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Hello again! I hope everyone is coming along in their studies. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to either not get as much done as I should, or I underestimate the amount of things I want to finish.

The lectures have taken me a really long time to get through, almost like they would never end. Anyone else? I am not sure if that is because I am doing FAR, or what. Luckily, I will finish them today! I have one more lecture left, which is the Not For Profit section.

I wanted to write this blog post after I finished them completely, but I am taking this time as a little break since I just finished Governmental Accounting.

Since I am almost done, I am starting to feel overwhelmed with the amount of material I need to know. Governmental is giving me a little bit of a hard time.

I just feel that it went straight over my head some of the time, especially with those journal entries. I will really need to take some time on Governmental. I wish I had taken this class in college.

I have been on Spring Break from work all week and I have spent almost all of my time watching the lectures inside! I live in the Seattle area, so we don’t see much sunshine. However, there have been a few days where the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was stuck inside watching lectures.

Well, thankfully this is my last lecture for FAR. I plan to take my study materials onto my balcony and do them outside when the sun is around.

My plan is to finish the last lecture today and start the Wiley MCQs. I got behind a week from the lectures, so now I only have 16 days until my exam.

I now work 27 hours a week plus 7 hours for commute. At my work that is actually quite a bit of hours because most people with my seniority have 20-22 hours per week. After I started my route (remember: school bus driving) they kept adding more and more children!

I was happy at first for the income, but now I wish I could work a little less. Seven more hours of study time a week would be extremely helpful, but bills need to be paid.

Good luck to everyone that will be taking an exam this week, and to everyone else, keep on coming along.

So, I am in my third week of studying and I’m just a little behind from my schedule partially because as my fiancé claims “I’m sick” but I refer to it as a “case of allergies with a dry throat and a raspy voice.”

I’ve been tackling the Wiley MCQs and using NINJA Flashcards and have they helped in the smallest ways.

I use my hour lunch break to write my notes using the NINJA Notes and review them over. I will be honest, I haven’t really kept up with the “E” in ELL Plan.

I used to wake up around 4:00 every morning and study a solid 3 hours and then do my normal get ready for work then at 7 and be at work by 9 AM.

Now, I hit the snooze button every chance I can get for one more minute of sleep. Of course it goes from 4:00 AM to 7:30 AM. How about that for one more minute?!?! I’ve gone from being a morning person to…not. I need to get back in that habit.

The other night I had a dream….well, a nightmare. I had a dream that my wedding was moved from July to March (even though March has already passed) and my wedding stage wasn’t there, my caterer didn’t show, and nothing was set. But I was in my wedding outfit talking about corporate taxes with a family relative….um yeah.

I’m going to say that Nyquil played a part in that. On the bright side, when I know I’m dreaming about what I’ve studied I take it as a sign that I’m getting comfortable with the topic.

So my goal is to get ahead on my schedule because I have two trips coming up for wedding planning and I rely heavily on my weekend to study. This next week will be a challenge but if it’s in writing I know I can hold myself to it.

Hope everyone is making progress and moving forward with their study plans and good luck to those who are testing this month!!

Hey NINJAs,

So I just got out of the BEC Test, and I’m not sure I feel any different now than I did going into it.

I’m not sure if it’s because I know I still have 3 additional parts to take or the fact that I am unable to get the instant gratification that the Wiley Test bank gives you after you finish their exam (i.e. A SCORE).

So I sit here with beverage in hand to write to you about my experience.

Last night went better than I expected. I was nervous for two reasons; 1st I just studied for weeks and wasn’t sure how prepared I was and 2nd this was my first test so I wasn’t sure what to expect. With all of those nerves I still was able to get a decent amount of sleep.

I woke up around 6am for a 9am test. I got to the test center at 8am and crammed in my car for about 15 minutes. The experience at Prometric was much better than expected. The way the rules are lined out, I felt I was going to get there with FBI agents waiting outside the door for me to take a lie detector test in order to confirm my identity. So I guess it’s not a surprise I felt it was better than expected. I only waited 15 minutes or so before starting my exam

The exam itself was not that bad. I was not surprised by any of the questions, but I definitely had a few questions where I didn’t know the answer while studying and I didn’t know the answer on test day. Hopefully those questions are graded lighter than others.

I did feel as though my testlets got harder, whether that’s true or not, I couldn’t tell you. My only regret is that I didn’t monitor the time as well as I should have.

I figured 45 minutes would have been enough time to write three memos at the end of the exam, but after the 3rd packet was finished I only have 38 minutes left. I felt very rushed at the end of the exam and even though I fixed all my spelling mistakes, and formatted each essay as I was taught, I didn’t get to write it exactly as I would have liked.

I just hope it was “good enough.” I would give yourself 45 minutes to 1 hour if possible – the time flies!

I started up with FAR on Monday morning and will do my wonderful BEC routine all over again. I know NINJA and Wiley prepared me for the BEC exam, whether I get a 75 is now up to the CPA gods.

Till next time!
Joe

Hey NINJAs!

How was your study week? My week since I last blogged went as follows: studied Thursday night, Friday night, and a ton of hours during the weekend.

This ambitious beginning ended abruptly on Monday evening after a long day of work. I did not study Monday, but I did continue my studies on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is so hard to make studying a top priority; in school, I prided myself on procrastination.

Every night is the same; I come home, make dinner, and find ways to distract myself from studying. The constant Facebooking is the biggest distraction, so I decided to wean myself off of Facebook by limiting my views to only once a day.

I need to make the best of my time, because I do not know if I have the strength to continue studying if I fail this test.

My initial plan was to read through the entire Wiley REG book, because my previous failed exam attempts proved to me that I only familiarized myself with the material. However, I am finding that I am not sure if time is permitting me to read through all of this material.

For the time being, I am going to stick my plan of reading this book. I know from experience that in order for me to learn something that I need to know every detail.

I’m at a crossroads with trying to manipulate the NINJA Notes, Wiley MCQs and read the Wiley CPA book. I need to step it up next week and map out my studies for the rest of the month.

I hope everyone is having a great week, and I am glad to know that I am not suffering alone on this journey. Until next time, study hard!

Hi all my fellow NINJAs!

A few weeks ago I got a bit of advice from one of my coworkers that has passed the exam. At the time I didn’t really think much of it because it feels like most advice given by people that have passed is the same generic “study hard and you’ll pass” kind of thing.

But this past week I’ve been really thinking about it and felt that it has helped ‘turn on the light bulb” for me and I figured that I would share it here so here goes: Study for the exam like you studied in college.

See it’s a bit generic and at first I felt that it was so obvious and that of course that’s how I was studying, I mean how else would I be studying. Like I said though, I really thought about it and realized that I hadn’t been studying the same way AT ALL.

In college I would go to lectures and listen, sometimes recording the lectures but hardly taking notes, and then read the book after lecture. I would work the homework problems assigned to get comfortable with the topic and then take my tests. For the CPA exam I’ve foolishly been following the review course outline, mostly because I had no clue where to begin.

I in the past week have begun to change my study habits, maybe a little late for REG since I take it in a week and a half, and have actually noticed myself remembering things. One of my absolute favorite things right now: the REG NINJA Audio.

I’ve loaded it onto my phone and listen to it everywhere, in the car, while at work, standing in line at the store, through my iPod dock while I’m cleaning the house, literally everywhere. It makes every minute a study opportunity and I highly recommend it.

I think I’ve gotten through the audio about 4 times this week and really am remembering things from it. I plan on also going through ALL the lectures from my review course and then working Wiley MCQs until I feel comfortable for the test.

One of the greatest things about most CPA review courses, is that they really do cater to most types of learning, listening, reading, writing things down (for the note takers) and the question takers.

Now that I’ve had my study epiphany I feel like I’m finally on the right track to putting this test behind me. So I encourage everyone to think about how they studied in college and if that’s not the way you’re studying for the CPA exam think about changing your method, it worked and got you through school why change it?

Until next week. Happy studying and to those taking an exam GOOD LUCK!

Hello fellow NINJAs!

So, what are Ninjas good at? The impossible! And we will accomplish the seemingly impossible task together as we work towards the goal of all of us becoming CPAs!

It is still my hope that blogging will help me keep motivated and bring some encouragement to everyone that if someone like me can pass the CPA exam, that any of you can do it.

I have 3-4 weeks left of my final semester and I am still planning on studying about 2 hours a day so I can try to get a head start on my summer plan to take the first section of the exam.

I have concluded to take the FAR section first. My reasoning is that there is so much more information in the FAR exam that I want to pass that section first to take advantage of the 18 rolling month window. I hope to pass it my first attempt and all of the others, but assuming I struggle with the others I want most of the window available to re-take sections of the exam as I see that I need it.

I have had visits from different companies at my school through my local Beta Alpha Psi meetings. One gentleman had some great advice that I am going to try to implement in my own study.

Do you ever study and find that you cannot focus anymore, so you plan on taking a 15 minute break? What inevitably happens is that you end up checking Facebook, email, and a list of many other distractions. Before you know it you have not lost just 15 minutes, but maybe 30 minutes or more.

His logic was to create some sort of log to track his actual study hours versus his actual break time. He found out that his supposed 3 hours of studying was actually 1-2 hours.

This made me think how many times have I been in school and trying to study, thinking I was getting a lot of study hours in, but maybe not being as productive as I thought. So, I am planning on using a stop watch to track my actual study time in order to accurately track my study time.

So this leaves me with a goal, while I am still in school, to have 10 hours of studying per week. I don’t yet know if this is too low of a goal but I will see how I do with it this coming week. I am sure that with some of my classes that I will be pulling my hair out that last couple of weeks, but you only live once!

So, it is off to studying for now. Wish me luck with FAR!

Hi. My name is Joshua, and I am a Professional CPA exam taker.

I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2008 with my Masters of Accounting.

I say professional exam taker because I have sat for each part of the CPA exam at least twice, some three times, and a couple four times. It always seems as if I am studying.

My journey began back in 2008 when I was finishing my Masters degree and part of our program was designed for CPA prep classes. Now hindsight being 20/20, I wish I hadn’t taken those classes lightly.

During 2008 I sat for all 4 parts of the exam, only to pass BEC on my first go around. As I was passing BEC and my first part, all of my classmates were also passing BEC as well, but they were celebrating being finished.

It was very discouraging knowing that all of my friends are done but my journey has just begun, but I knew I did not need to lose my focus. The hardest part was dealing with so many close scores. I got 2 74s on Regulation and Audit and a 73 on FAR all on my first go around.

I tried again and again to pass the needed 3 parts. Finally, I ended up passing Audit and Regulation on my re-takes, which only left FAR. However, I had bad time management and it only left one window to sit and pass FAR.

I got another 73. All my passed sections expired. I felt defeated. So I ended up taking a year off from studying because I felt I couldn’t deal with all the studying right now.

Now, a year later, I work full time and I am trying to finish up my CPA exam. Currently, I have Audit, Regulation, and BEC passed and I am striving for FAR in the first of May.

I look forward to keeping you all posted on my studying progress and keeping everyone encouraged. Everyone can pass; it’s just a matter of determination and a little luck.

Hi all,

Enjoying the process and thinking that I am almost done!!! That’s the attitude.

I have been telling myself that everything is going to be fine and I am going to pass REG on the first try. Different from all other parts, most of the topics in REG are new for me.

So far, I have completed all the lectures, now is time for final review.

The plan for the next week or so: re-write notes and master individual taxation. Looking at my notebook, I am not sure if I over did the “notes taking.” OMG, I have 2 pages left on my notebook LOL……

At work: Two long weeks ahead of me…….Fiscal year ended on 3/30/12, and financial statements submission to Japan on 4/9/12….Thankfully, we are only 4 in the accounting/finance department, and this is a small operation.

At home: everything is working great. My hubby keeps me motivated. He sends me a text message every morning: ”Buenos Dias Mi amor: levantate que tienes que estudiar” (He works super early). As an obedient good wife (LOL) I get out of bed, get a shower and turn on my computer.

To keep my motivation up, I’ve booked a weekend getaway after my exam, rescheduling it is not an option….great way to reconnect with the family.

Hi Everyone!!

Well, this past week was hard. I started out great, I got my full 6 hours of studying in on Monday and Tuesday…then things fell apart.

I didn’t even open my book or notes Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Work was stressful and it was so hard to study once I got home tired.

I did great on Saturday! I had 6 hours of studying in by 2:00 and was able to enjoy the rest of my day with my husband and sister.

I have decided that needs to be my plan every Saturday, wake up early and get my studying done EARLY. That way I do not feel like studying is consuming my life and I can enjoy one day per week at least.

Sunday was another rough day, after church I went to breakfast with my in-laws, ran errands and helped my sister make her graduation invitations. I only got in 2 hours that day.

All in all, I got in 13 hours of studying last week…yes I am aware, not nearly enough. I have vowed, no more weeks like that!!!

At this point in my studying I am going through the Wiley CRAM course, good thing last week was material that I feel relatively confident with (all the early lectures).

I am off to a good start this week. I have found that it helps me to set small weekly goals and reward myself when I achieve them. Six weeks until test day and so much to learn still.

To this day, I will continue to kick myself for not attacking the CPA exam straight out of school, before child number two came along… When I first started working in my current position, my boss even encouraged me to study on my downtime at work. Did I? Not so much…

I had the time. Or at least more time. Those with 2+ children know what I am talking about. Something strange happens to time when you have more than one child, almost like it disappears exponentially.

Adding anything besides work and family to the mix is a challenge, especially something as difficult and all consuming as trying to become a CPA.

So here I am, attempting round two with Audit. I have been extremely bitter, and it has been like pulling teeth to get motivated to get back at it again. I have enjoyed not studying a bit too much. I felt like I really prepared for all of the exams I took, but in hindsight, I don’t think I used my limited time efficiently.

Lunch and right after work are really productive study times for me, already being in the work mode. The late night studying in front of the TV made me feel like I was learning, but probably a bit pointless.

I would have loved an additional week to prepare for each exam, so now I won’t schedule until I feel ready. I am hoping for Audit, I will feel ready by late April. Even from the get go, the whole highlighting thing threw me a bit. That was never the way I learned before, but I figured with the review company’s great reputation, they must know something I don’t. Again, in hindsight, I should have done what worked well for me in the past.

I am now armed with the Wiley MCQs and NINJA Materials in addition to a review course, and am taking a new approach, trying to better use my time. I spent about 4 hours of my Sunday rewriting the NINJA Notes, and listening to the Audio.

The NINJA Notes are great because the essentials are in an easy to use format. They help me feel a little less overwhelmed. I also love that am able to download the NINJA Audio to my phone, and listen to it no matter where I am. I have even listened to some of the lectures today at work.

The audio really allows a working mother of two to fit studying in at random times. I plan on listening to another lecture tonight during my workout, and hope to study on lunch, and after work the rest of the week. Maybe my second attack at Audit, NINJA Style, is possible in April!!!