[Mitzie7]

I just flunked REG for the THIRD TIME!!! It is my last exam. I will lose credit for FAR in February. I felt so prepared going in to the exam this last time. I was getting in the 80s and 90s every time I did a set of MCQ’s. I felt like I knew why the right answers were right and why the wrong answers were wrong when I was studying. Then I got to the exam and I did worse than the other two times I took it. The SIMS have gotten me all 3 times I have taken the exam.

The day I got my score, I had my second performance evaluation at work and it was terrible. I am really afraid that I am going to lose my job before the end of the year. I have only worked in public accounting for 8 months so I am concerned that I won’t be able to get my 2,000 hours in before I get fired. I am the primary bread winner in my family and I have 4 kids that still are at home.

My husband wants me to be done because we don’t have any extra money right now. I have been using the 2011 version of the Wiley test bank so I really should update that plus there are the fees to take the exam. He also thinks that I should be spending my extra time looking for another job since I am probably going to lose my current one soon.

I am thinking that I should try again while I am looking for another job. I know that it is going to be tough coming up with the money but I am just one exam away from being done. It would be really hard to just walk away from it now when I am close. However, I feel like such a loser for flunking a third time and messing up at work. Is the universe trying to tell me to pack it all in and move on to something else or do I have another go at it?

AUD 74, 83
FAR 75
REG 71, 71, 70, 86!!!!!! 🙂
BEC 85

[Anonymous]

Having a job and no CPA license is better than having a CPA license and no job.

Just my two cents… Maybe you should focus more on not getting fired.

[Anonymous]

@Mitzie – I'm sorry to hear about your recent experiences…I'm not a very sympathetic person typically (a fault of mine), but for whatever reason, your story struck a chord with me. What I say next is out of wanting what's best for you and I mean no offense in any way.

First of all, you're not a failure because you didn't pass Reg for the third time…we have members in this community who have taken the sections over 30 times/10 years and finally passed…so it's never too late to pass. Tenacity notwithstanding, you DO have to do what's best for your family. I'm sorry to say it, but you can't afford to lose your job if you're the primary breadwinner for a husband and 4 kids. Which brings me to my second point, if your kids are either off in college, out of college, or just not going to college, time to pay rent or hit the bricks. I know that's probably tough for a Mom to do, but sooner or later they're going to have to fend for themselves. If your performance is slipping at work, you need to sit down with your supervisors/seniors/managers and have an honest discussion to figure out what you are doing poorly. It's better that they're straight with you and give you a chance to remedy the problem than say nothing and just up and can you one day. If you don't like your job, look for a new one…but don't just mentally check out of your current job…do your best to bring your performance up.

As far as the exam goes…if you can justify spending the money, get new material (AT LEAST a new test bank from 2012), study your ass off, and pass this friggin test. Don't put the exam on a pedestal, it's not worth the emotional drain. I think your husband probably needs to be more supportive, tell him the future earning potential of someone with a CPA is beyond comparison to someone with out. Chances are if he's Mr. Mom, he better understand that. You definitely don't want to lose credit, so you're going to need to go all in on this one. 150% and no less. Good luck to you.

[Mitzie7]

I get what you are saying about the job. I just don't see how I can turn this around. My supervisor says that she does not like confrontation so she does not like to tell me when I do something wrong. She waits until I have my review and then lists all of my mistakes in my review. I have told her that I want to hear about my mistakes when they happen so I don't make them any more but she won't do it. I am the third person in three years to have my job.

AUD 74, 83
FAR 75
REG 71, 71, 70, 86!!!!!! 🙂
BEC 85

[Anonymous]

If you are the third person to have the job in 3 years then maybe the problem isn't you! A supervisor that can't handle confrontation about an employee's mistakes is not really a “supervisor”. They are just making more money than you. Make a list of all of the things that she said you have done wrong in your review. Then try to figure out how to prevent those mistakes from happening again. I tend to forget tiny details sometimes and while my work is excellent, I forget things like printing out a copy of the client's bank statement for the work papers. So I made checklists for every client to make sure I don't forget those things. I have always been afraid of posting a 941 tax deposit to the wrong period so I made a checklist and put a formula in it to tell me which period I should be posting it to. I don't have to think about it anymore. I know these sound like silly mistakes but no one is perfect.

Can you ask her supervisor for some help? Or would she get offended and fire you for going over her head?

I'm not the sole breadwinner in our house but my husband is self employed so it's feast or famine around here. If I lost my job we couldn't make it. Good Luck and if you need any help, we are here!

[mla1169]

If you only had one section passed I'd say drop the exams for now. But with 3 sections passed and two testing windows left before you lose credit, I think you're too invested at this point to stop. The mistakes you're making likely have more to do with the fact you've only got 8 months experience in public than the fact you're working on the exams. It sounds like you think the damage is already done as far as work goes (although if they're not allowing for a learning curve you had no chance anyway).

I'd hate to see you lose this job AND your chance at being a CPA. Buckle down at work and critique your own work before anybody else sees it. Stay late or take work home to review. Then study and get your score up by 5 points.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[jelly]

Your passive-aggressive supervisor is a bully coward, setting up people for failure, and that is certainly reflected in the annual turnover. Unless the supervisor herself gets fired, it's just going to repeat itself b/c the first year in any job is learning the firm's protocols. I'm witnessing something similar, and it's just self-perpetuating cycle, b/c the next person has to try and figure out what the previous person did, so all you have is a messy, negative environment, trying to understand and correct prior year's work b/c the institutional knowledge is not there. I can tell you, annual turnover does catch the eye of management and create word of mouth as a place for job seekers to avoid.

I'd recommend both at this point – look for a new job AND pass REG. Practice more SIMS instead of multiple-choice questions.

Couldn't pass again!

[Herbieherb]

Give it more tries till you lose far..if you lose far I would focus on work/family and start studying again when money is better And you have more time…you have a lifetime to pass CPA and get licensed. Agreed having job with no CPA beats having CPA passed with no job/licensed no job

NEW YORK- DONE

[Minimorty]

I agree with @mIa. You are too close to passing this exam and passing the exam and getting your license could change your life. It will be a little bit of a balancing act over the next several months, but it can definitely be done. Here are some thoughts I have, in no particular order:

1. Your husband needs to step up over the next several months. He needs to see this as an investment in the financial health of the family. He needs to do everything he can to support you in this. Whether that be spending time with the kids, cleaning the house, making dinner, etc. Whatever needs to be done so that you can focus on what is most important right now…..

2. What is most important right consists of two things: (i) preservation of your current job (both for income reasons as well as for getting the necessary experience to get licensed) and (ii) passing the exam. Regarding preserving your current job……

3. Put in whatever hours at work are required of you. When you are at work, your entire attention and focus should be at work. Put forth a maximum effort and make yourself as useful as possible. Communicate with your boss (even if she is a bitch or its awkward) and do everything you can to help her out. Just try to hold on to your job as long as you can. Once you get through this exam and have her sign off on your experience, you are free.

4. When you get off work you will probably be tired from putting up with your supervisor's bullshit. This is where you buckle down and win the emotional battle. This is where you put the time in to your study materials like nothing else matters. This is what separate a 71, 71, 70 from a 75-85. Just keep hitting the books. Listen to lectures. Do multiple choice problems. Read the book. Practice the simulations. Just keep working your way through the material. You have two more shots of passing REG. You are at the finish line, you just need to sprint through it.

5. Looking for a new job right now is a bad idea in my opinion. Looking for a new job will hurt your performance at your current job and it will take time away from passing the exam. Dont do it. Preserve your current job and you will not have to worry about looking for a new job. Your time spent after work will be better spent studying for the exam.

Nobody is saying this is going to be easy. I think you need to have a frank discussion with your husband and stress to him the importance of getting your license. Both of your lives will be better in the long run if you can just agree to make these short-term sacrifices.

I wish you all the best and I hope you stick to this and get it done. Good luck.

[katiekanton]

I couldn't agree with Mini more. I was going to say compartmentalize. When you're at work focus 110% on work. When you're not, focus on studying. Really focus, purposefully and consciously.

I had a supervisor like that once. I don't think it would be unwise to go in every few weeks and say, “I really want to do a good job for you. Is there anything I've done lately that you wish I'd done differently or better?” Sometimes being genuine with someone about your fears and struggles really gets them on your side. Like Mini said, after you're done, you're free. You have two more shots. Don't waste them.

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[Mitzie7]

Thank you all so much for the advice. I really appreciate it. I am going to do everything I can to make things better at work. I have decided that I am going to do a lot more emails with my supervisor so I have more proof of where I am on each job. Hopefully that will protect me more. Bringing work home is a good idea too. It will give me a chance to review things one more time before I turn them in.

I am also going to try two more times to pass REG. I know that I will never regret trying but I will regret giving up later. Thanks again for the advice everyone!

AUD 74, 83
FAR 75
REG 71, 71, 70, 86!!!!!! 🙂
BEC 85

[Sandra]

First of @ Mini- I love how on one thread you say we have too many CPAs and need the passrate to go down, but then advise someone that is struggling to not quit. You probably need to pick a side.

Now for the OP- I've said this many many many times on here and every time I do people get upset and say I'm a a$$hole, but it really may not be what you know, but your test taking. If you feel like thats not the case for you, then make sure you actually understand the material instead of memorizing it. I don't think your lack of work experience in the field has much to do with it, but if you lack the background good review materials are even more important.

That being said, you are really close to finishing- BUT with 4 kids you cannot afford to lose your job and not have something to fall back on. I'm sure the thought of losing the other 3 sections sucks but you may have to revisit this exam again later. If you cannot devote your time or the neccessary money to get it passed it will likely just end in frustration anyway. I haven't looked at old REG material but from what I gather some of it really has changed a lot. Maybe some folks can weigh in on that. If the changes are pretty significant I wouldn't use old study materials. It will be that much more confusing when you get to the test.

Your job does sound like a lost cause and if it were me I would start looking for a better fit. Finding a job while you are working is generally a little easier. Also you may find another job quickly and not having the stress from this job may just give you enough time/focus to get REG done in time after all. Passing the exam but not being able to get the experience requirement done won't help you much either.

[Minimorty]

@Sandra – I don't believe I am on both sides of any argument. I still believe that there are too many CPAs and the requirements to become a CPA should be much harder. That being said, I am not going to discourage a candidate from pursuing their goal of becoming a CPA. These two positions are by no means mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous]

I believe a Venn Diagram is in order!

[katiekanton]

I'll do anything but study….

https://tinypic.com/r/in4z2o/6

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[mla1169]

Katie THAT was the best!

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Author]

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