Study-Fest Weekend

Well first...thanks guys for all of your comments (and support). It really does help to know I'm not going through this alone! Some of the people I talk to (who have never taken it, or any other certification exam for that matter) look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them about all the hours studying. It's even harder for them to understand making the choice to skip all the fun pre-summer events "just" to study...

I named this post Study-Fest because I think there must of been at least 20 different "fests," of one type or another, going on in the tri-state area this weekend. My friends were scattered about at many of them, and I was sitting here studying. I'd really been wanting to go to BayFest this weekend in South Jersey - according to Facebook, a whooping 24 of my friends attended. I had purposely scheduled my original exam the weekend BEFORE BayFest...but when I had to reschedule last week, that plan went down the drain. So here I am.

My other two exams are conveniently scheduled the week BEFORE Memorial Day weekend and the week BEFORE Fourth of July weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes as planned, because I think I'll cry if I have to hear about another awesome weekend from my friends that I missed out on. :-(

On a happier note, tomorrow is Regulation!! I'm oddly excited. I feel good about the material at this point (scoring between 78-85 on the practice exams) and it will feel really good to simply get it over with no matter how I do. The anticipation for those few hours spent at Prometric - after all the fun and friends and hours sacrificed to studying - is intense.

P.S. Even my dog, Burton is mad at me for neglecting him...he left a smelly little present, right before my eyes, while I was glued to the laptop studying. Both the smell and his prompt, excited frolic alerted me to situation...(so you don't think I'm cruel - I had taken him outside less than 2 hours before it happened!)

Comments

[michael bushnell]

Hey I know exactly how you feel. I studied from February 20th, 2007 to February 28th, 2008 in order to pass all four. I know I missed out on a lot of stuff but now that I've passed I'm catching up with people and all that. If you are scoring between 78-85 on the practice exams, then you are in good shape I believe. I usually scored about 10 points higher on my real exam than I did on the practice exam. Good luck on your exam!

[Jessica]

So you are just abuot a week ahead of me - I am taking REG on Monday, 5/12. That will be my first experience with the CPA exam. I am scoring pretty high on the questions, too, so your comment inspired me and pumped me up a little! By now you already took it so I can't wish you luck - but can't wait to hear how it went. I'm taking FARE next and am terrified, since there are 9 chapters to get through.
I feel better knowing that someone else is dedicating as much of their weekends on this as I am! lol.

[Scott Beckman]

WARNING TO CPA CANDIDATES!
AICPA/NASBA is now allowing a foreign data-mining company (ReedElsevier) full access to hundreds-of-thousands of CPA examinees fingerprints (see www.netgainconsultants.com for details).

Have you heard about the exam policy changes? A controversial new NASBA/AICPA fingerprinting policy called "BIMS" went into effect on January 1st 2008. All candidates who sit for any parts of the CPA exam will need to submit to a fingerprinting prior to each exam section, regardless of identification presented. A US Passport may be sufficient identification for the Dept of Homeland Security...but not for the CPA exam (ridiculous, huh?). Worse is what they do with CPA candidates fingerprints:

Industry insiders (Accounting Today, WebCPA) report this has sparked significant opposition from within the State Boards due to its risk to CPA candidates privacy since a foreign data-broker (ChoicePoint/ReedElsevier) who has had significant privacy violations will be storing the fingerprint. They were assessed the largest fine in Federal Trade Commission history for privacy violations (selling confidential info on US consumers to Nigerian criminal gangs)...and now the AICPA is trusting this same company with our fingerprints!!!

No thank you...my CPA will have to wait until they shut down theis new Orwellian fingerprinting program.

Federal Trade Commission report on privacy abuses at ChoicePoint: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/01/choicepoint.shtm

[Scott Beckman]

WARNING TO CPA CANDIDATES!
AICPA/NASBA is now allowing a foreign data-mining company (ReedElsevier) full access to hundreds-of-thousands of CPA examinees fingerprints (see www.netgainconsultants.com for details).

Have you heard about the exam policy changes? A controversial new NASBA/AICPA fingerprinting policy called "BIMS" went into effect on January 1st 2008. All candidates who sit for any parts of the CPA exam will need to submit to a fingerprinting prior to each exam section, regardless of identification presented. A US Passport may be sufficient identification for the Dept of Homeland Security...but not for the CPA exam (ridiculous, huh?). Worse is what they do with CPA candidates fingerprints:

Industry insiders (Accounting Today, WebCPA) report this has sparked significant opposition from within the State Boards due to its risk to CPA candidates privacy since a foreign data-broker (ChoicePoint/ReedElsevier) who has had significant privacy violations will be storing the fingerprint. They were assessed the largest fine in Federal Trade Commission history for privacy violations (selling confidential info on US consumers to Nigerian criminal gangs)...and now the AICPA is trusting this same company with our fingerprints!!!

No thank you...my CPA will have to wait until they shut down theis new Orwellian fingerprinting program.

Federal Trade Commission report on privacy abuses at ChoicePoint: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/01/choicepoint.shtm

[Jennifer Skoles]

Thanks for the heads up - I agree. No one should take the CPA exam until this is shut down.

[Beth McGuire]

That is soooo unethical of them (the AICPA & NASBA) to try to get our fingerprints & hand them over to a data-mining firm! I have researched this myself and it is so shameful. Why again is a US passport not good enough as ID to sit for the exam? What a scam. My CPA is on hold too.