[mla1169]

I’ll start this one with “why are you getting your CPA? Do you want to leave this job?”

no I love working more hours than my boss for 1/3 his salary. It’s my life goal! Lol!

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

“What's a CPA?” Seriously??????!!!!!!!

[jrncpa2b]

“How hard can it be? It's just numbers.” People think accounting is just adding numbers up on a calculator all day!

BEC - 69
AUD - NOT SCHEDULED
FAR - NOT SCHEDULED
REG - NOT SCHEDULED

[Anonymous]

The one phrase that drives me absolutely crazy is “You're smart you will pass” or now while I am waiting for scores “You're smart I know you passed”. Don't get me wrong, I am glad my family supports me and believes in me. I just get frustrated and try to explain that smart people fail these exams all the time.

[sacredtheory]

Manager: “Hey, a few of us are going out for happy hour, why don't you join us?”

Me: “Can't, need to go home and study”

Next day…

Manager: “Hey, a few of us are going out to play some golf, why don't you join us?”

Me: “Can't, need to go home and study”

Next day…

Manager: “Hey, a few of us are…”

Me: “Nooooooo!”

BEC: Passed
AUD: Passed
REG: Passed
FAR: Passed

Jared

[letsfixthis]

“Why are there so many tests”?

How am I supposed to answer that?

BEC: 87 (7/13/11)
FAR: 86 (8/31/11)
AUD: 99 (10/6/11)
REG: 88 (11/30/11)
Ethics: 100
(Illinois)

Used Becker for all four parts. Supplemented it with Wiley Test Bank for FAR and REG (HIGHLY recommended) and NINJA notes.

[Minimorty]

“I guessed on all of the multiple choice questions and I left most of the sims blank because I ran out of time. I dont know how I got an 85.”

[Phllop]

I've gotten this a few times, “you're lucky! I've got a friend who's taking the BAR exam, at least it's not as hard as that!”

So lucky!

also “have you heard about your scores yet?” every day as if it would have slipped my mind

REG: 85
AUD: 74, 85
FAR: 74 (sigh)
BEC: 80 (don't even ask me how)

When I say C-P you say 'Ayyyyy show me the money'
-PO

[letsfixthis]

As an aside, does anyone know how these tests do compare to the BAR? I know the BAR is a one-day exam and it's certainly not easy by any means, but some of the biggest idiots I know have managed to pass it. I'm just sayin'….

BEC: 87 (7/13/11)
FAR: 86 (8/31/11)
AUD: 99 (10/6/11)
REG: 88 (11/30/11)
Ethics: 100
(Illinois)

Used Becker for all four parts. Supplemented it with Wiley Test Bank for FAR and REG (HIGHLY recommended) and NINJA notes.

[mla1169]

I've heard it said there are people who've taken both the bar and the CPA and claim the CPA is harder. Not sure if there is any truth to that, but I'd never be that ambitious!

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

“The CPA exam is open book isnt it? when you pass it, you're gonna be doing people's taxes!”

done

[mla1169]

I've got one more ” it's just like when I

---

” (took the cna, clep, GMAT, etc)

That's like telling a woman in labor it's like stubbing your toe! Bad, very bad!

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

ooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, MLA, I cannot TELL you how much that annoys me. If one more person says to me, “huh, you're taking the CPA exam? Yeah, man, I totally feel you, I just got my series 6 and 63 licenses, so I totally know”, I might break their nose in a blind rage. Now, I'm not trying to sound like an elitist here, but nationally, only about 4%-8% of candidates (out of 75,000) per annum pass all four parts of the exam on their first attempt. That's between 3,000 and 6,000 candidates per year! Overall, about 40% of people pass the CPA exam per year, while a staggering 80% of people pass the Bar Exam per year! Furthermore, the market is completely saturated with law school grads/bar exam veteran, which makes finding a job impossible. Now, I understand the market is tough right now, but CPA candidates are in much higher demand than lawyers. Let's face facts here, folks, we're like the honey badger…we're pretty bad@ss 🙂

[NoScores2Display4thisSection]

@BaseballCPA, you're right. Really the only other exam would be the CFA. I'm willing to admit getting through the CFA over the years may very well be much harder than passing the CPA (no offense to myself or anyone here lol). But if you ask anyone who doesn't know anything about business what is a CPA or CFA is, he/she is much more likely to be familiar with the CPA (as “that guy who does taxes down the street”) as opposed to CFA (“what is that?”).

It's been said (I think in CPA review books) that something like 80% of people who initially sit for the CPA eventually pass the whole thing. I suspect it may be lower. I already know 3 friends who took BEC upon graduating (the section they thought was the easy section) and failed it and basically are tied up with other things in life so they've called it quits for CPA for the past 3-4 years. I wish I could convince them no section is easy, and to just keep going, etc, but there's only so much you can do and the more time passes the more the exam just gets more and more annoying and expensive.

One thing I wonder about is when they keep statistics on people who start the CPA exam journey and eventually pass (or give up), how many years do they look into the future? For purposes of a study, would you consider someone who on one date made an effort to take a section and 5-10 years later still doesnt have the credential? I'm going on 3 years.

done

[ExhaustedCPA]

I agree with apbandj. When I see those blank looks when I tell somebody I'm studying to get my CPA…it sucks. It's actually kind of deflating, makes you feel like getting the CPA isn't that special since many people don't even know what it is.

Aud 4/2/11 - 86
Far 5/27/11 - 83
Bec 7/1/11 - 82
Reg 8/13/11 - 86! It's over!!!!

[T-rex]

In the middle of studying for FAR: “You need to quit studying and take a vacation. Why don't you come out to California for a week?”

Here's another doozy from the same person: “I make over 6 figures and I don't even have a degree. I don't owe any student loan money either.”

AUD - 95, BEC - 85
REG - 85, Rawrrrrrr FAR - 88
Used Becker for all sections.
CA candidate not residing in CA

[Author]

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