes it is too early. You can't even sit for the exam until your bachelor degree processes through your college. That is too far from now and so much stuff are capable of changing in 2.5 years. I definitely wouldnt recommend buying any CPA material. As long as you're taking accounting classes, than you are already studying lightly.

Just focus on getting good grades, staying out of trouble and finding an internship. The internship will be key down the road.

FAR-81!!
AUD-69, Retake: 84!!
REG-86!!
BEC-81!!
Education- Done
Ethics- August 2013
Experience- 7 Months of CPA Experience and counting!

[Author]

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