[Anonymous]

I’m an average international student with final accounting GPA 3.4/4.0. (If you’re straight 4.0 students, or has 1++ yr of experience with a BIG-4 firm, or if you’re in the finance field for few years, then you likely have different stories)

First, I need to admit that I’m ashamed that it took me over 3 years from start to give up and to finally pass ALL these exams for a certification that I don’t even need for my work; and might not even be used in the future.

Originally, I took this for fun or maybe to prove myself; which it gave you an insight that this certification is NOT for the “FUN” sake. If you’re an average people like me, first advice: you should have a clear motivation to finish this certification. This thing absolutely demanded lots of time and time and time and time and time and money. I tried Wiley, Becker, and some Yaeger/ Rodger/ Ninja; at the end, it simply asked dedication and focus from MY side. And from now on, I need to personally spend at least $500/year to maintain my CPA/CPE for the REST OF MY LIFE. [Honestly, I didn’t think about this when I made my decision to throw my $3K++ to Becker’s pocket 3 years ago]

Next advice: Check out Pomodoro and Online-stopwatch.com; those helped me focus and managed my practice time.

Third advice: Find the call of the question (usually at the end) and note the tricks, such as increments, taxes, etc.; and, find a way to understand the reasoning behind the questions (than memorizing the whole book).

Fourth advice: From my long observations; I likely had higher scores when I took the exam(s) in the 2nd or 3rd window; and if I joined first or second group. Why is that?? 2nd or 3rd window… likely because I’m not competing against the experts from the BIG 4 or other CPA firms (due to their busy season) or maybe more new grad exam takers…; and maybe the third group mainly consists of last-minute/better prepared exam takers than the earlier group(s)… God knows 😀

Last advice: Try not to drink 2 hours before the exam; that way you won’t have the excuses to go to the restroom. 😀

And from my story, you know I’m not excellent in writing a professional “memo” to you… but my point is… a person like me can pass, anybody with lots of dedication can pass all, too! Good Luck!!! 😉

[Anonymous]

Why do you not need this for your work? What kind of work do you do?

[Anonymous]

I'm a cost analyst. My previous job was an internal auditor, which didn't require a CPA certification either.

The company preferred, but not required… so I was told that I need to pay my own CPE.

[MCLKT]

Thanks for the post and advice. It's helpful even for non international candidates.

A:[73]97 F:[74]85 R:86 B:[74]82
*NINJA 10 Pt. COMBO & Yaeger*

[Anonymous]

I agree, anyone who is not 100% focus on this exam really should think twice about taking it. The time commitment involved it just too much.

[Author]

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