Officially DONE: I Passed the CPA Exam!

09 Feb 2016

NINJA CPA Review

AngelleHeadshotAngelle is a NINJA CPA blogger.

Hey everyone!

It’s been awhile since my last blog post, and a lot has changed since you last heard from me!

I took BEC, and my exam experience was much different from any of the other sections. I actually walked out of the exam feeling confident, which scared me!

A lot of people say that if you felt like the exam was easy, you probably failed because you didn’t perform well enough to receive a more difficult testlet. I tried not to dwell on these fears because I know that each person’s perspective is unique. You never know how well you did until you receive your score!

I thought this score release would be the hardest because I knew it could be my last, but it actually went by quickly (thank goodness).

At first I wasn’t sure if I should keep studying for BEC to keep it fresh in my mind in case I had to do a retake, but I ultimately decided to take a break and hope for the best. If I failed, at

If I failed, at least I gave myself a much-needed break. If I passed, I made the right decision to leave those books closed!

I have always moved on to study for the next section after taking an exam, so this is the first time that I have gone this long without studying since I began studying in May! It was surprisingly easy to keep myself busy during the waiting period, especially since it was the holiday season.

It was surprisingly easy to keep myself busy during the waiting period, especially since it was the holiday season.

I stayed with my family for about five days, which went by in a flash. I slowly chipped away at my long list of things to get done before I start my job. It also helped that I was able to sleep in late every morning. It’s amazing how fast the day goes by when you get up at 11 am!

When score release day was finally here, I was so far out of “study mode” that I wasn’t even nervous. In a way I felt like I was already done, so it all felt surreal.

When the countdown clock hit zero, I refreshed the page over and over and… Of course, the server had crashed. That’s when the nerves hit me.

Thirty-five minutes and about five thousand page refreshes later, I got my score! And I passed! I am officially DONE with the CPA exam!

Next on my to-do list: have a bonfire fueled by hundreds of flash cards, pages of notes and study guides! (I’m keeping the textbooks – they’d be fun to burn, but they might come in handy later!)

Here is my advice to anyone who is considering taking the CPA exam, is just beginning this journey, or is struggling to achieve his or her goal of passing the cpa exam. I know you have probably heard this before, but it’s the truth: this exam is more about discipline than anything else.

Ask yourself why it is important to you to pass the exam, and ask yourself what sacrifices you are truly willing to make. Write these things down and refer back to them when things get tough.

Starting today, work as hard as you possibly can until you are finished.

The longer you wait to make that commitment, the longer you will drag out this process. You have the ability to make it happen, you just have to put in the work! Good luck to you all. I wish the best for you, and I appreciate the support and advice I have received from everyone in the Another71 community throughout this process!

Leave a Reply

2 comments

Queena 8 years ago

Congratulations on passing all four parts of the exam, Angelle!!! Do you mind sharing your study methods? Thanks!

Fez 8 years ago

Congrats! By discipline do you think that if you study you'll pass? That's the philosophy I've been going with. I'm studying and studying and studying and I'm hoping I pass my exam 1 of 4 in a few weeks.