CPA Review | CPA Exam Review – Another71.com

Kricket is a weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam. She has been a member of Another71.com’s Club 75 since May 2009.

Well I started the year out with the best of intentions that have all gone wrong. I was going to focus on my work and studying so as not to fall behind in either. I was going to keep my house clean and my boys taken care of properly. I was going to stay healthy and not let a cold or whatever, get me down.

I have been working 12 to 14 hour days since the first of January and I’m just physically run down. For the past two weeks I have been fighting a cold and last Friday all of my good intentions went to the dogs.

The fever kicked in and went up rapidly. I haven’t picked up a book to study, worked a problem or listened to one lecture in weeks. I haven’t had the time or energy. I am officially immune to the effects of Nyquil.

This is the worst time of year to be studying for an exam and definitely the worst time to be sick but both is just a nightmare. Everyone talks about how tough it is on accountants and CPAs in April, but in April we have that little gift called an EXTENSION. There are no extensions for W-2s, and some clients just don’t realize that.

Anyone who does payroll knows what I’m talking about and understands why I’m exhausted. I’m just glad I don’t have to say “Your employer has until the 31st of January to put your W-2 in your hands” for at least eleven months. It feels like I’ve said it about a million times in the past three weeks.

I still haven’t scheduled my FAR retake. In order take advantage of every possible opportunity to test, I have to take it before the end of February. I have no idea when to expect my REG score. I took it the 9th of January, and I don’t have high hopes. I don’t think I’m going to look online for my score. I’ll just wait until it comes in the mail. I’ve said that several times before but I’m hoping I can keep my promise to myself in order to focus on FAR.

I have until April 3rd to pass FAR and REG or I am going to lose BEC. So the goal for the week is to focus on getting over this cold/bronchitis/flu or whatever this is, and then pour myself into FAR. Wish me luck!

Stephanie is a weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam.

I’m back!!

I’ve taken a very long break from blogging and it’s been both a depressing break but also productive.

I had my FAR exam on 1/7 and I totally bombed it. I got food poisoning on New Year’s Day so the whole week leading up to my test I was feeling quite under the weather. This also caused a lot of negative thoughts to come into my head.

This has happened to me before in the weeks leading me up to an exam and is never good. I am not a very good test taker, but my worst enemy is often myself because my head gets full of bad thoughts. I really need to force myself to think positive and I am really trying to improve on that in the new year.

Well, once I got that miserable FAR exam out of the way I started right in with Roger CPA Review. I am studying for AUD now and Roger is really great with AUD. Since I have taken AUD before I am really trying to focus on my weak parts, which are the SIMS in audit.

This requires some studying outside of Wiley and Roger and into the accounting textbooks and even into the Wiley FAR book. Sometimes I feel like I am wasting my time flipping through books and not actually “studying” but I’m hoping all the effort into finding this nitty gritty information will help on exam day.

I’m also trying the Pomodoro technique of studying, which is talked about on the Another71.com forums. It is forcing yourself to study for 25 minutes and not get distracted by other things. Google it!

I just started but it seems to be working. I can do about 18-20 audit MCQs in 25 minutes and this is great considering I usually stop to check my email, phone, etc almost every 15 minutes! I think trying new techniques while studying can be beneficial, especially when you get in a rut like I have been. Hopefully some of my new techniques help and I am newly motivated!

Study Hard!

JoMarie is a weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam. She has been a member of Another71.com’s Club 75 since October 2010.

I hope everyone’s studying progress is going well. Mine’s going slowly. I’m having a hard time managing my time. I think that has always been my major downfall.

Since I work for a small CPA firm, work has majorly picked up. Between people dropping off information to get their tax returns prepared, getting W-2s and payroll reports prepared for clients, clients calling with tax season questions, and my boss being away since Christmas, things have been extremely hectic.

A lot of you are probably wondering why my boss is away during the start of the busy season. Well, he’s getting ready to retire soon, and I think he’s putting me to the test. I feel like a “CPA in training.” Of course, since he’s been away things haven’t been going very smoothly but I think I’m not doing too bad considering.

Actually today I did receive an e-mail from him that was like a pat on back. He was telling me of what a good job I did on a project I had to take care of while he was gone. That really felt great and boosted my confidence.

My family has been super supportive with everything that is going on, but I can see my older daughter is having a hard time with Mommy working and studying all the time.

Like tonight she started to really lay the guilt trip on me. After we were done working on her homework I told her it was time for her to go to bed since it was past her bedtime. She started to really lay on the tears. Then I explained to her it was Mommy’s turn to do her homework. She didn’t like it but went with it. I’m starting to feel the guilt more and more on me everyday. I just can’t wait until this journey is over.

I have FAR scheduled for February 6th and then BEC scheduled for April 24th. I have never scheduled an exam right after tax season before, so the next few months are going to be very interesting and tiring. I have to push my way through this. If I am successful with these two parts, I’ll finally be done.

With Jeff’s NINJA Study Notes, flashcards, Wiley Test bank, and Roger CPA Review I feel like I’m well equipped to finish these exams.

I am so thankful I have Roger, with his jokes and exam memory tricks, to keep me entertained through this hard time, and I will push through this. I will become a CPA in 2012!!!!

Happy studying everyone and happy busy season!!!

JoMarie

Rebecca is a weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam. She has been a member of Another71.com’s Club 75 since June 2010.

Some of you may have noticed while others may have not, but I have been MIA for the past two weeks. It has been a rough two weeks for me to say the least.

The first week I was fighting a really bad cold. Then second week, well let’s just say I was downright miserable and wanting to quit the CPA exam.

All of this negativity was not a good thing with my exam being next Tuesday. That being said on Monday I was set on moving my testing date to mid-February. I got to my office and pulled up the Prometric website and saw that there was seat availability on 2/18, perfect!

Well “perfect” quickly turned into a “you have got to be kidding me”?! I mixed up my NTS expiration dates for FAR and BEC. BEC’s expired on 4/1 and FAR on 2/1. Needless to say I will be sitting for FAR next Tuesday as I had those two dates backwards in my mind.

I have lucked out though in the sense that the principal I am working for next week is allowing me to take Monday off to study. God bless her! I have put in a lot of hours to FAR so not being able to move the exam isn’t the end of the world. I just have been in a funk lately and thought it may help me regroup.

I know others have been to this point where you just want to flat out walk away from the exam. What made you keep at it? I look back and I feel as though all I ever do is fail and I don’t know how I am ever going to accomplish this.

I put in the time and effort but I never seem to come out on top. I am a terrible test taker, always have been. I am a very bright woman but for some reason once that clock starts ticking everything I had stored in my brain starts to vanish.

I debated on maybe just walking away from the exam for a little while but what am I proving? Maybe I will keep plugging along till next January and if my REG expires then give up. I know, I know, I am not really the Debbie Downer blogger but lately that is how I feel. My confidence is fading and I need to get it back quickly for next week!

Hopefully this really is just a “funk” and I get over it soon because I am not liking this miserable me who is normally the happy go-lucky type. Best of luck to all of you testing this week!! I have quite the week cut out for me until next Tuesday so send some happy thoughts my way!

Until next time,
Rebecca