[pickanicken]

I’ve only been on this forum for a couple of months, and have noticed a wide variety of stories and exam experiences. I have seen some people who are making their way through each exam without any retakes while others have struggled and have had to take some of the exams multiple times. So I keep asking myself: What is “the edge” the some people have that has allowed them to pass on the first try? Is it because they are fresh out of college? Is it because they put in 300hrs of studying? Is it because they studied smart and focused on the right topics? Looking for anyone to contribute to the discussion, but I am curious to hear what some of the 1st time passers have to say.

REG - 81
BEC - 83
AUD - 86
FAR - 78 (Done!)

[leglock]

I was out of college 15 yrs when indecided to go back and get my cpa 2'yrs ago. Intook the reqd 6 acctg classes and didnt just sit there and try to get a c bc i just needed to pass but rather intried to understand and learn the material. One year later i took the becker review and began testing and passed all four on the first try. I studied every nite and made the commitment. By every nite inmean every nite. For me far was the easiest and indisliked aud and bec the most

[mommyof3texans]

Interesting question but likely tough to answer since everyone is so unique, but will share what I can to add to the discussion.

1st Time Passer so far

In my 40s so not right out of college

Work full time in industry with some work travel required

Husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs – super supportive husband gives me lots of study time

Using Becker, supplemented by Ninja MCQ

Study hours vary but I'd say 20-30 per week on average

I consider myself a good test taker

I think I grasp concepts quickly and rather easily for the most part

BEC - 02/21/15 - 82
FAR - 05/29/15 - 82
AUD - 07/09/15 - 93
REG - 11/14/15 - 80

All done!!!

[futurenorcalcpadad]

I agree with you leglock. The commitment is the key. I know I could have studied more, and I still missed both FAR and AUD with a 72 each. I've got a wife and two kids and its hard to say no when something comes up. I am going to have to miss more functions, birthday parties, etc. I will have to make myself a hermit to start passing these damn exams.

AUD-70,72, 72
FAR-72, (4/2/16)
REG-To Be Scheduled
BEC-To Be Scheduled

[pickanicken]

Thanks for starting the discussion! I am preparing for REG right now – this will be my first exam – and am having such a hard time constanlty feeling like I am not making progress. I would probably classify myself as a decent test taker. I definitely have learned my share of test taking tricks over the years; however, I am also the kind of person that has to dedicate a lot of time to learn something. I am not the kind of person who can pick something up on the first shot. Because of this I constantly question if the 8 hours that I put in studying would even compare to the 8 hours of someone else. There are some topics that I find myself looking at for hours on end and then feeling like I made little progress at all. I get nervous that I am not studying smart.

Background info:

Graduated college 3 years ago with a BS in Accounting.

2 years of audit experience.

REG - 81
BEC - 83
AUD - 86
FAR - 78 (Done!)

[Claudia408]

So hard to say. I under-estimated this exam thinking I'll study, but I'll study only enough to pass with 75. Well, that's NOT enough, at least for me and most people. I think you gotta study and be totally obsessed with it and make sure your study habits are effective. I didn't want to be one of those candidates that will take these life sucking exams 10,11,12x, but I think I'm on that path. 🙁

BEC - 75 (3x)
AUD - 78 (3x)
REG - 67, 66, Aug 1
FAR - 54, Sept 8

[pickanicken]

I just got done taking the CIA exam and passed all three parts on the first try. I have no clue how that compares to the CPA though. After finishing the CIA, I came into this with the similar mindset of just trying to get a 75 since I felt like overdid it with the CIA; however, once I started studying, it has been almost impossible for me to judge how much is good enough to pass. Good luck on audit!

REG - 81
BEC - 83
AUD - 86
FAR - 78 (Done!)

[Missy]

I've been here for about 4 years. Here's what I've noticed. The people who pass on their first try seem to have more self confidence going into it. They're the ones who may ask questions about specific topics but don't seem to spend much time lamenting how hard it is or how much they're sacrificing. Their mindset is different and they're “all systems go” from day 1.

I

Also they seem to be in tune with their own learning style. If they don't think lectures work for them, they move on. They seem to “get” that anything and everything is fair game and don't look for shortcuts (I.e. asking if they can skip a topic that's giving them grief)

I don't think length of time out of school or jobs, families, kids play as big a role as just having a good attitude toward the process. Full disclosure I failed AUD twice and REG once, so I'm not talking about me lol but I think my “woe is me, I'm working too hard” attitude hurt me more than study hours or distractions at home.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Peterman25]

There is another post out there that talks about how you have to live, breathe, sleep, drive, and eat this exam to pass it. Well, that is just about how I approached it and I am a first time passer. Reading the stories here provided me a lot of motivation to only have to go through this once.

My journey started in my late 30's and ended just a few months ago. I decided to get a MAcc because I didn't have all of the school requirements to sit for the exam. That took 20 months. Took about 4 months off and then started studying for the exam. Studying and taking exams took almost a year. I had an extremely supportive wife and a 1yr old when I started the MAcc. My wife was my biggest help for those 3ish years. I put in 20-30 study hours per week for about 8-10 weeks per exam. I applied most of the NINJA method and it worked.

BEC 7/14 - PASS
FAR 10/14 - PASS
AUD 1/15 - PASS
REG 4/15 - PASS

AZ license - Official 8/20/2015

[TNCPA16]

I've been on both sides and I think the biggest success factor is commitment and attitude. I sat for the CPA exam shortly after I graduated college and was not at all committed to the process. I half watched lectures, did a few MCQs and would (for some insane reason) think that was enough to pass. I didn't. It took 8 or 9 failures before I finally had a (barely) passing score. I was taking the exam the same time my boss was, and basically every day was a b*tch session on how much we hated our lives.

Fast forward to 2014 and I finally decided to buckle down and get this done. I can't say that I have been 100% committed – I still am all too happy to give up study time for a date night – but I have been able to pass 2 sections on the first try. FAR kicked my butt a little bit. Even though I didn't pass on the first (or second) try, I was still much, much closer than I ever had been in the past (72 and a 74 vs. scores in the low 60s). With REG being my final exam, I think I have finally realized that I need to be committed to this. Fully. 100%. COMMITTED. I have supportive people around me encouraging me and reminding me how great it will feel when this is over. I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of this 7+ year long tunnel!

[travdivs]

I think you hit a couple strong points and I fit in a few areas. I graduated 20 days before taking my first exam, I had about a years worth work experience in construction accounting, government/nonprofit audit, large public company audits and financial analytics. I also elected to do the fast pass program which basically forces you to stay on track because you cover a chapter a day. If you get behind you get screwed. All of that coupled with a massive monetary motivation for passing before starting work and not wanting to come home from work just to have to do a hundred plus mcq's helped me succeed and pass on the first try. Let's hope I can stick it out for 20 more days.

AUD 5/28/15 - 98
FAR 7/3/15 - 86
BEC 7/20/15 - 89
REG 8/24/15 - 85

Becker Fast Pass, Studying Full Time

[travdivs]

One other thing, I graduated with three majors: Economics, Accounting, and Finance. That helped a ton in terms of being exposed to many of the topics tested.

AUD 5/28/15 - 98
FAR 7/3/15 - 86
BEC 7/20/15 - 89
REG 8/24/15 - 85

Becker Fast Pass, Studying Full Time

[Anonymous]

I think it's important to really be able to evaluate yourself, where you're at, and how much work you need to put in to understand the material. Because it's not going to be the same for everyone. I think people want to benchmark themselves against others on this forum, and that's not always a perfect measure. What works for someone else might not work for you, and vice versa.

Furthermore, whatever program or study material you have, stick to it, don't compromise, and always have an attitude of doing more rather than doing less. Don't skip MCQ's or homework, do extra. Don't skim the book, read it closely and reread it. The goal should be to learn the material, not to just finish your study plan. And never underestimate the power of reviewing material. There were certain Becker lectures where I felt totally lost and it didn't make sense until the 2nd or 3rd time reviewing the section on my own.

Also with the material, make sure you're actually getting something out of it when you're studying or doing homework. If you're doing a set of MCQ's and you have no idea how to do something, don't just skim the answer explanation and assume that you'll get it right next time. Learn from your mistakes. The questions I got wrong (usually at least 30% of the Becker MCQ's) are the ones I learned from the most.

I've only taken FAR as of yet, and I'm in the process of reviewing BEC (exam on Saturday). But those have been my takeaways and what I think helped me get a score higher than I ever dreamed of on FAR.

[Anonymous]

I think the difference is people who knew – or learned quickly – how they themselves learn when in an independent learning situation. For some people, knowing how they learn means putting in 300 hours for each exam; for some people, knowing how they learn means taking a week off work and cramming because they know their memory works better with last-minute cramming instead of long-term learning. This is my theory as to why people pass on the 1st time using 50 different methods, and people fail 10 times before passing using the same 50 different methods, because the only successful way to pass these exams is to use the method that you personally need and will work best for you personally. Doing it cause someone else did won't guarantee a pass.

[jbarwick]

1. Choose the right test sequence. FAR>AUD>REG>BEC seem to be logical in that the ideas build on previous exams.

2. Make study plan and when possible tests will occur.

3. Working out in addition to studying keeps the brain fresh.

4. Take breaks. If you find yourself reading the same line over and over, get away from the test materials. Go walk around for 5 minutes and come back.

5. Stick to a study schedule. Everyone is “busy” but that is just a lazy excuse.

6. A71 studying threads are great. IT was a supplement to both FAR and AUD. We asked questions, answered questions, and got to know the material better by at least trying to explain a topic. Don't know the answer to a question? I would frantically look it up because I didn't know the answer thus adding to my learning.

In TN, the cost for all 4 tests is at least $1,000 then materials on top of that. I am Becker so this whole thing is costing over $4,000. If you aren't committed write that check to the first person you see and walk away.

Journey Started - January 2015
FAR - 4/2015 - Passed
AUD - 7/2015 - Passed
BEC - 8/2015 - Passed
REG - 11/12/2015 - Passed

[tcheney3]

I think the best order is REG>BEC>FAR>AUD. I think it makes sense to start with the most difficult, which in my opinion is REG. There is some overlap between REG and BEC and finishing with the easiest (AUD for me).

BEC - 82
REG - 86
FAR - 85
AUD - 84 and I'm out!!!!!
Ethics - 95
In Skynet's Honor:
Act I: Shutdown Skynet and prevent Judgment Day.
Act II: Add a comma and three letters to my title.
Act III: Time Travel and marry a young Denise Richards (and prevent subsequent plastic surgery),return to present.
Act IV: Serve as Successor to Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla.
Act V: Ensure Judgment Day has been stopped. Utopia achieved.

[Author]

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