NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog

Hello Again!

Nothing new to report on the CPA study front line.  My review course should be here tomorrow if not Tuesday.  I have been continuing to study with self-study material.  If anything else, it is more of a refresher from those boring nights in Accounting 3 and 4. 

 

Has anyone looked at the events the Young Professionals will be hosting for us towards the end of the year?  I will be attending all three: Beer Break,Wine Tasing, Holiday Party.  Let’s not forget the annual NJSCPA Career Fair on October 6.

 

Next week I hope to give more details about the Roger Review course.  But until then……

 

 

 

MRD

Update

I hope everyone is enjoying studying as much as I am. As you
may know, I have recently completed the BEC section of the exam. The multiple
choices closely resembled the multiple choices saw while studying. However, the
written part of the exam was difficult. I would suggest taking BEC section last
because the written questions come from BEC, REG, AUD, and FAR.

Last night I scheduled to sit for FAR on August 23 so I will
be pretty busy with studying and work for the next month or so.

While I was scheduling my exam, I came across an interesting
article about the guy who caught Jeter’s 3000^th hit and IRS: http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304911104576444433469449672.html?mod=WSJ_hp_editorsPicks_3

Cruise

It is hard to believe it, but this time last week I was finishing my dinner and headed over to the on board theater for a show. 

 

I will admit I did not study as much as I wanted to, but I did spend a lot of time with my materials.  It was not easy, staying behind to read about the debits and credits system while everyone else is enjoying the cruise.  My earplugs saved the day though by helping me tune out distractions.

 

Looks like my Roger CPA Review course will be shipped out on Monday.  I should be receiving it sometime this week, in which case, I will immediately start and will continue on though all four exams with full steam. 

 

Regarding the job hunt, I am still looking.  I have started to expand my search to include opportunities outside the accounting world for right now.  More on this later.

 

 

MRD

Rants & Struggles

Hello Everyone,

I have been reading all the posts up here, and I am so glad to see the determination everyone has been putting into the exams. I have been so busy lately with work, I try to set reminders to post each week, and for some reason work just ties me down.

I am so happy to report that I am moving onto my next level with the firm, this promotion is a big one for me, as I move up to "Senior". This means more responsibility for me, which I am very much ready to handle. I have put my exams on the back burner for a couple of weeks before I resume studies for FARE.

On the home front, my son just turned 4 this week, I remember in 2007 when I got my NJSCPA scholarship, my wife was pregnant with him. This just shows that time goes by real fast.

There are no vacations for me this year, as my plan is to complete the remaining parts of the CPA by the end of the year, its a goal which I plan to achieve even with my tight work schedule.

I would make sure I post more from time to time, I wish everyone the best on this hectic journey towards the CPA. We all can do it, I have been on this journey for some time.I have had successes and failures, but guess what ??? " I have not given up," I am very close to the end, and I can see the light at the end of the road. If you ever think of giving up on this exam, please reach out to me. I am ready to take time out of my busy schedule to encourage you.

I have cried on score release nights, and I have also celebrated on score release night, I have not given up yet.

Cheers everyone

Ed Adiele C.P (the "A") is almost there.

Planning was what helped me the most:

I haven’t started work yet and am trying to cram as much studying into my summer as I possibly can. It is much more challenging to balance studying while working full time; but with a summer off there are still a lot of challenges with managing free time. I tried a few different things but found that the best process for me was determining what I wanted to accomplish over the summer and then working backwards to the current date to determine what I needed to accomplish today, next week and next month. I really wanted to finish 3 parts of the CPA exam over the summer but after working backwards, looking at the blackout months for the exam, and determining a reasonable amount of time I could allocate to each session helped me realize that this wasn’t a possibility.  Because I wasn’t going to be able to take 3 sessions in the summer I decided to also amend what sections I was taking and would now take the 2 sections I believed would take the most focus and effort to pass. I then broke out a typical day into two 5 hour study sessions and made sure I had some free time each day to break up study sessions and ensure that I was awake, alert and grasping all of the different topics I was reading.  The breaks I took between sessions motivated me to work harder during each session while also serving as a reward system for successfully completing a unit in the Becker review or completing the Becker homework problems. I also tried to take off at least every other weekend to ensure that I had an additional incentive to complete studying during the week, and to avoid pushing it back a day into the weekend.

 

    I think that the best thing any candidate can do is figure out what works best for them. I asked a few colleagues and friends I knew that sat for the exam or were currently sitting for it and learned what their habits and tricks were and developed a plan that worked for me.

 

-          Kevin 

Change in plans

After almost two months of studying for the FAR exam with Yaeger, I have decided to switch over to the Roger prep course.

Before purchasing Yeager's FAR review course, I compared Yaeger and Roger over and over and over again.  I made my final choice and now realize it was a mistake.  I have since sold the Yaeger course on ebay and will use the proceeds to offset the cost repurchase of the Roger course.

I will add how the time in between the two review courses have not been wasted.  Since abandoning Yaeger, I have been using my college textbooks along with some study aids to continue my efforts.  These books will even accompany me on my cruise to Canada.  (just for added fun and excitement!) :-)

 

Lastly, I would like to thank the NJSCPA for running a drawing for those that have renewed their membership prior to June 30.  I am lucky enough to be one of the winners! 

MRD

Hello Everyone

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the NJSCPA Exam Cram blog and wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Van Loan and I am a recent graduate of Rider University and I will be starting work in late September with Deloitte & Touche’s in audit based out of Princeton.

I began studying for the CPA exam in Mid-May and sat for my first section (FAR) on July 7^th. I have experienced a few different challenges and successes studying for the exam but have found that there are a few steps that really helped me to stay diligent, focused and on task with my studies.

The exam is definitely passable if you study smart and use your time wisely. One recommendation I have is that you focus on reviewing certain uncertain, tricky, or complicated items in the days leading up to the exam. Rather than doing a massive and hurried review focus on those items that you are nervous about and focus on practice problems over just rereading the process and core content you think is important. Practice exams are pretty accurate and if you can pass those exams without too much difficulty you should do well on the exam.

I’m really looking forward to posting and blogging about my experiences with the CPA exam and learning even more from the other bloggers who have even more experience! 

-          Kevin Van Loan 

 

Check out our new blog about internships

Follow three NJSCPA student members as they intern this summer at Ernst & Young, Lockheed Martin and BDO New Zealand (That’s right, the other side of the world!).

http://www.njscpa.org/index/students/full-article/2011/07/06/inside-an-accounting-internship

It’s almost time

Hello everyone,

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4^th of July weekend
and I would like to congratulate fellow SHU alumni Jerry on finishing the CPA
exam.

 

This past weekend was extremely productive in terms of the
CPA exam, and I have an impressive stack of handmade index cards that get me to
sleep at night to prove it. When I needed a break from studying, I found
comfort in living vicariously through my friends BBM and Facebook status
updates about their time at the shore. Hopefully next 4^th of July I will
have three letters after my name.

 

When arriving to take your exam take note to one of NASBA’s
recent announcements: Prometric Test Center Administrators will be using
hand-held metal detector wands to scan all candidates, even when returning from
breaks. In addition, there will be digital video recorders and enhancement to
biometrics. I would love to see a recording of myself taking the exam or better
yet someone should make a reality TV show about becoming a CPA.

 

Anyway, I plan to be completely ready to take the exam by
Thursday so I will be able to attend Bederson & Company’s after tax season
party at Martell’s Tiki Bar. If cannot attend I already have planned on having
an after exam celebration on Saturday.

 

Until then I will continue to power through practice exams, then
get a good understanding of the written section of the exam. I will try to post
sometime before my exam on Saturday.

 

-Eli