It’s been a while since I have updated this blog, but I swear that I have a good excuse! The October 15th tax season was killer this year. Thankfully, that is over, as is another huge hurdle in my life: I have received my CPA license! Yes, that means that I did pass REG back in May, and the state of CA only took two months after my finding out to send me my very exciting wall certificate.
Note: the certificate is not actually on my wall, per se. I still have it rolled up in the mailing tube. I am not exactly sure how I want to frame it yet!
Anyway, with that license comes a greater sense of responsibility. That being, how do I use my license to bring about the greening of America? The goal is so daunting, it’s hard to know where to begin.
Before even getting into that, though, I got a comment asking for advice on studying for the exam. I used the Becker self study materials, because those were the materials provided to me by my firm. However, I don’t think the materials are what matters. What matters is the effort. Let me just explain to you my life while studying:
Mondays thru Thursdays: work eight hours per day, come home to have dinner with my husband, then spend between two and three hours at the computer studying. We have a one-bedroom apartment, so I focused by setting up a table that faced away from the television. I used earphones when I listened to lectures, and listened to my iPod while I did study questions. Sometimes I was able to study at work if I didn’t have anything else to do. That is the luxury of working for a CPA firm where they want you to pass!
Fridays: took a break
Saturdays and Sundays: spent as much time as needed to “catch up” to where I felt I needed to be. That could mean anywhere between two and six hours studying, depending on how much I procrastinated during the week.
Right before exams, I totally crunched. I always gave myself at least a week to do the 100-question progress tests. With Becker, you can assume you will get about 10 points higher on the actual exam than you get on the progress tests – this was always true for me. I also took the two practice exams with the simulations. Those exams were always much tougher than the actual exam, but really helped me stay focused.
Throughout the entire time of taking progress and practice exams, I kept a notebook next to me and made notes on all of the items I got wrong. After a while, I started getting fewer and fewer things wrong, due to all of my notes. Eventually, right before the exam I would be left with a list of things that I really needed to focus on. I would rewrite those notes a few times, until I felt I had the concepts memorized.
I also used Becker’s flash cards during my crunch time. These cards also helped me memorize the concepts I had a hard time with.
If you are working during this time, do yourself a favor and DO NOT plan to study for and sit for exams during your busy times. You will get burned out doing that. (Notice how above I said I worked eight hours per day. If it had been busy season, I could not have done studied after a long 10-12 hour day.) The most important thing is to give yourself your very best chance at passing. That means knowing when you will have the most time to study and focus before an exam, and then actually doing the work.
Another tip is to sign up for the exam before you start studying. That gives you a solid timeline, and will keep you focused. I would generally give myself at least one week per chapter in the Becker book, plus one week of intense crunch time after that. One exception was for Audit, which I studied for in only three weeks. I chose that exam to do that with, because I felt most familiar with those concepts. But, it was a grueling three weeks, with absolutely no days off from studying. I also took two days off from work to study, and I took the exam the day before Thanksgiving, so I gave myself time to recuperate. Boy, did I need it. I actually had a pounding headache as soon as I got home from the exam, which lasted until I went to sleep that night.
In all, with busy season and everything, it was one year from when I first started studying to when I found out that I got my license. It was a tough year – one where I had to put family and friends aside and make passing the exam my number one priority. My husband was beyond supportive of me, and understood that I would simply not be very available to him during that time. I truly thank him above anyone else for helping me get through all of those grueling hours, and encouraging me that I could do it. If it weren’t for him, I am sure I wouldn’t have passed all four sections on my first try.
I also have to thank my co-workers at my firm. They never hesitated to give me great tips for studying, and always kept me motivated to keep going.
In all, I am so thankful to have passed and have it behind me. To anyone who is feeling the pressure of this exam, know that you can beat it and that you will pass it. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email if you are feeling that you need some extra motivation.
And now, on to being the best, and greenest, CPA that I can be….
Filed under: About the Greenest CPA, CPA Exam
