[Double A]

I just applied for my NTS for all 4 sections…

A little background. I started in public last summer at a midsize firm with a lot of year round work. I fully intended on sitting for the exam immediately, ordered Becker paid for by my firm. With 18 months before the software expired I figured it was plenty of time, I’d pass a section every 4 months and be golden. Unfortunately I got engrossed in work and loved it so I pushed off the exam. Now I am a year into the job and recognized as someone doing a great job, however a lot of my peers didn’t get so into the work and are on the brink of passing the exam, which I think will put them above me.

So between the software expiring in December and wanting to be even with my peers, is this doable? Has anyone had success working full time (we have a fall busy season as well) and studying the recommended amount (2 chapters a week) with a 2 week review. I know I have read some of the Ninja stories about having a life and what not, but I wanted to see if there were others that may be in a similar boat that work in public and understand the demand of the job a little more.

[Anonymous]

4 exams in 6 months while working FT will certainly be a challenge. I really don't believe I could have done it, but I've seen other people successfully complete exam schedules I thought were insane. I had a few months for REG and still took Fridays off work to study. If you can study every day when you get home and all day on the weekends, it is possible, but I don't envy you. Maybe start with FAR or REG (as they have the most info) and see if you could complete one test in the amount of time reasonable to allow you to finish the other 3. In either case, finish what you can. Even if you finish 2 tests before your Becker expires, your next review software will be almost half price because you won't need 2 sections.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I did it in 6 months while working full-time. It's completely doable. You could definitely do something like this:

August 1 – FAR or REG

August 31 – AUD or BEC

October 1 – AUD or BEC

November 30 – FAR or REG

It will be hard, and you will hate it. But it's doable.

[Anonymous]

Casey, hats off to you! Very impressive! Better to be miserable for 6 months than a few years, like me. 🙂

[Peterman25]

My brother in law did it, but he has a masters in tax and had been working in tax for 10 years before he finally took the exams. Needless to say, REG was a breeze for him. His wife is a CPA and they had no kids at the time so she understood the commitment to study. He would study 4-5 hours a night right after work, all day on Saturdays, and took Sundays off.

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

AZ license - Official 8/20/2015

[242126]

Yes, it can be done. I did it working full time, heavy travel, children, and out of school a few years. Is it fun? No, but certainly doable.

[ncjm304]

I have passed two exams working anywhere from 40-65 hours per week depending on the time of year it is. I think it is doable. Just be aware of that fact that virtually all of your free time will have to be devoted to studying

AUD- 71,79
BEC- 72,77
FAR- 83
REG- 63,71,83

DONE!

[Last Chance CPA]

@242126 – Same here…depressing as hell sitting in a hotel room studying…after working all day in a strange city. 3 more weeks of this and then never again!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Vern -No what I mean]

You can do it as many have.

AUD - 90
FAR - 71, 76
REG - 75
BEC - 76 (bubble sucks)

Becker + Ninja MCQ's

[tcheney3]

I think it is more about comfort level. For the next six months you will have zero life outside of work and studying. If you are ok with that then by all means do it. If it were me I would do two (FAR and REG) and then buy cheaper materials for AUD and BEC. Of course, that means you will run into next busy season with studying, unless you put it off to next spring.

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.

[Anonymous]

@tcheney3 you definitely have Skynet beat by choosing Denise Richards over Meghan Fox. It must be a 90's thing.

[Martin]

The world's population is around 7 Billion and around 95% of the world's inhabitants play soccer. There is a bigger chance that the next world soccer superstar will be a US native. Thus far the two best players in the World are Messi and Ronaldo, so chances for an American superstar are very little, but anything is possible. So you do have a chance of passing all 4 parts while working in public accounting.

Through God all things can happen!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

FAR= 72-84
Audit= 73-82
BEC= 74-75
Reg=77

[tcheney3]

Dunkin. Oh Denise crushes Megan Fox no question. Skynet does have me beat with the lingerie pillow fight though.

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.

[Missy]

Yes, I think it is crazy. Yes I think it can be done. I saw in an older post that you are married w/2 kids. If you are the dad parent, and your wife is used to some help around the house consider getting her a housekeeper every week or every other week (not as expensive as you'd think) to keep things happy on the homefront.

If you are the mom parent, just hire that housekeeper LOL. Don't ask, don't discuss. 😉

Either way remember your spouse is going to make significant sacrifices during these six months as well that he or she likely didn't sign on for. Even though it affects you most and benefits your entire family ultimately recognize the stress that will accompany it. Happy spouse, happy house (and more time to study for YOU.)

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

[Double A]

Thank you all for the replies –

Coloradoit – Great point about the study materials being cheaper with less sections! If it doesn't work out that I get it done in 2015 there is always that.

CaseyTX – Congrats! That timeline does sound realistic, I do think I might push the last one to the beginning of January and make that one AUD. I know your profile says don't underestimate it, but I can't help but underestimate the one I'm the most familiar with.

Peterman25 – That's quite the commitment with no kids. I unfortunately have two little monsters at home that aren't CPAs. My plan I early morning studying and audio during my commutes.

242126 – That sounds exactly like my situation. The reason I reached out was to gauge if people really say you can't have a family or what. My peers are all in their early 20's with no families and after talking with a bunch of them they think I am nuts for trying to do this. Many of them tried and couldn't do it in this time period.

tcheney3 – There really is no telling if I will be able to do it, but I can't go back on the NTS now. I do plan on starting with FAR and if it is proving to be impossible I will most certainly push back the test and back load BEC and AUD in hopes to pass because they will be the easiest (theoretically).

Martin – Thanks for the laugh! Great analogy for what I laid out. As a soccer fan I'll use it as motivation.

MLA11692 – That was when I first joined the website and had intentions on studying over the next year or so to get the test done. As I mentioned in the first post here, clearly that didn't happen. Yes, wife and 2 kids, I am the Dad parent and my wife has sacrificed for years, she's amazing. When we got married I went back to school full time, worked full time, had the two kids. Now I'm in public accounting, going to grad school, and about to embark on 6 months of hell.

I'm starting to study for FAR tomorrow. I'll be active in the forum, hopefully to get pointers here and there.

[Anonymous]

You have to keep your priorities right. Your employer wants you to pass – so studying is important for your job too. I would not try to fit them all in at this point. Shoot for just two before they expire. Work with you mentor to try to get a week or half a week at least of PTO up before each exam. Force yourself to study, or else you'll never pass and yes, your co-workers who did as they should (MUCH easier to balance the exams with work obligations when you are still a new staff) will overpass you at work if you don't get on top of it and pass within the next year or so.

[Author]

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