Shaila is a NINJA CPA Blogger.

Hey NINJAs! An amazing thing happened.

I walked out of my first exam attempt a couple weeks ago resigning myself to a retake, but lo and behold, I passed AUD with an 80.

I’m not really sure how that happened, but hey, I’ll take it! It feels awesome to have passed my first test, and it gives me motivation to keep up the hard work. Maybe I can actually do this!

In the couple weeks since my test, I’ve been a busy girl. I checked taxes off my list, filled out a lengthy application I’d been sitting on, rejoined the gym and got some workouts in.

I spent a week in Las Vegas on the company’s dime (this wasn’t actually as fun as it sounds; I spent most of my time at a convention my company was exhibiting at), and rounded out my study break with an interview for an amazing opportunity.

Let me just say that it has been really frustrating trying to get a job in this economy when you have limited experience. I currently work in internal accounting and am trying to make the switch to public accounting so I can get my CPA experience. I feel like I’m just waiting for that one job that will open doors and help step up my career.

Hopefully passing the tests will change all that. Onto the next one: BEC! I’m planning to start studying tomorrow and am looking at an April end test date.

And now for some inspiration:

“The only limitations one has are the ones they place on themselves.”

The post One Down, Three to Go: I Passed AUD with an 80! appeared first on CPA Review | CPA Exam Review - Another71.com.

JoMarie is a weekly NINJA CPA Blogger.

Hello Fellow NINJAs!!!! This NINJA is extremely happy right now.

I just found out I passed FAR with an 80!!! My highest score yet!! With REG, AUD, and now FAR behind me I’m planning on taking BEC down too!!

Everyone has been asking what my secret was on taking FAR down. Well there’s really no secret, but I’ll tell you my study strategy that took down FAR, and I’m using the same strategy to take down BEC:

NINJA – As Jeff has always said.

I watched all the lecture videos and wrote crazy notes while watching the videos. So the N & I were covered in one step. Then onto second N – Non-Stop Wiley MCQs. I really enjoy using the Wiley Testbank. I can be at any computer at anytime. I also downloaded the Wiley Testbank and Jeff’s NINJA notes on my iPhone. So no matter where I was, if I had a spare moment I studied.

Then onto the J – I rewrote all of Jeff’s NINJA notes. At this point everything was “A” – all coming together.

To add to the NINJA technique, I listened to the NINJA Audio every day to and from work. I drive 45 minutes to and from work every day, so that added another hour and a half to my studying every day.

I believe once you get yourself into a good routine and run with it, it all comes together. I have found that to be true with each of the exams I passed.

To those of you who passed, congratulations!! To those who didn’t, don’t give up. I’ve been at this for 10 years now; and gave up from time to time in the first couple of years.

After tax season in 2008, I said “That’s it!! I’m going for it and I’m never giving up until I get it!!” Here I am now, ¾ of the way through this journey for the second time. This time I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s beautiful and I’m going for it!!

Come on let’s get it together!!!

The post PASS! The NINJA Way to Overcoming FAR appeared first on CPA Review | CPA Exam Review - Another71.com.

Five Years, 24 Tests, and Many Tears Later

So I wanted to write a “wrap up” blog about my journey and I don’t even know where to start. This last time I took the exam I walked in and thought to myself, “I’m going to show you how great I am!”

But buried deep beneath that confidence I was already calculating how many months I had to study for the retake in May.

I was convinced that I was going to lose my FAR credit in June; I had already told myself if that was the case then I was done. The exam would have defeated me. I am glad those are just thoughts that never became reality!!

It was hard when scores started coming out for NASBA states and here I was in Texas, an independent reporting state, waking up every morning waiting for my BEC score only to be disappointed that it hadn’t posted at 4:30am.

When people started posting that they had received their BEC scores in Texas and mine still hadn’t released all I could think was “Great another borderline score…guess I’ll be retaking in May.” I was convinced that when I got my score it was going to be another 74.

I woke up March 14th hardly expecting to see a passing score or even “Total Credits: 4 – Passed All Sections of the CPA Exam,” but that’s what I saw.

I started screaming, crying and running from my office into my bedroom only to yell at my husband through tears, “I did it!!!! I passed that (insert proper curse word) exam!!!”

Of course through my husband’s sleepy ears all he really knew was I was crying, but as he likes to remind me that he really doesn’t know when I pass and when I fail because I cry no matter what.

My next move was to call my parents at 4:30 A.M. My dad answered the phone and he was so confused because I was crying so hard from happiness. He then said, “I knew you could do it…I’m going back to bed.”

He called me at noon, and I won’t ever forget what he said “I am so damn proud of you. My daughter is a CPA; I always knew you would do it. You dug down deep and found perseverance where others would find failure. I couldn’t be more proud of you! See what happens when you believe in yourself!” There was so much pride in his voice.

My mom said to me “I told you that you passed. I’m so proud of you!” I just love my mom because she doesn’t realize that after every exam I took she told me the same thing. It’s her undying belief in me that also kept me going on this journey through hell.

Although my favorite thing she ever texted to me after I told her I had failed yet another exam was “Sorry. I was hoping it did not post when I didn’t hear from you. I still love you.” To which I quickly responded– “good to know your love isn’t contingent on me passing.”

One of the last people to find out was my son. He was on spring break and he was at my parent’s house. My dad was actually the person that told him. He called me as soon as he found out and said, “So I hear that we have 2 CPAs in the house now.” To which I replied, “Did you become a CPA?” He said “No mom, you are!”

To hear my son say it with such happiness told me that I had taught him a valuable lesson in the past 5 years. Don’t give up on your dreams; don’t stop going forward because you get thrown off track.

Someone asked me on the forum what I was going to do now that I’m no longer studying and my reply was I’m going to be the mom my son deserved for the past 5 years. I am also going to be the wife my husband deserved in the past 5 years as well.

After 24 exams , many late nights studying, missed family events, lots of fees paid, an ocean of tears and lots of money spent on review materials I AM DONE!!!

Here are my final scores and the final tally of my exam tries:

REG-80, 77, 77
BEC-67, 68, 71, 67, 71, 74, 71, 74, 72, 77
FAR- 72, 65,67, 53, 75
AUD-58, 62, 72, 74, 74, 75

My first exam ever taken was on 2/27/07 and my last exam was 2/26/12; almost 5 years to the day. If I can do this I know that each one of you can too; just don’t give up – KEEPTRYING!!!

Thank you Jeff and my cyber family on the Another71 Forum. You held me accountable whether you knew it or not.

The post PASS: Laura Overcomes BEC and Conquers the CPA Exam appeared first on CPA Review | CPA Exam Review - Another71.com.