Aida is a NINJA CPA blogger. Today’s topic is the CPA Exam for international students. There are multiple requirements for candidates to meet in order to sit for the CPA exam. In my opinion, the most difficult requirement to complete is educational. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Russia and completed a Master’s program in the US. So, in order to complete the educational requirement, I needed to have my Russian degree evaluated and the credits transferred into the American system. This meant my Russian university had to send a translated transcript to NASBA. Once that was done it took about two weeks for NASBA to finish the evaluation. When they were finished, they sent the results to me as well as to the committee which decides if you are eligible to sit for the exam. I have to say that evaluation is very reasonable – almost all of my classes counted

Rollie is a NINJA CPA blogger. I am making my way through MCQ during this blistering and warm June. I see progress as I get closer to the July 1st testing date, but with summer in full swing there are many ways to get distracted from studying for the CPA Exam. Let’s take a look at some: Perennials need watering. Let’s go outside! Darn Quack grass is invading my lawn. Let’s go outside! Nice day to sit on the porch and have a beer. Let’s go outside! We received an inch of rain from a storm. Grass needs mowing. Let’s go outside! Garage Sale down the street. Let’s go outside! Bird Feeders need filling. Wouldn’t want our squirrels to go hungry… Let’s go outside! Mulch was on sale at Lowes. Better put it down. Let’s go outside! Severe Thunderstorm is rolling in. Let’s go outside! (full disclaimer – I know this is

Christina is a NINJA CPA blogger. I'm studying for AUD right now. I understand why REG score release is taking so long for Q2 exams, but it's still frustrating. The past week I’ve had a hard time focusing on studying for AUD because I wonder whether or not I passed REG. I know I shouldn’t  focus on it, but I’ve failed every single exam once; I don’t like moving on without knowing if I passed or not. It's not like I have a choice, but I don’t have to like it. We took our kids to NY for our birthday weekend and I’m exhausted. In doing that, I took a break from studying so I could get over the score release dates. I’m back to work and back to studying. Thankfully, the last day of school is Friday, so for a couple of months I can focus on studying and not

Joe is a NINJA CPA blogger. If you're working full time, it can be tough to find time to study the recommended three times a day. Have you ever thought about using your current job to prepare for the CPA exam? If you work as an auditor, in a GL department, preparing taxes for a small CPA firm or in another accounting role, you can use your job to turn everyday responsibilities into learning opportunities. As an accounting manager for a public company, I get many chances to work with outside auditors on both audit and SOX related issues directly related to AUD. I review journal entries, depreciation schedules, and financial statements relating directly to FAR. Think about how your daily work applies to the exam. How you can make your understanding of the materials stronger by doing your day-to-day tasks? As the CPA exam evolves, it's become more focused on real world scenarios than memorizing lists, terms or definitions.

Aida is a NINJA CPA blogger. I am on the fourth week of studying REG. So far it feels pretty good– I’ve already covered ethics and responsibilities, half of business law and individual taxation. This is what I’ve learned during the process: I split the computer screen so that I can see multiple resources at the same time in the simulation section (you can try it in the AICPA sample exam). I made notecards and stuck them under the keyboard at work. Every 15 minutes I grab one and test myself to see if I remember the content of the notecard. Unfortunately, I am now skipping lunches with my colleagues at work – instead I spend an hour or so to go through multiple choices. I believe (a colleague at work confirmed this) the exam covers conceptual legal concepts versus percentages and numbers that change every year. Try to identify

Joe is a NINJA CPA blogger. The REG NINJA Audio is a tool I use to give me an extra edge on exam day. I passed both BEC and REG on the first try and I am convinced the NINJA audio was instrumental in my success. Listening to the notes over and over again is very helpful, as Jeff makes the material as interesting as possible. I won't forget the parts of the unmodified audit report after hearing Jeff shout ““TIMAA!!!!” Since I am a family man I find it easy to remember all of the analogies about him and his 7 children. The material is excellent and to the point. One key to my success has been taking notes while listening to the Audio, I will sit down and listen to all of the material over a couple of days. The only difficult part is pausing and replaying, I've found