NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey New Jersey,

I wanted to wish everyone an early Happy and Safe Thanksgiving! Just remember that after all the turkey you eat, make sure you save room for desert and a few hours of studying! I would suggest to get a few hours in before the feast and festivities begin which is the route I will be taking. Also, remember the exam is not available in December. So if you are not already scheduled for an exam this month (November 28-30), take advantage and study now throughout December, and take a section in early January!

Good luck, Safe Travels and have fun this holiday!

Jimmy

Start checking for the scores.....

Today, 4845 AUD, 2617 BEC, 4123 FAR and 4388 REG scores were released by the AICPA to NASBA from the October / November 2011 testing window.

I hope it will be a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

I just got to my Prometric Testing Center…now what should I expect?

So you’ve prepared for weeks for your first exam… you’ve got your flashcards all memorized… you’ve gone through all of the multiple choice questions several times… you’re ready! So what happens when you get into the Prometric testing center? What should you expect?

You can read all of the permissible items allowed in a testing center, but I can summarize it in one word: government-issued-photo-ID. The only item you will need to keep with you at all times is your government-issued-photo-ID (driver’s license or passport) because when you check in, it will be scanned and verified each time to enter and exit the testing room. Anything else you will need to take the exam (scratch paper and pencil) are all provided by the testing center. You will receive the scratch paper and pencil from a test coordinator immediately before walking into the testing room.

‘But what does walking into a testing center feel like? What do I do there?’

I have only ever tested at two locations in NJ – Fairlawn (my favorite) and Clark – but the policies and procedures are the same at any location around the country. You arrive in the waiting room and check-in with a receptionist. He/she will provide you with a locker key for you to lock up any items you may have brought with you (your NTS, purse, cell phone, car keys, etc.). The only thing you keep with you at all times is that locker key and your ID. Then you wait to be called into the screening room. In the screening room you will be asked to show your government ID to the facilitator, he/she will take your photo, and then have you sign in. Before leaving the screening room and walk into the testing room to begin your exam you will need to empty out all of your pockets to make sure you’re not hiding anything. Once you’re done with that, you’re escorted into the room and you may begin your exam.

Recommendations for testing day:

• Wear clothing that you’re comfortable in
• If it’s cold outside, try to wear something that will keep you warm keeping in mind the rooms are heated
• Try to wear shirts with solid colors – avoid shirts with writing on them to avoid any possibility of being “called out” for writing in violation of their policies
• If you don’t know where the testing center is, give yourself PLENTY of time to find it and decompress from the anxiety you’ll have. Always best to arrive extra early if you’re unfamiliar with the traffic patterns and location.

 

Good luck!

Jerry

REGISTER NOW: CPA Exam Study Session - An investment in your SUCCESS

Hi friends,

I just wanted to remind everyone about the CPA Exam Study Session the Society is hosting on Wednesday November 16, 2011 at the NJSCPA Education Center in Roseland. The session is from 6-9pm and registration is still open through the NJSCPA website.

As I began my exam preparations I attended a Society’s Study Session and the experience, tips and tricks I picked up was invaluable to my exam preparations. I will be on a panel to share my tips and tricks with everyone – so come out to meet me and the panel of recent exam takers and ask us what’s on your mind about the exam. I urge you to make every effort to register and attend – it’s an investment in passing this exam, I assure you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jerry

Hello New Jersey!

Hello Everyone,

I've been away on a few audits for a while and being that I haven’t had power all last week it’s been tough to get to the blog, but I'm finally here! My name is Jimmy Provence and I am currently a staff auditor at Fazio, Mannuzza, Roche, Tankel, LaPilusa LLC in Cranford.  I started as an intern here along with enrolling as a student member of the NJSCPA 2 years ago.  When I started full time this past January, I became a CPA candidate member and the adventure had begun!

Now with nearly a year of experience under my belt, I feel it’s the best time for me to start the CPA exam. I am in the early stages of the application process (submitted my application and waiting for my NTS) and would like to take my first exam in the beginning of January right before busy season.  The moment I receive my NTS is when I will begin rigorously studying, but as of now I have taken some prerequisites to prepare. An event that I attended last year as a student and will be attending again is the CPA Exam Study Session – “Failure is not an Option” which is next Wednesday Nov 16th.  I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who was even thinking of taking the exam. It really gives an inside look of how the exam is structured, along with some sample questions. Becker is making the presentation so you know it will be good.

I like to use technology to help make any task simpler so why should the exam be any different right? Instead of carrying around books (which, don’t get me wrong, you’re going to have to crack open the books, but for now) I like to use my Ipad to study. Currently I have a few apps on my Ipad that would help me get into the swing of answers test questions again, but ultimately they were FREE! Sure there are some that I am going to purchase once I get my NTS and begin rigorous studying with regular books and paid apps but for now they are great. One that I'm using now is called CPA Quiz – Financial Accounting, Reporting, and Regulations app. It gives pretty good CPA quiz review questions to get you warmed up. I'm also using this app called Accounting Equation lite which allows you to drop in numbers of a problem and aids you through how to solve it. These are both great and if I run into anymore I will let you all know!

With this said, I know the exam is going to pose as a great challenge, but I am certain that with the right resources and information that it is definitely possible to PASS!

Until next time,

Jimmy

So what is it your asking?

I recently sat for Audit and am still waiting to here back on my score. Overall I am confident and think I did well but the main question I find myself asking is, “what were they asking”. I have talked with a few other colleagues and they shared the same sentiment after they sat for the exam. We brainstormed together and came up with a few ways to tackle questions that are simply not worded clearly.

1) If you have a question in the multiple choice section that is confusing, not clearly worded, or missing information read it through once. Take a couple moments to think about it, and if the answer is still not clear then just flag the question and move on. The worst thing you can do is strain to long on a single question and end up running out of time for other questions.

2) Remember that not all questions are included in your score and that this maybe a new test question that was not properly vetted.  Many of the questions are complex and because the massive amounts of questions in the test bank are pulled randomly it is likely you will get a bad one every so often. Don’t stress. Realize a bad question when you see one and just try your best to ask yourself “what am I most likely being asked here?”

3) If you do decide to skip a question, come back to that question with a fresh mind. Reread the question as if you had not read it before and try to find any information you may have missed the first time around. Sometimes it may be a single word that changes the meaning of a question. It is probably clear to many exam takers who have also taken practice questions or used review materials but one word makes a whole world of difference.

These are just a few ideas that some of my colleagues throughout but if any other blogger or reader has any additional ideas or recommendations on what to do it would probably help us all to hear them.  The AICPA’s email address for CPA Exam related questions is: CPAExam@aicpa.org.

Best wishes to everyone receiving scores over the next few days.

 

-  Kevin

Scores released to NASBA

Just now, the following scores were released by the AICPA to NASBA:
4,674 AUD
3,619 BEC
3,741 FAR
3,895 REG

https://ncd.nasba.org/gwprdv2/servlet/hgwcs01

Good luck.