NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog

Checking In

Hello Everyone,

How is the exams treating you all, It's a crazy nightmare. The fact that you have to use your free time to study, when you can be hanging out with your friends. This sounds like a good plan. The thought of investing in your future, but sacrificing your much needed summer to pass the exams also sound like a good plan. I say all this to tell you that the choice is yours.

You can enjoy the summer, and take the exams later, or you can take the exams now and enjoy future summers. Many students have offers to start in the fall, and there are some out there saying " I can knock out two parts before the fall" or I have 5 years to make manager, as such I have all the time in the world to take the exam.

Learn from me guys...Take it now...time is not your friend at all. 18 months goes by very fast. I am glad to tell you all that I am close to the end of the road, and would finish hopefully by the next window, but I wanted to share my story, so you all can learn from my mistakes.

Start by reading previous blogs on this web site, ask questions, set up a plan, and stick to your plan. I promise you would not regret it.

Take care.

Ed

Insanity

in·san·i·ty (n) \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ -- Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 

There are a lot of things I don’t understand about the CPA exam: why there is a time frame after which parts expire, why I can’t see my incorrect answers after my results are released, what the magical study method is that will allow me to pass this test…

I sat for BEC this past Friday. I do not have my results yet. I am both terrified and excited to get said results as, per usual, I have no idea if I passed or failed. My intuition track record is not so great, as I have taken this test more times than I care to admit and have always had the same general range of feelings about it. How many times can a person do something before going completely bonkers? Did I change my study method? Yes. Did I commit the time? Yes. Did I blah, blah, blah do every other single little thing that I could possibly think of? YES! Did I pass this test? I sure as hell hope so. (Can I say “hell” on here? I don’t know but I just did.)

I’m not sure why I have such a difficult time with this exam – more difficulty than most people, it seems. Honestly, I’ve never really had difficulty with anything in my short 23 (soon to be 24) years of living. Maybe that’s the answer in itself – the big man upstairs decided that I needed a good challenge (not sure if I can talk about that either). All I know is that all I do it work, eat, study, sleep and that there are not one but TWO empty Starbuck’s cups in my garbage can under my desk right now because I am so tired.

After having said all of that and feeling like my life is passing me by along with fun times and missed opportunities  (insert sad emoticon here), the fact remains that I am not a quitter and I’ll be damned if I don’t (eventually) pass this test. I say “eventually” because I am not going to beat myself up if I end up getting less than a 75 come Friday (or Monday or whenever these horror-provoking results are released). Maybe I will pass and this whole rant post will be for nothing. I guess I’ll have to let you know either way.

Lauryn

Licensing Requirements

As you all know, passing the CPA exam is not the only hurdle to licensing. Additional to completing the exams, most states require 150 credits with either a concentration in accounting or a certain number of accounting courses. I urge those who are pursuing a career within this profession to do their research on the college/program of their choice.

As a Business Management major, accounting was not a career which I planned on pursuing. I happened to enter the profession and found that I enjoyed it. I did some research on the CPA process and then decided to return to Saint Peter's College to obtain my Masters in Accountancy, which I believed would satisfy my licensing requirements in the event I completed the CPA exams. What I did not realize at the time was that my college of choice fell into the Middle States Accreditation tier, for which the NJ Board of Accountancy imposes higher requirements in accounting credits.

Being that I only had a handful of accounting courses at the undergraduate level, I now find myself to have a Masters in Accountancy, over 150 credits, CPA exams completed and six years of public experience, however I am short 3 accounting credits in order to be licensed.  Over the last few weeks I've unsuccessfully attempted to explore my options with the school and state board, and it's looking like I will need to return to school for one more class to get this process completed.

I find it hard to believe I could be the only non-Accounting major to end up pursuing a CPA. For anyone reading, please learn from my mistake and look into specific requirements for licensing, as well as your school's accreditation. Doing so can save you additional money and headache down the road.

 

Mike

Good to be Back

Hello Everyone,

Congrats to those that have passed all the 4 part of the exam. I know the feeling must be awesome. I have had to take a break due to "busy season" I have a December and March 31st year end audits, so I am busy till May.

I plan to re-engage in July to get this goliath (Exams) out of my life. It's kept me hostage for some time. It NEEDS TO GO.

I plan to take FARE in July, and would be sharing my latest study tips with you all next month. For those just graduating this month. I beg you - Forget the summer fun, and face the exams, it would pay dividends later. You are only going to get busy as you advance in your careers.

Until next time,

Cheers

EEA

Not what it used to be...

When I began working in public accounting, I had many questions about becoming a CPA and the difficulty of the examination process. I did some research and found that the passing rate was less than 50% on all parts, so when I sat down to discuss my future as an accountant, I had plenty of concerns. "Do I really want to go back to school for another 3 years after just graduating? What if I don't enjoy the profession? What if I cannot pass the exams to become a CPA?" These thoughts raced through my mind, and so I brought them up when I discussed staying on board as an accountant full-time after graduating. The response I received was along the lines of, "Of course you can pass the exam. It's not how it used to be when I took it! Now you can take the parts one at a time!"

Since that day, I have heard many of the old-timers tell their own CPA war stories about 2 day long examinations, where they had to walk to the test centers.. 5 miles.. uphill.. in the snow.. barefoot. "It's not how it used to be!", they say. "Remember when we had to take the exam? Remember how hard that was?! We had to take all four sections in one sitting!"

Regardless of time period, one sitting or four, the CPA exam has been and always will be one of the most trying events in an accountants lifetime. Anyone who goes into the process expecting to breeze through is in for a rude awakening. It takes a strong commitment of effort and sacrifice to make it through the examination process, and when one finally does, they should be proud of their accomplishment. It's not easy to earn those three letters, regardless of what time period you're in.

 

 

(Hopefully) Happier New Year

It's no secret that I have been majorly slacking in the blog post department as of late. I believe, at the time of my last post, I was waiting for my BEC score. If you'll remember, I scored a 69 on BEC during summer of 2011 and a 70 on it during October 2012, so I thought I could bounce myself over the extra 5 points by studying for a few more weeks and re-taking BEC in November 2012. I received my score some time in December and was greeted by a big, fat 68.

I didn't really understand how that was possible. After basically not studying at all for the test in 2011 (you know, post-college graduation, pre-full-time job stupidity), and studying my a** off for the test in October, I couldn't really fathom how I could receive practically the same score. I was really angry, I think. "Why does it matter if I study or not, then?" I thought. So I decided to put BEC aside and continue on with my plan to take REG in late November.

I failed that one, too. And along with that attempt comes a similar story of how I "barely studied" during the 1st go-around and "studied so much I had no life" during the 2nd go-around and still got virtually the same score. After receiving this "F", I decided to abandon my plans of taking FAR in late January. I had no hope left inside of myself with which to conquer "the Beast".

I believe that leaves us to where I am now: slowly building my confidence back with plans to take my next exam after tax season and most likely some time in May. I am thinking BEC (I know, I'm a masochist -- but aren't we all? Taking this exam?). I figure I will only have a month and a half to study and BEC is the shortest exam, so it just makes sense.

My plan is to give myself a little bit of a breather (...during tax season...oxymoron...) and to read my BEC text whenever I have a spare minute. Nothing crazy, just as a refresher until I start seriously studying in late April.

I am very happy (albeit, rather jealous!) for all of my fellow-bloggers that have had recent success with this exam. I have faith that I, too, will pass this thing. With 3 parts left (BEC, REG and FAR) and 1 part expiring in exactly 1 year (AUD). I really have to get my head on straight and start kicking some exam butt!

Now that you are all caught up, this is where I tell you that suggestions are welcomed, even though I am pretty sure I've tried everything short of hypno-therapy (...although that doesn't sound like too bad of an idea right about now). I hope you will forgive me for my absence.

I'm back.

Lauryn

Results are Out!!

Hello Everyone,

Since my last post, I planned to write FARE on 12/8/12, but later moved it to January 4th, so I can gain more time with the month of December. I got my Regulation and BEC grades when I checked this Morning. I passed Regulation, but failed BEC by 4 points :(

I have lost my Audit Credit, so it's down to 3 more Exams..I gain Regulation for Audit (lol), on a much brighter side, I am happy, because I would rather sit for BEC, and Audit rather than Regulation. So it's on to FARE for me in January, I am giving it all I have got. I am not too worried about BEC, I took it after thanksgiving 10 days after I took Regulation, and scored 71, so to me I just need more practice. I plan to jump back to BEC once I sit for FARE in January. So wish me all the Luck.

To the rest of my fellow bloggers (Alyssa & Taka)  that passed thier exams " a big congrats to you all"

Till next time, I am wishing you all "Happy Holidays"

Cheers!

EEA

Status Quo

Good Morning everyone,

So I have taken Regulation & BEC and going to take FARE on the 8th of December. My Audit expired officially yesterday, November 30th. So I am really in a hot mess as we speak. The lesson learned is never to "Procrastinate" I am never one to procrastinate, but my loss of determination this year is costing me big time.

To those of you out there that have passed one part, or maybe two parts, please keep going hard...this 18 months feels like 18 days for real. I need a miracle as we speak..the only way I can save my audit is to pass all three exams this window. It feels like swimming through the atlantic ocean, but its also possible. I have no plan B at this point, I would only start thinking of a plan B if my scores don't come out great. Thinking of a Plan B now would affect the belief I have in my self.

I tell myself everyday that "I can do it", and that is all I need to hear until score release day. I have been taking it one brick at a time, and I would get there, so would you too.

Keep working those questions....its all a matter of time- the nightmare would be over before you know it. Just belief in your self "You can do it"

 

Take care!,

EEA

On to the next one

After taking BEC a few weeks ago, I've had the time of my life doing just about nothing.  It's nice to come home from work and not immediately have to open up a book or start hammering out hw questions.  Watching the Titanic run on repeat is definitely the way I'd rather spend my weeknights.  Let's hear from some readers: what are some of the ways that you relax in between taking tests?  

While I've enjoyed the free time, I am a bit anxious to start the next section since it means I'm that much closer to finishing this test.  Starting a new section may feel like a drag, but I think that progressing through the chapters and getting a handle on the material page by page brings a small sense of accomplishment, and that may be enough to keep me and many others going.  

On to the Next One

This past week I was walking through the office, when one of the partners at our firm made a comment which hit me like a ton of bricks.. "75 days to tax season", he said. Are you kidding?! With the recent passing of October 15th, I feel like I just finished tax season! In my mind, this suddenly registered as, only 75 more days of studying. It's hard enough to balance work, the CPA exam, and what's left of my personal life during this supposed "slow" time of year. Once tax season begins, it'll be significantly more difficult. 

I'm presently awaiting the results of my October 1st AUD attempt, as I prepare for the FAR exam on November 9th. I'm sure some of you are wondering why the 9th, and not the end of the testing window. Well, I originally overlooked the fact that I registered AUD and FAR together back in May to save some money on the registration fees. Unfortunately the NTS now expires November 9th, so I will be using some of my PTO time to prepare in the days leading up to the exam. Soon enough I hope to remember what it feels like to use the majority of my PTO days for vacation rather than studying, what it feels like to come home from work without have to spend time with my Becker friends Tim Gearty and Peter Olinto, or what it feels like to spend my weekends without the continuous stress of how many hours I should spend studying...