NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog

The next flight after "74"

Hello Everyone,

I am back, and pumped for my next exam "Regulation" I have read the books, final review, past questions, AICPA released questions all for " 1 " point.

The Regulation airline departs for me on the 2nd of January at 8am, at the Fair lawn airport (test  center). I am hoping to land on the island of (above 75) by mid february (when the scores are released).

Enough to get you all laughing, we all need a laugh sometimes, and all the time. Sometimes we also need to de-stress, and live a little bit, but I wish everyone a safe New Year, I had a lot of questions for Santa this year, I actually told him to keep his gifts and give me all goods scores in 2010, he told me I was greedy, and asked for too much, I told him to come through with it or else...........CPA, CPA, CPA..One day it would be over.

Now to answer Jen's question (my fellow blogger)  if you apply for another NTS you should get it in 2-3 business days by email.

Cheers everyone,

Ed. Adiele

Half way there...

Hi everyone,

I hope all is well and that your studies are moving along nicely.  Work has been hectic as of late with important projects facing tight deadlines.  As such, it has been increasingly challenging to get my studying in, but I have been fighting to stay focused to do so. I now am working through the third of seven lectures for Regulation.  Although I thought REG would be challenging for me since I am not particularly interested or experienced in tax, I am finding the Becker material to be sufficient.  I actually am moving through the material fairly well....that is, when I have time to study.

I also have been trying to squeeze in time to complete my Masters coursework.  I have found that the only way I can do this is to dedicate time, in advance, for studying and school work.  During this time I close all programs on my computer except Becker and I ignore my phone (which is not easy!). 

With Regulation I have found the multiple choice questions to be the most useful in learning the material.  My plan is to move more quickly through the remaining lectures and then spend a great deal of time going through the multiple choice until my eyes fall out of my head, haha.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.  Good luck to all of you with exams approaching (I have until November 30th).  And keep working hard, but don't forget to have some fun too!  Admittedly, I am guilty of losing focus when it comes to friends.

Ed, I hope your first week at Deloitte exceeds your expectations!

Until next time....

Best,

Ryan 

Quick Update....(BEC- rescheduled, Deloitte start date)

Hello Everyone,

I rescheduled BEC at the last minute, I did not feel too comfortable from the practice questions I took. I really want to maximize this window, and do my best. I could have done it with the attitude of "well I can always retake the exam" but I looked at "cost and time" it would cost me $59+ to reschedule and more to re-take the exam. I would loose out on this window, and have to wait for next year, and all who are in public accounting know that the beginning of the year is hectic.

For those who have used Becker to take BEC, I need your advice my weak areas are chapters 3 and 5, I average 60-65% when I take them, it has a lot of cramming involved so I need your advice???

Yea....Work officially starts on Monday, I would be an official employee of Deloitte....some would say "what's wrong with this guy, he does not know what he is getting into???" well, for one I am excited to have a job in this tough times, and two, I am going in there with a great attitude that I would succeed. Nothing in life comes easy, you just have to work hard and sacrifice. The CPA exams is one great example. My philosophy is simple, "some people have worked in public accounting and are successful" how did they do it?????? and all I get is sacrifice and endurance and hard work which is fair game....

I took two exams this month (REG & AUDIT) and have scheduled BEC for November 17th at 7pm. FARE is my last part, and I would do it in early January before things start getting hot at work.

Okayyyyy, I wish everyone the best, and please practice questions as much as you can it pays off.

cheers!!!

Ed. Adiele (CPA-Unearned yet)

Worky work, busy bee!

Hi everyone,

I hope your studies are going well.  I've been working hard--starting to feel bogged down with work, CPA studying, and my masters course.  Thankfully, I've been moving through the REG material at an acceptable speed.  I just hope I'm retaining it well.  Hopefully this weekend I can put in some solid hours of studying.

I've been staying at the office late the past couple of weeks because of some deadlines I have approaching on my projects.  I found that the best way to get my studying in is to just get to the office early before everyone else.  This way, I can study REG while I'm "fresh" and before I have to even think about work.

Good luck and keep working hard! 

Best wishes,

Ryan

Took FAR....now it's on to REG

Hi everyone!

Last week was a busy, exciting, and tiring week for me.  I had a lot to do at work and I was finishing up my review for FAR, which I took on Friday.  The exam was certainly challenging and long, but overall I think it is do able if you prepare well enough.  That is, review the lectures, go over the multiple choice questions as many times as possible, go over the simulations, and take the practice exams (flash cards, too, if you have time).  If you stay focused and put in the effort, the exam shouldn't be impossible.  Actually, I thought the exam was easier than the practice exams/questions that I did.

I finished the multiple choice questions with 1 hour and 45 minutes left for the simulations.  I thought this was good for me because with multiple choice I always feel that you either know it or you don't.  So, I don't like to spend too much time on those.  I finished the exam with a whopping 5 seconds left on the clock.  Time management is important!

So I have a funny story, but also an important lesson to tell:  When I originally registered for FAR, the Prometric Test Center address was "48 Westport Avenue, Norwalk, CT."  However, the email I received (but didn't look at) just days before my exam as a reminder had the Prometric Test Center address as "444 Westport Avenue, Norwalk, CT."  Let's just say the original address was an empty office building, haha. Thankfully, I had my iPhone to save the day and everything worked out fine.  The moral of the story, though, is to make sure you always read emails concerning your CPA Exam (and check out the test center before the exam day, if you can...which I could have!).

I took Friday night off and began studying for REG on Saturday.  I will take REG on November 30th.  I'll keep you updated on how this section progresses.

Good luck to everyone taking a part during this window.  Keep working hard!

Best wishes,

Ryan

Last window for 2009...Motivations and exam taking strategies

Hello Everyone,

First, I would like to thank the NJSCPA for this great opportunity to blog for the state society. I started this year which has been a CPA exam year for me (my first and hopefully the last). Its like I am on top of the mountain, and I need to jump in to the promised land, but the CPA exam is the hurdle.

This is my advice to all new grads reading this blog...please learn from our experience, and use it to your advantage. Try and take at least one or two parts before you start working. Don't goof off with your time, and say " I've got plenty of time".

Ask a lot of questions, most of you would have started your new jobs..taking some parts of the CPA (pass/fail) shows that you are COMMITED. You have made an attempt, and you have the experience.

I have taken every part of this exam except BEC, I can clearly say that I got better with each part that I took, and in each subsequent exam i got a better grade.

FARE- This exam is 4hrs long,but don't get excited, time management is key on this exam because you have 2 simulations to takle...just study and practice a lot of questions

AUDIT- This exam is 4.5 hrs long, it might seem like too much time, but trust me all that answers would look like the right ones, and you need to think very well to answer them.

REG- This exam is 3hrs long,---Time management totally finished me on this exam, I knew the material very well, I practiced a lot of questions, and ulike AUDIT AND FARE which I took back to back and failed. When I took AUDIT, I did not get my score for FARE yet. By the time I took REG, I knew my scores on both exams.

BEC- I have not taken it yet, but from all I hear do not underate it. If you did well in cost and managerial accounting, and college finance plus economics (micro and macro) then you chances of scoring 75 is very good, the rest of the material are straight forward.

Finally I just discovered Wiley E-prep online (google it) and if you have any questions let me know. It has a lot of questions, and like I have found out from experience, the more questions you take the better chances of understanding the material.

To all my fellow bloggers (Ryan, Kunal, Samantha) good luck with this window, and lets make it our best.

To Wendy...(you must be very excited to be CPA EXAM FREEEEEEE)

To Janice & the NJSCPA TEAM ...(We love you all, and thanks again for this great opportunity to pay forward our experiences)

Cheers....

Ed. Adiele

The never ending review

Hi everyone,

After completing F7, I began reviewing all the prior lectures.  So, I have been studying endless multiple choice questions.  I am hoping to be finished by Sunday so that I can move on to the governmental sections (F8 and F9), but I don't know how many more questions I can look at before my eyes roll to the back of my head, haha.

I think Kunal brings up a good point.  When doing the multiple choice questions, I don't actually care too much about the answer; rather, my focus is on the method to getting the answer correct (actually, I learn more when I get the question wrong and hate guessing correctly).  Remember, it is important to be able to apply the concepts to different situations; as such, I have spent a great deal of time studying the explanations to the multiple choice answers.

Keep working hard.  I imagine there are quite a few people preparing to take a part at the beginning of the window.  If so, maintain your focus; you're almost there!!

Best wishes,

Ryan

Almost there!

Hi everyone,

My test date for FAR is closing in; October 9th to be exact.  Currently, I am finishing up with F7.  Before I move on to F8 and F9 (mostly governmental-related issues), I will spend the next week reviewing F1 to F7 as well as going over the simulations again.

I think this will prove to be beneficial, but I suppose there is only one way to find out.  Has anyone else attempted to periodically review the previous lectures as you move along?

I'll let you know how it goes.  Keep working hard!

Best wishes,

Ryan

Why Am I Here?

Hi - I am Janice Amatucci, Membership Manager of NextGen Outreach here at the New Jersey Society of CPAs. While I am not in the trenches with all of you (not studying for the CPA Exam, not losing part of my social life) I answer questions everyday about the rules and regulations for NJ for the CPA Exam.  I am here as a resource for all of you trying to help you obtain your CPA designation. 

For instance, yesterday I received a call from someone from the Big 4 asking if they needed specific courses in accounting.  He said that on this particular website it stated that you needed governmental accounting.  The answer is no - you don't need any specific courses just 24/30 accounting credits (depending on the type of accreditation at the school you are attending) and no you don't need Business Law either.  However, remember you are tested on these topics on the CPA Exam so be careful when registering for courses.

I know there is a lot of misinformation out there and I am here to help you weed through it all.  I will post the answers to most of the questions that I receive via the phone and email but please ask me questions here....Janice

P.S.  I just got back from a conference at which the AICPA said that IFRS will be tested on the CPA Exam no later than 2012.  Sounds like now is a good time to study and pass the CPA exam.

Just another day in my world...

Hello Everyone

I cannot believe 2009 is half way done; I got a letter from Sallie Mae informing me that my loan repayment would start soon. Two days ago, I put my books away to have a little fun, and i felt really good. It gets hard most times navigating between my two little children, work, and the CPA exams.

I got on the weight scale the other day, and I had gained 12 pounds since I started studying for the CPA, and I am sure I probably gained another 2-5 pounds from the stress of failing my first exam (FAR).

I got my score notice from NASBA, and I was amazed at the performance break down, its kinda cool to see how well or badly one performed. Audit scores would be out by mid-June, I would like to report some good news...I don't even think about it anymore...I am trying to concentrate on Regulation.

The ladies have really thrown a big challenge to the men on this blog...(Priscilla and Wendy) have both passed...Its now remaining Ed and my blog buddy Kunal....Don't worry everyone, we've got this....and we would defeat this resident evil called (CPA)

Finally, to all the blog readers out in the internet-land....feel free to post your passing strategy, and struggles too, we are all in this together, and together we shall all be CPA's

Have a great weekend...

Cheers..

Ed.