74. I want to die,

I feel your pain DOCJ.. I know for sure you will pass next time. Like what Jeff said study even harder for your next exam. Scream, punch a bag, do whatever necessary to release your frustration, pain, n sadness and start studying hard the next day. You will definitely make it next time. Good luck!

@DocJ – I'm not even gonna act like I don't get you. When people told me “Just study hard, bro” or “I had to pass my insurance exam, and that was REALLY hard, so I understand”, it was maddening. I know how you feel with giving everything and coming up short. It sucks and you feel absolutely low (I got a 71 once and wanted to jump off a building) with no one who understands wtf is going on with you. But….. if you keep it real with yourself, is there NO subject you could study harder? Were you equally well versed in everything? I know FAR kicked my ass for the better part of 9 years. To be fair, for most of them I didn't go as hard as I could have because I was psyching myself out. But for the few I studied hard for, there were always sections I didn't get a mastery of, due to the pure volume of FAR. Then I'd always do a focus in the subjects I was weaker in, a quick review of “what I knew”, fail and get a new breakdown of the score. Rinse, repeat.

I'm still grinding like everyone else, but I'd hate for you to give up now. I don't know how long you've been at this, but I know I'm in for quite a few grand and almost a decade I'll never get back. No point in stopping now. I'll see you in the OFFICIAL “I PASSED THE CPA EXAM” THREAD soon.

P.S. – NASBA and State Boards are looking at potentially extending expiration dates (Original dates of 4/1 – 6/30) on NTS/Credits received due to COVID-19. They would be extended until 9/30.

@DocJ

I feel your pain. I walked out of my 3rd time taking Audit thinking I passed. Nope, got ANOTHER 73. Look at my scores. I feel the same pain over and over again. I should be done with exams by now but I kept falling short. I'm worried about my cash flow as well, given I'm budgeted until August to pass this test. If I don't, I will have to start slowly adding new clients to my roster which will take away from my studying. It's just not affordable.

Keep your head up and keep going. I have only made it this far because of my faith in the Lord. Find out what your weak areas are and focus in those. That's what I'm doing for Audit.

Best wishes.

Amandaaa, I am so glad you are here to share your story! I hope DocJ hears how much we all understand and know we are listening and that we care.

@docj We're here for you buddy. This is a place for any and all CPA candidates/CPAs to voice their opinions, successes, frustrations, and failures. I'm so glad to see that most people that replied acknowledged that they understood and feel your pain. In this crazy world, this is absolutely amazing. I just failed FAR for the second time with a 71 so I feel your pain. In times like these, I keep repeating a quote from one of the best motivational speakers that I know.

“On the other side of suffering is Greatness” David Goggins

Let's go get this greatness!! Good Luck!!

@Docj Let it out. Your frustrations are valid and I would feel the exact same if I were in your shoes. Like others have said, take some time off, relax, recharge and get back into it. We put an insane pressure on ourselves to pass, base our self worth on what Nasba and the AICPA says, and end up crushed when we fail. It's a very unique experience and other people really don't understand.

You're absolutely right, that in the grand scheme of things, this doesn't matter. Your self-worth, and mental state should not be dependent on passing an exam. I took a year off after failing reg, I was so angry and disappointed in myself, I felt like I had let everyone and myself down. I was afraid to try again, because if I tried, it could just end up as another failure, and I didn't want to do that again. I would say, don't get back into it until you feel like you can study and take the exam without putting this pressure on yourself. Try to gain some perspective: some people fail and just give up, some people never even start, some people fail out of their accounting classes, and some drop out after intro to accounting. Comparatively, you're so close to the end, you've got this!

Docj, I can't wait to see you post here and say “I did it.” Because you're going to pass. Not just this test, but the entire CPA. I can feel the passion running through your veins. Keep us updated because I can't wait to hear your success story! One day you can look back on this 74 and say you went back into the game and kicked its a**. Good luck. You're going to make it through this.