NJCPA Exam Cram Blog

Just a Little Over a Week until Exam #4!

The studies continue for AUD. I have reached the point where I am extremely nervous but am halfway to the 'just wanting to take it' phase. Learning about auditing is kind of interesting to me. All of my experience in accounting (outside of course work) has been in tax. I am happy to be learning about what my peers in auditing do on a daily basis. I remember this past summer I was working on a provision and was always around an auditing team. I now have a better understanding of what they were doing! More details to come as test day gets closer (one week from tomorrow)!

Better Late Than Never

Whoops, looks like I'm two weeks late to the party! Nonetheless, I am proud to say that on Sept 10th I found out that I passed AUD and am officially done with the CPA. At the beginning of the process I had a goal of passing all four parts before starting with Deloitte and while this goal was accomplished it certainly came with its trials and tribulations.

The CPA exam is difficult and it should be. Though the path towards CPA licensure is arduous, it provides the profession with a level of credibility supported by its core attributes; Integrity, Competence, Professionalism, and Diligence.

I believe the exam's difficulty stems from the studying time requirement rather than the density of the material. The concepts detailed in the exam materials can be mastered with adequate time. In my opinion, the exam tests your perseverance more than your test taking ability. Hopefully this provides some solace to those who have endured moments of struggle along the way. Remember you are far from alone. 

I want to thank all of those at the society and those close to me who have supported me along the way. It has been a blast writing for the blog and I hope I provided some of you with some insight into the exam. Let me leave you with my favorite accounting Youtube video. Everyone in the accounting profession should watch this Monty Python skit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOmB1q8W4Y

Thanks for everything!

One Left!

I have not posted in a little while, but have received good news in the meantime. I passed BEC! With that, I just have one more exam left to take (Auditing). I am very happy of all I have accomplished thus far and hope I can have similar success in auditing. I think if there's one thing the CPA has taught me thus far, it's that I should be very appreciative of the education I received at Seton Hall. I could not say enough great things about my undergraduate education, and I think the education I received there was pivotal to my CPA successes. I am suddenly very appreciative of all the professors that I felt 'assigned too much work' or were 'too demanding.' More details to come about auditing, and congratulations to all the other CPA candidates that are passing their exams!

Signing Off

Well, scores have been released and I am pleased to say I passed the fourth part of the exam. While this was a quick process for me (began studying for my first exam on June 8th, and took my last exam on August 31st,) it was by no means an easy one. In this final post I will highlight some of the strategies I used that allowed me to be successful in such a short time.

Lay out a plan for yourself prior to beginning... AND STICK TO IT. One of the hardest things for me taking the exam this summer was that I felt like every weekend something would pop up where a friend would ask me to go somewhere or do something. That is when the little accounting devil and angel pops up on your shoulder. I included in my plan some days off from studying, so If something popped up that I really wanted to do, I always had the option of moving one of my off days to that day, much like a flex player in fantasy football (NFL JUST STARTED SO I'M IN THE ZONE). 

Break up your studies throughout the day. For me this was one of the most necessary parts of my studies because I don't have the longest attention span. My typical day looked like the following:

8:15-9:00 - Wake up, shower, eat breakfast.

9:00-12:30 - Start Lecture/Homework

12:30-1:00- Eat Lunch

1:00-3:00 - Continue Lecture/Homework

3:00-4:15 - Go to the Gym

4:15-6:30 - Continue Lecture/ Homework

6:30- 7:15 - Eat dinner

7:15-9:30 - Continue Homework/ Wind down

10:00 Relax/ Sleep

At the end of each study hour, I would take a 5 minute break to get a drink of water or check my phone. This schedule gave me about 10 Hours of studying a day; however, it was manageable because I was breaking it up into no more than 3.5 hours at a time

Use a review course, and follow their plan. Now I'm not here to advertise; however, I used the Becker CPA review, and attended their final review sessions and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It truly is what I attribute most to helping me pass the exam. My education was a phenomenal base of knowledge; however, the Becker software gives you strategies for beating the exam, teaching you how to take it, and has a wealth of multiple choice and simulation questions at their disposal. 

Demand the best from yourself. No one is perfect; however, they can give a perfect effort each day. I demanded that I would give a perfect effort of sticking to my schedule each day. I said I wouldn't let anything come between me and finishing this exam prior starting work. Once I had that mentality, it was easier to drown out the white noise and focus on what was important. 

I know the exam will be changing soon, so I hope these tips are still applicable. I have enjoyed writing about my experience, and now look forward to the next chapter in my life. I will be starting work for Deloitte on September 28th, and there is no better feeling then walking in on day 1 with this exam behind me. Good luck to those taking the exam now and in the future. That's a wrap for me.

 

Was That The Last One?

Yesterday I sat for the BEC section of the exam. I have passed the other three parts. I felt like the multiple choice was a little harder than I had anticipated; however, the testlets got progressively harder, which I take as a good sign. The writings were not terrible. Now the wait begins to receive what may be my final score. I anticipate the score being released on September 10th; however, it may not come out until the 15th depending on when the AICPA receives the data from the test center. Regardless, I worked hard this summer and accomplished my goal of sitting for all four parts prior to starting work on September 28th. I hope I will have good news to report next week when I get my score! Since September is a blackout month for the exam, I hope everyone can take at least a few days off from studying and enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend. I look forward to hearing good results from everyone who tested recently next week! Good luck!