[jeff]

I will be giving away an iPad 3 Thursday to someone in the forum. Here are the details:

Who: 1 Randomly-selected winner.

You don’t have to be a current candidate to enter – Alums are welcome too!

The selection will be recorded through a screencast.

Note – the winner will be double-checked to make sure they don’t have more than one forum account posting in the giveaway thread, so no shenanigans.

What: iPad 3 – $499 model (winner will have the option to pay for any upgrades/features they want added)

Why: iPads are awesome (I have an iPad 2 … hope I win!) 😉

How:

1. “Like” another71 on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/another71)

2. In this thread, post a CPA Exam or Accounting Career tip (or both) that you think would benefit a College Senior or recent graduate. If you work for a Big 4 or Regional Accounting Firm, interview tips or anything making the process easier would be great.

That’s it … Good Luck!

***

New Prizes Added!

– 5 Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Memberships (Online)

– 5 Complete NINJA Audios

– 5 Complete NINJA Notes

– 1 30 Minute Muay Thai training session at Del Mar Beach (CA) in September (you have to get to Del Mar though) 🙂

[RalphDoggy]

Exam tip: Get as many credits as you can in your undergrad program. It is no fun to have to finish up the extra credits while you are working and waiting to sit for the exam.

REG - Passed
BEC - Passed
FAR - Passed
AUD - Passed

[alilotia]

Career Tip – Get an account on LinkedIn and add current employees of the company you are looking to interview. Try to get in touch with them for ideas/tips/feedback. Most people are willing to help if you ask !

[Anonymous]

Exam Tip: Take the exam as soon as you can after graduation. This is helpful because the material is fresh in your mind. Also, keep all your accounting course notes. They are great supplemental material to help you understand the concepts that are tested.

[nfs480]

Ok, I liked the Facebook page.

Exam Tip: If your state allows it try beginning the exam during your spring semester especially if you're like me and starting work full time with a Big 4 in August. As bad as it is doing it around school it's better than while working plus you get it out of the way.

FAR 93
AUD 89
REG 81
BEC 87
Ethics 100

Becker 2012 Self-Study

[Starlight]

Exam tip: Don't procrastinate about taking the exam. Be ready to start taking it as soon as you're eligible. Waiting to do it just makes it more difficult. Jump in and knock it out!

REG: 86
AUD: 92
FAR: 84
BEC: 87
Ethics: Passed!
Licensed 11/20/12

Supporting my husband on his CPA journey: 75% of the way there!

[R_A_B_G]

Do not spend your time trying to memorize. Memorized concepts are the easiest to forget on exam day. The way to success with the CPA exam is to learn the concepts. When attempting multiple choice questions at home, make sure you understand “why you got them right,” and/or “why you got them wrong.”

REG PASSED (4/7/12)
BEC PASSED (5/12/12)
AUD PASSED (8/9/2012)
FAR (10/2012)

[melann526]

Exam tip – Take the exam ASAP, even if it means putting exams on a credit card while you're still applying for jobs. It just gets harder and harder to find time to study.

Career/Interviewing tip – At least pretend that you're interested in accounting long-term. Telling me right off the bat that you don't really want to be here doesn't really help your case.

[ohsnapitzdave]

Big 4 tip: Make sure you know which line you are interviewing for. Many candidates aren't aware of the differences between the variety of services the Big 4 provide. There are also many opportunities and incentives to pass your CPA when joining a Big 4 firm so have plans, such as how you're going to get your 150 credits, to get it done before going into your interview to show how prepared you really are.

[Anonymous]

Exam Tip: Make a realistic study plan and stick to it. Take into account your work schedule, family, and some breaks to keep up with your other responsibilities. Figure it out early, cut out as much extra stuff as you can without jeopordizing your sanity, and pass the exam!

Accounting Career Tip: Attend as many networking events as you can. You never know when an opportunity will come up from the relationships built with people along the way.

[Anonymous]

CPA Exam Tip: If you are working, study before/after work. If you go home there are too many distractions. If you aren't working, you can go to the library or a coffee shop.

Interview Tip: Show a sincere interest in the firm and also show that you are a well-rounded individual. They want to see your personality and interests other than those in accounting.

[fsu9er24]

– Make a plan. Stick to the plan. Knock out as many sections as you can before you start working (if possible).

– Interview tips: Be awesome! If you are interviewing as an auditor, you must realize that they want to hire people they can stand working with in a small audit room for long hours 😉

BEC 86
REG 78
FAR 77
AUD 95

[Anonymous]

CPA Exam Tip: Really ask yourself before starting this test, “Am I truly committed to becoming a CPA?” If you cannot answer “Yes” to that question, don't start on the exam, it will be just a waste of time and money. The CPA exam is a very rigorous and time consuming test… only start it if you're prepared to make big sacrifices for several months.

[Anonymous]

Exam Tips:

1- Set your exam dates and stick to them no matter what. I found that getting up early (5am) everyday before work was significantly more effective than studying after work because I wasn't tired from a long day of work.

2- Learn how to answer questions fast. That was my greatest asset on the test was the ability to answer the questions fast and have time to check them. I finished all tests long before the time limit and had plenty of time for the simulations.

FAR – 93

BEC – 91

AUD – 89

REG – 84

[SMUT_Co]

Get an internship in college, it is worth having to take summer classes. I do not do an internship because I had “a good summer job.”

Experience is not something you can learn in college and it is not something that can ever be taken away from you.

FAR: Done
REG: Done
AUD: Done
BEC: Done

[frugalfl]

The hardest thing to swallow is if you are a procrastinator you will NOT pass if you don't put the time in. You cannot cram for this in a few days and it takes a lot of dedication to stick to studying to pass.. good luck to all!

BEC - 80 (2/2011)
FAR - 68, 71, 80 (9/2012)
AUD - 73, 68, 84 (7/2012)
REG - 68, 68, 83 (5/2012)

[Author]

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