NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog

Oh sweet summer...

Hi Everyone,

I just got finished with F-9 last night and I am a tad behind on the homeworks! I find it much harder to study when it is so gorgeous out like it has been!! It's so sad that I hope for rainy days! I scheduled my FARE exam for July 15th and I am super nervous for these next two weeks.. I really have to buckle down.  Does anyone have any good tips for studying when your down to the last few weeks??? It would be sooo helpful if you do and maybe mak me a little less nervous!!

Thanks! I hope everyone is studying hard and passing! Your all in my prayers!!

Megan

When the exam changes in January.....

"I have passed one part of the CPA exam and am sitting for my second part next week.  If I don't pass all four parts by January 1 when the exam is scheduled is change, will I lose what I have just passed."

This appears to be the burning question of the last two weeks and the answer is no.  Whatever you have successfully passed, you will keep.  But remember that the clock is still ticking and you still only have 18 months from the time you passed your first part. 

Nearing the End

Hi everyone.  Just finished F7 tonight and I'm still overwhelmed with all the material.  The FAR portion of this exam basically seems to throw everything at you so quickly.  Once I thought about it, the entire month long financial review includes all the topics I learned in school over three semesters!  That should give you an idea of how the time limit to review really does play a crucial role in your preparation.  But on a more positive note, the fact that I did already learn literally every important topic on this exam helps me feel a little more confident in my ability.  I know I have done it before so I just need to relax and remember how it all works.  It definitely helped to keep all my accounting notebooks from college as a reference.  Only 2 more classes left and it's exam time.  I am scheduled for July 15th at 9:00 am so the end is near and it's time to get serious.

Missy

REG... UGH...

Hi Everyone!

I just completed my fourth REG Becker Live class this past Wednesday and I thought I would just fill everyone in on how I am doing.  Juggling the CPA exam, classes and work is EXTREMELY difficult.  I would suggest NEVER ever in your life do all three at once.  Not saying that it's not possible, just more difficult.  Also, I just received an email saying that my CPA Application is being reviewed and that it should take around 2-3 weeks to fully process - which is very exciting news :).

Anyway, my review classes have been VERY LONG, but also VERY HELPFUL.  I've been trying to keep up with the work, but it's hard to do.  There are about 70 pages of lecture material and about 100+ multiple choice questions for each lecture.  Honestly, I've been getting 50-60% on the multiple choice questions my first time around.  However, this is not discouraging me from continuing my studies.  I find the Becker software to be very helpful.  When I get a MC question wrong, they tell me the correct answer, why it's the correct answer, and the relevant page in the book.

I know I'm jumping all over the place with this blog, but I figured it would be a good idea to share with you a helpful hint each blog. These hints are just little things that have been able to help me study or learn more effectively.  They may or may not work for you, but I hope they do :). So... helpful hint #1: Read the question first (usually located at the end of the problem) and understand what they are asking for.  So, as you're reading the problem, you can ignore any of the information that is not relevant to the question being asked.  This can help shave off valuable time during the actual exam.

Well that's it for my rambling for today, I'll hopefully update you guys again soon - good luck studying!

Best,

Patrick

BEC = 72.....

Hello,

I am reporting that my BEC score fell short 3 points. Am I upset? Yes. Am I angry? Yes. Do I feel like crap? Yes. Do I feel like punching the wall? yes. Can I afford to give up ? No.

Based on my last answer, I cannot afford to give up. I am getting right back in. I am scheduled to take Audit on July 1st, and still waiting on my REG score. I took BEC on the 29th of May, so its basically 3 weeks ago, and I would write it again next month.

Its very easy to give up, but the biggest question is "Are you a failure?" and the answer is "NO" we all walk into this exams with 100 points, and in 2.5 - 4.5 hrs we sit in this air-conditioned room trying hard to defend this 100 points with hopes off not loosing more than 25 points to the AICPA. I lost 28 points and defended only 72.

Never give up, I take the title of the the poster boy for "NEVER GIVING UP" I am yet to pass, but I would eventually pass, and no one would ask me how many times I wrote the exam, but If I give up, then the whole world would assume I am a "failure".

At the end it's not what you scored, or how long it took you to pass, the question is "Are you a CPA" we are all academically qualified, we just need to defend enough points that is acceptable by the AICPA for being a CPA. That acceptable number or score is 75.

Cheers everyone,

Ed

Hi all,
So I am more than halfway done with the financial review from Becker and I have to be completely honest, I am overwhelmed. There are some chapters that I know about and then there are some that I do not understand. Of course I do not understand the chapters that are mostly focused on the exam!! I also scheduled my exam and I will be taking it on July 15th! I am sooo nervous. But have to get back to studying so have a good day blogging world!!

Is tomorrow your lucky day??

Today, 8301 BEC  scores were released by the AICPA to NASBA from the April / May 2010 testing window.

No turning back...

Hey everyone.  Just had my second Becker class last night for the Financial section of the exam.  I will say, the first couple chapters of this section are a little overwhelming because there are SO many topics to be covered.  While there isn't much depth to it, there is still a lot to process and comprehend.

When I went to go do the homework for F1, I didn't realize that there were so many questions because they are broken down by each topic covered in the F1 lecture.  With all my other activities, it is definitely proving to be somewhat harder and more rushed to keep up with the lectures and the corresponding homework.  But I am determined not to fall behind.  I still need to finish up some homework from F1 and I am about to move onto the F2 homework and the F3 lecture. No turning back now ;)  

Missy

Hello Everyone!

Hi Everyone!

I hope to hear that everything is going well!  Today is my first day as an NJSCPA Exam Cram blogger and I'm very excited to have this opportunity to share my experiences studying for the CPA exam with you.

To briefly introduce myself, my name is Patrick Chong.  I graduated from Rutgers Business School in May 2010 with a Bachelors degree in Accounting and a minor in Psychology.  I will begin work in October as an audit associate at KPMG.  Until then, I will be working on obtaining the remainder of my 150 credit hours, studying for my CPA exam, and working to make some extra spending money.  My goal is to finish all four parts by the end of this year.  Hopefully that works out :).

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like to get to know more about me.

Best,

Patrick Chong

p.s.

How I will obtain the 150?: a combination of LSU online courses and Clovis Community College online courses.  Both are very cheap alternatives to obtain your 150 credit hours.

What CPA Review Course am I taking?: I am currently enrolled in Becker Live courses in the following order: REG, BEC, FAR and AUD.  I began classes this past Wednesday - I'll let you know about my Live experiences in a later blog.