17 Stupid Things Said By Friends About the CPA Exam

Friends and Family sometimes don't know the right thing to say when trying to support CPA Candidates, so instead, they say the wrong thing.

Another71 Forum members share some of the ~~best~~ worst things people have said to them about the CPA Exam:

MomofFive-NY: We were invited to a neighbor's pool party in August. I was studying intensely for FAR, so I sent an email that said my family would be able to come, but I needed to study for my upcoming exam. My neighbor had apparently overheard me saying that I had been studying for months, so she replied with “If you don't know this **** by now, you are never going to know it”.

kmcauliffe: After explaining to my mother in law that the pass rate is like 40%, she says, “Why don't they just let everyone pass?”

jaks: One of my best friends (who was a journalism major) said “It must be nice to make enough money that you don't worry about money like I do. I would make sure you're ready for these tests before you take them since they cost like $300/section.”

NJD: You mention the Bar Exam and people get excited. You mention the CPA Exam … “what's that…is it hard??…so you can do my taxes!?!”

kroyal: When I first began studying for the CPA Exam, my boyfriend dumped me because I didn't have time to go out during the week. He said “all you ever want to do is study.”

Anna: I came to visit my in-laws after my BEC exam and was overwhelmed by how I didn't study enough for IT. My father-in-law (a doctor), starts showing off by telling me what I probably missed. Then he says, “Hmm, maybe I should go take the CPA Exam too.”

TD: I love the “you can be my tax guy!” comments.

SwissBliss: This little old lady comes up to me and says “My mom passed away last April, and we have a mess in the probate court, and I'm going to need a good estate tax person.” I accidentally laughed at her.

OhioCPA: I called my father to tell him I had passed my last section of the exam and the first words out of his mouth are “good you can do my taxes this year for free.”

emc: Can't you just take time off from studying? You've already put in three days this week.

Kate: After failing 3 sections and finally passing BEC with an 84, my dad, a CPA of 20+ years said, “84, you studied too hard and wasted time!”

US_10th_SFG: My mother said, “Hmmmm…why would a test over business topics be harder to pass than the Bar or Medical Boards? It's not like you're saving anyone's life.”

Kristy: When I turned in my final grades to my boss so she could approve my course reimbursement, she saw my numbers (92,91,88,85) and just said “Hmph, that just means you were inefficient because you studied too hard”.

Starla: I explain that I'm an auditor and they ask “if I work for the IRS.”

rosebud:I complained to a friend of mine about how much time it all took and how intense it was. She replied, “Oh I totally know how you feel. I'm studying for the GMAT right now and it's horrible!!”

dwade: People think that if you pass with a 75, you barely studied … that you're squeaking by.

CACPASOON: I have a coworker who has been a CPA almost longer than I have been alive. “Back in my day, we had to pass all four parts at once. Without a calculator!”