[floacct]

So since starting this journey 22 months ago I’ve accumulated an extra 35lbs. I now take perscription strength acid reducer called pantaprozalone. I now need glasses and my therapist says this is all stress related. Oh by the way I scored a 59 on my last exam and have yet to receive any passing score. What’s ur story? Needing motivation.

[Kimboroni]

Eating well and exercising helps your health and your study habits. I know when I used to eat poorly (which actually wasn't all that poorly relatively speaking, but it clearly wasn't the right eating for ME), I had bad acid reflux and no energy. I changed my eating habits (more veggies, less grains, basically), and the acid reflux went away and my energy returned. I also lost a lot of weight, but that took a long time, whereas the other health benefits were almost immediate changes.

It's hard, but putting a little extra effort into the activity and nutrition really pays off in many ways.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Anonymous]

This is for the OP.

Yes CPA did hit me hard on my health. the first 6 months of my CPA journey I seriously was putting on weight and really frustrated with the exams. Once I passed BEC I made the choice to just focus on my exam and be done. I put in a lot of hours studying. I seriously hadn't a clue what was going on around the world. Missed out on social events, movies, TV shows.

I seriously do not know how many hours of studying time I put in. I will admit I am a slow learner. It takes me twice the time to learn something compared to the average person. But once I get the concept it locked in my brain. So all in all It took me 20 months to complete my CPA journey.

I could have taken that 30 mins a day to exercise whilst I was studying for the CPA exam. I tried to do that but I don't know why I just felt guilty for not studying instead. Again it was a personal choice i made as i knew myself, my abilities better than anyone else.

Now I am done and 100 pounds heavy. With my new found freedom I am focusing on getting back to be being fit and loose my unwanted weight. It will take me time but as long as I personally keep my new “goal” in sight I will get there 🙂

Right now I am doing Pump and Combat.. when I get my strengthen back I am going to consider P90 X or something like that.

Focus on your goals and accomplish them. Also eat healthy and exercise when you can. Yes you will get a bit of flab but if you work hard and pass the exams you should be able to get back to having a normal life and burn off the excess pounds you have gained.

When there is a will, there is a way..

[MintsRGood]

LOL, I'd love to work for Unicorns & Company, PC! Are they hiring? 😉

@OP As other suggested, try the Pomodoro technique but modify it to 40 minutes of study and 20 minutes of “break”. By “break” I mean get your heart rate up! After I started packing on some pounds and feeling like crap 24/7 last summer, I adopted 40/20 plan and it really helped. Run up and down the stairs, do crunches, push ups, jump rope, do jumping jacks, etc. for that 20 solid and trust me you will be begging to sit back down and grind out DEPS! Also, you've got to suck it up and clean out your pantry of 95% of the snack/junk food. Give it away, throw it in the trash, but don't leave it there and pretend you won't eat it. You will. I know I did!!!! Spend some time researching healthy version of your favorite dishes, you'd be surprised how good a few careful substitutions can taste.

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
-Some people dream of success...others wake up and work hard for it!!!
-The cowards never start and the weak die along the way!
-You better work, b***h!
-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[Anonymous]

my CPA journey is yet coming to an end after a 2-full-years of struggle with studying/working/doing chores etc. before I started I used to weigh 180lb, I was fit going to the gym, now on the other hand, I weigh around 230lb, I haven't had the chance to go the gym since those two years, and my sight is beginning to become weaker than before. My point of view is that the weight problem, for me I can handle it, I did it once (250 —> 180), so no big deal, for sight, it can be partially fixed in most cases, eventually what I'm trying to point out, that all this for me is worth it! so keep going till you finish!

[Anonymous]

by the way, for the ones who thought 175 is somehow heavy, think about a person who's 6′ 1″, see now that made me look fit lmao

[Anonymous]

@floacct: I am not going to read this whole thread, so I apologize if I'm repeating other people's advice.

At the end of the day, it is just a stupid exam. I'm not telling you to stop trying or caring but you really can't put that much pressure on it/yourself. Make sure you are not thinking, talking and sleeping the CPA exam every day. Take breaks, don't study till you die, go hang out with friends once in a while. Exercise. Play with your dog. Being so super stressed and strung out is not only not good for your well being but it's probably hurting your test results too

[Skynet]

This is how I stay fit studying for the CPA exams.

Since I'm using Gleim, I downloaded all the audio version of the outlines. I put them all on my phone and listen to them on walks. Simplest way to keep fit.

AUD - 90
BEC - 78
FAR - 84
REG - 87

World Domination Plan

Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
Phase V : TBD

BEC : 78
REG : 87
FAR : 84
AUD : 90

World Domination Plan

Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
Phase V : TBA

[Anonymous]

The Exam and passing is like life. Prepare well. The tests that I did the best on were the ones that I did not study study study but found a balance of working out, a social life, and studying. Sitting down studying for hours and hours on end may get you an extra point or two but luck and a clear mind should help your time studying to be more efficient. Work out, have fun, but also study. You can pass this exam and maintain your health!

[alecia18210]

Interested thread. I am taking pantaprozalone. as well. I have severe stomach issue which I never had and went to ER twice in the last 5 months. Thinking I am dying and test is showing otherwise.lol Oh could I forget BP high, they thought i was going to have a stroke. But, the others are right..I decided to walk or exercise daily, take probiotics and enzymes. I am way better now. Plus, I realize that I shouldn't tell anyone about when I sit for the exam except my immediate family members. It put too much added pressure of people asking you how you did. Stay well !

Roger CPA Review + Ninja Audio + Wiley Test Bank+Ninja MCQ

FAR PASSED 7/14
AUD 72(2x)- 8/2014, Rematch 04/15
REG 02/2015
BEC 06/2015

"I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength". Philippians 4:13

[Anonymous]

@study monk- I just got around to reading your responses. I wasn't trying to sound like I think I'm part of an elite club that can pass the CPA Exam, at all. My entire point was just that I don't think it's fair to accuse someone of exaggerating or lying about their circumstances just because you personally, haven't had the same experience. I know a lot of people on here will say “If I can pass it, anyone can pass it” but that's just not true. We all know that the CPA Exam isn't just about intelligence, it's also about the ability to work really hard and having the motivation and time management skills to study and work full time. I've been taking this test over a 3 year period because I couldn't motivate myself to work full time, travel heavily for work, and study without being absolutely miserable. I also went through a period where I was so stressed out with work that I had constant migraines. That was around the point that I decided to take a break indefinitely from the exam, but I did eventually come back to finish it once I found a new job with less stress and started seeing a neurologist to figure out my migraines, which were due to stress and tension, and jaw clenching as a result of the stress.

All this to say, some people just deal with stress and anxiety better than others. I know that I personally, am more prone to feeling depressed or anxious when I get extremely stressed out which results in horrible migraines and stomachaches so I can definitely see how someone could get to the point where they say that their health is more important than this test. I don't want to offend anyone but I don't think this test is the end all be all- I've worked really hard to pass the sections that I've passed but I'm only doing it because I want to get my MBA and to me, having an accounting degree without a CPA license is pointless. It's okay to take a break due to health related issues and then come back around to the test once you have it sorted out too. Just because you take a break, doesn't mean you have to give it up permanently.

[mla1169]

And to the few people lamenting that this board makes it seem like the sun rises and sets for CPA candidates, go explore other message boards. Weight watchers boards make it seem like nothing in the world matters as much as losing weight, pregnancy boards make it seem like nobody has ever carried a baby before. Marathon boards read as if nobody has achieved anything in life until they can slap a 26.2 sticker on their car, and if you want to see people who feel superior and elite check out a breast feeding or vaccination message board. My point is this particular forum is about the CPA exam so you're going to see people whose entire identity AT THIS POINT IN TIME is the CPA exam. You want to read about other accomplishments there's a whole World Wide Web to explore…..

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[jopa16]

Studying for the CPA exam is absolute hell. I couldn't even imagine trying to study with a full time auditing/tax gig. If I knew it was going to be this bad I probably would have either gone straight into industry or done something else with my life altogether.

REG 2/26/14 - 90
BEC 4/08/14 - 92
FAR 5/31/14 - 90
AUD 7/09/14 -

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I'm gonna weigh in on this one. I got on the slow train ride through hell July 2008. Here is what I went through with the CPA exam:

2009 – Torn rotator cuff – I studied for REG in the PT office using the ceiling tiles to count out the items on each tax schedule. How did I tear my rotator cuff? Picking a Wiley FAR book up off the floor.

2010 – I started throwing up at 4:30 in the morning before a REG exam. I still don't know how I managed to hold it together during the exam, but I did. It took nearly 6 hours to drive home (should have taken 3 hours) because I kept having to stop to throw up on the side of the highway. 24 hours after the exam my blood pressure was at stroke level. I had to run out of the testing room on a different REG exam to throw up.

2011 – Passed out in Wal-mart the day after Christmas. I spent New Years Eve in the hospital getting two pints of blood. I was exhausted and run down physically. I also have pernicious anemia. I got B12 shots every week for 3 years because of that one fateful trip to Wally World.

October 2, 2012 – Everything went to hell FAST. I found out I had a mass in my thyroid. I started to worry about testing, the mass, work, family, everything. I couldn't swallow anything but applesauce. I couldn't talk above a whisper. I couldn't breathe normally. I lost nearly 20 pounds that I didn't have to lose.

October 31, 2012 – I had an endoscope and found out most of the problems were in my stomach from the worry and anxiety. I have a stricture of my esophagus. I will never swallow food like a normal person ever again. I have a Shotzki's Ring around the exterior of my esophagus that spasm's when I'm under a lot of stress. I didn't have an ulcer. The surgeon said my stomach WAS an ulcer. The entire lining of my stomach was inflamed and bleeding. I left the hospital with prescriptions to take 19 pills a day, one of which caused blurry vision and mental confusion.

What was I doing through all of this: STILL FREAKING STUDYING BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A CPA.

February 19, 2013 – Found out I didn't have one mass in my thyroid, but multiple tumors.

February 22, 2013 – Took FAR for the last time.

March 8, 2013 – Found out I got an 85 on FAR and I was done. My ticket had been punched and I was getting off the slow train ride through hell.

March 12, 2013 – Fine Needle Biopsy of the original tumor in my thyroid. I passed the wrong test. I found out I had cancer that day and it had been there for a while. Your thyroid controls things like short term memory, mental confusion, sleep cycles and lots of other things that are pretty vital to passing any exam.

April 12, 2013 – I got my license in the mail.

April 16, 2013 – Total thyroidectomy – I found out that I had 2 kinds of cancer, one that responds to treatment and one that doesn't.

The point in telling all of this is to let everyone know that if you want something GO GET IT! I went through hell and then some, but I didn't quit because I knew that this is what I wanted. I wasn't out partying or playing. I was busting my a$$ at 4:30 every morning before work working problems. I was sick and had been for a very long time. I just didn't know it. I went from the fight OF my life to the fight FOR my life. Today, I own half the firm. To the OP, if you want this, then do it. If you don't want it, then quit. The choice is yours and yours alone. If you are looking for inspiration or motivation to pass this exam, then here's my .02 worth. Stop looking for inspiration and go be one!

[How many letters do you need]

I think the people on here suggesting the OP quit may not be far off the mark. The CPA can't be for everybody, because then everybody would have one. Likewise there must be some people who start this journey thinking it's for them when in reality it isnt; it would be a fool to believe that everybody who starts the CPA is going to finish. So that just leaves the question of which ones should stay vs. Quit and when?

When I began this journey I had a personal line that I drew in the sand, I knew my limits and I've been fortunate enough to start off well. Still, only halfway through my limit is still drawn in the sand and if I hit it I'm done, enough said. I agree this site is mostly about pushing yourself and there are a lot of people that need exactly that to get them through. Others need something a little different.

OP: In another life I once had I would describe what you are going through as life tilt. When ANYTHING directly results in a decline in mental or physical health it's time to take a step back and count your beans. I'm not necessarily saying to quit….but it's time for a brutally honest self assessment. You need to step back, reassess, and if you are still determined to move forward, tweak your process because right now your current process is just not working and your body is begging you to stop.

Regardless of what some people on this site would like to believe, life does not begin and end with the all mighty CPA. Live life for your family, growth, enlightenment and success. The CPA is a tool for some to get there, but not for everybody. I strongly suggest considering a different tool. Good luck.

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[John Tucker]

I know I'm not a “CPA Exam Vet” yet, but people fail the CPA Exam from piss-poor preparation….period. You have to comprehend ALL of the content, you have to do a ton of practice MCQs, SIMS/WCs and take a Replica CPA Exam. If you aren't scoring over 85% on those practice tests and the Replica Exam, then you aren't ready.

I don't have the power to tell someone whether or not they should quit the journey or not, but I'm going to stress that if your preparation is PISS POOR you can take the exam 50 times and still fail. The amount of “time” you spent trying to pass the exam and the number of attempts do not count for nothing in this case, all that counts is if you gotten to a point where you comprehend the content. If you passed that part, then you do the series of practice testing to confirm your competency. From there, take the exam and you should pass.

I believe if you do quality preparation, you pass, if you don't then you won't.

* State of MA CPA Exam Candidate
- BEC: Sunday, August 24th
- FAR: Saturday, November 29th
- AUD: TBA for February 2015
- REG: TBA for May 2015

[Author]

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