[kelslynn1028]

I have been at this thing for almost two years now. I passed BEC my first time taking it and AUD my second time taking it but REG and FAR are taking me several tries so BEC now expired. All of my coworkers are seeming to pass without any troubles and nobody in personal life understands the struggle. I’m so fed up with this exam that I don’t have any motivation at all to study anymore. I literally am unable to force myself to sit down and study. I take FAR tomorrow. I can already tell I’m not prepared and I’m not able to push it back. AUD expires in August. What to do, what to do. I know I’ll regret it and hate myself if I give up, but at this rate I’m just wasting a lot of time and money. I’m tired of missing family events, holidays, and not allowing myself to watch TV if I want to or at least feeling guilty for doing it. I don’t know what to do anymore. I want to just finish this thing and be done with it, but I’m finding it impossible to stay motivated and study. Look how many times I’ve sat for these exams based on my signature! I’m sure I just look like an idiot to my coworkers. It’s not that I can’t understand the material, it’s just that I don’t want to take the time to study and memorize anymore. I’m beyond burnt out.

Advice please!

BEC - 78*, 7/26/14
AUD - 66, 81
REG - 70, 62, 67, 8/26/14
FAR - 68, 73, 64
*indicates expired due to 18 month rule

"Your dream doesn't have an expiration date. Take a deep breath, and try again" -kt witten

[Anonymous]

I know how you feel man. It seems that I just can't pass REG. I just look at my sig for inspiration. 🙂

[kelslynn1028]

The problem about taking a break is I already have my BEC retake and my REG retake scheduled. I can't just let those go since that's quite a bit of money. I've decided that today's FAR exam is going to be a loss for sure, but then I'm off for vacation and a month off from studying. Two weeks after my vacation I take BEC which hopefully I can pass for a confidence booster and will have two under my belt again. I'll then take REG, but AUD will expire so if I can finally pass REG then I'll still have AUD and FAR. It's discouraging, but I'm just hoping the month off will help renew my focus on the CPA. If I work hard for it, maybe I can be done with these exams by the end of November and finally get to enjoy my Christmas without feeling guilty I'm not studying or missing it.

BEC - 78*, 7/26/14
AUD - 66, 81
REG - 70, 62, 67, 8/26/14
FAR - 68, 73, 64
*indicates expired due to 18 month rule

"Your dream doesn't have an expiration date. Take a deep breath, and try again" -kt witten

[LaComptable]

This suggestion will seem out of left field, and probably isn't a great idea for those in danger of losing credit, but for those of you that have sat multiple times without success, maybe you need a break. What about shifting gears and going for a different certification, then coming back to the CPA? You definitely should not just give up, but sometimes it helps mentally to just take a break and do something different for a little while. This worked for me. My attempts at the CPA in 2012 did not go so well, so I did give up for a while. Last year I went for the CIA and the sense of accomplishment from that motivated me to go after the CPA again. Small victories can have a huge impact.

If you plan to work in advisory or internal audit one day, the CIA would be a good certification to get. I wouldn't call the CIA exams “easy” necessarily, but they will seem easy compared to the CPA. Another one that is supposed to be less challenging is the CFE, and I think you only need to pass one exam for that one. This way you have some letters on your resume and the sense of accomplishment you get from that might give you a boost when you get back to studying for the CPA. Just a thought. Good luck to all.

BEC - 88
AUD - 74, 87
REG - 77
FAR - 63, 82

CIA certified in 2013

[How many letters do you need]

Honestly, and I'm probably going to cause an uproar when I say this, but I would continue to try through when your AUD expires. If August comes around, and you have no more exams left (meaning you are basically starting from scratch anyway), why not take some serious time off to regroup. Make a promise to yourself that you will come back, and STICK to it. But honestly, I've been at this for only four months now, I can't imagine your frustration. The fact you have gone two years this way; well that alone is a testament. I know you can do this, but I also know that sometimes this stupid exam gets inside our head and we can use some time to clear it the hell out. I say if August rolls around and you end up with zero exam credits, spend some time with family and friends, remember why you are putting yourself through this, generate a new study plan complete with new materials and come back as a new person. So long as you actually do come back, that to me is the best way to go.

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[kelslynn1028]

It really helps to know that I'm not the only one feeling this way so thank you to everyone who posted their own feelings and words of encouragement!

BEC - 78*, 7/26/14
AUD - 66, 81
REG - 70, 62, 67, 8/26/14
FAR - 68, 73, 64
*indicates expired due to 18 month rule

"Your dream doesn't have an expiration date. Take a deep breath, and try again" -kt witten

[Anonymous]

This post has helped me a lot! thank you so much for sharing your success stories. This test has a way of beating you down. Thanks for all the encouraging words! I know it will be worth it in the end.

[tomq04]

Alright, enough is enough. This isn't a sob story thread!

OP, what you went through sucks…and from the looks of it everyone else here is doiong the same thing. You have already answered your own question from your further posts. My problem much like yours after failing AUD and FAR in rapid fire succession, was our attitude, it just plain sucks. If you assume you will fail, guess what, you won't be surprised.

My attitude clicked into high gear last December after going through a massive 3-4 week depression. Came back, and kicked AUD in the teeth, chugged through FAR in high gear and LURCHED to a stop with a 74. My options? :

Cry more, or laugh it off.

Laugh I did, and continued charging through BEC, which i'm going to take Friday and I'm going to absolutely destroy, everything makes sense. After a full year my spouse and I are in routines that are working, she is supportive, and I am drooling with desire to kill these last 2 tests.

Half assing it will not get you results. Mopping around will make your life miserable, and that has NOTHING to do with the CPA Exam. Blame the test all you want, but your work will suffer, your relationships will suffer, and your entire well being will suffer, as you mentioned above. No one lives to sit around and watching Netflix movies all day, well, my uncle does, but he is happily on disability.

I'm sick of watching people wallow in misery, when all they need to do is check their attitude at the door, life has never been better, even though we are just as busy as always, we (family unit) know that we are moving forward and kicking ass every freaking day.

Go get your gloves up, or life will keep wailing on you. Start fighting, and you will be amazed at the results, a 74 won't be near as devastating knowing you went full beast mode on it, I also know that I can go beast mode 2.0 next week!

REG- (1) 76
FAR- (2) 64, (5)74, (7)83 (Over achiever!)
AUD- (3) 70, (4) 75
BEC- (6) 75

[tomq04]

Side note soap box:

no job, or certification, is worth losing your health. Figure out what your body is telling you, before putting on more weight. Work can be great, but not at the expense of a heart attack at 40. There are always other things to do, you only get 1 body.

REG- (1) 76
FAR- (2) 64, (5)74, (7)83 (Over achiever!)
AUD- (3) 70, (4) 75
BEC- (6) 75

[Juliemiddle]

@kelslynn1028…you've come to the right place for support! A lot of us have something in our lives that make these exams that.much.worse. I took my first exam in Nov. 2012, just months after my brother passed away. I was still grieving, I had so much anxiety, my mind wasn't focused…I knew I wasn't ready for FAR. And you guessed it, I failed. After getting my results, I took a step back and promised myself to come when I felt mentally strong enough.

I waited almost a year, but I re-started studying in Sept. 2013, when I was much happier. Things have been much better the 2nd time around.

These exams are definitely a MENTAL game…if your head isn't in the game, don't even battle…it's just a waste of time and money. 3 things that helped me SO much: I gave my husband my study schedules so he wouldn't tempt me to do other stuff, commit to the study schedule, and HIRE A HOUSEKEEPER. Seriously, I pay a cleaning lady for the 2 mths. I study, b/c I just can't dedicate time to clean.

AUD: 84 - Oct. 2013
BEC: 83 - Feb. 2014
REG: 91 - May, 2014
FAR: 68, 96 - Oct. 2014...DONE

CPAExcel, Ninja Audio (all sections)

[mla1169]

If you're just spinning your wheels and doing this for the sake of doing it, don't waste any more time. This is hard when you are focused and impossible when you're not. You seem to be at a crossroads now, so maybe you're on the verge of getting angry about this. If you ARE, then get angry and make this exam your @*#*#. That fire, that little spark of “you will not defeat me” will get you 3 passes and you'll be done.

I really wanted to give up after my 2nd AUD fail, I had spread myself way too thin and was truly on the verge of nervous breakdown. I'm really not even sure how I survived those few months but I did get angry and I did decide that the sacrifices I had already made would not be wasted by my throwing in the towel.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[MintsRGood]

@OP Do some light review tonight and tomorrow and go into your exam as levelheaded as you can be. RTMFQ carefully and keep your head on straight during the exam!

First off, tell your BF that it's unacceptable for him to be a lazy slob around the house. It's possible that he doesn't realize that the behavior is a problem. Explain to him that it's disrespectful to you to be expected to pick up after him like a child because he is a grown a$$ man. Calmly tell him not pulling his weight around the house it is taking time away from your study schedule which only prolongs everyone's agony. Assure him that it won't kill him to take out the trash, wash a load towels, or clean a toilet from time to time. Explain to him that if he can't pitch in to help, you will have no choice but to divert household resources that you would normally spend on fun things into hiring a housekeeper until you pass all your exams. I had to have this conversation with my husband during my 4th round with audit. It wasn't pleasant but it helped tremendously. Addressing the problem is the first step in resolving it.

Sit down over the weekend, regroup, and take back control of yourself and your exam journey! You CAN do this, you just have to decide that you WANT to do this and are willing to do whatever it takes to get your life back. After I failed auditing for the third time, I wanted to walk away from everything. I was frustrated, tired of failing, and sick of missing out on life. Then I got angry…extremely ****ing angry. Think Steven King's Carrie at the prom kind of angry. I attacked audit with everything I had left in me. I stopped trying to memorize and instead learned and understood the material. It sounds obvious but there are many who say “just memorize it, use these mnemonics, you'll be fine!”…you won't. That's when I finally passed evil audit and moved onto attacking BEC and FAR. See that 74??? That was my last section. That's when I got Carrie-style angry and took the screws again to FAR. You have to want revenge. You have to have the burning desire to win. Only YOU know to motivate yourself.

@mla gave me a great tip which was a huge help in my successful audit and FAR scores: rewrite the Ninja notes @ 10 pages per day, everyday. In the span of 6-8 weeks, you may recopy the notes 3-5 times and it helps the material stick like no other! Take notes on your incorrect responses, use the ELL system for maximizing your daily time, listen to audio in the car, etc.

Take control and get it done!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

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

[stephe49]

I think what you really need to do is go on a diet. I know that sounds like a total guy answer, but hear me out. Eating poorly is a huge sign of being complacent. Start by trying to lose 10 of the 50 lbs you gained and you are going to start to feel better. You are so down in the dumps about yourself, that your “go to” emotion is to feel self pity. Start off small! That is the key. When you start succeeding with one thing in your life the rest will follow. I guarantee it. You are the master of your own domain. Never forget that.

F - 79 5/31/13
R - 68 07/12/13 Retake 88! 10/18/13
B - 78 08/31/13
A - 64 01/03/14 Retake 75! 5/23/14 I would rather have a 75 than a 99 any day!

[Anonymous]

How did your test go?

[kelslynn1028]

Thank you to everyone for the advice!

Driving to the exam yesterday I've never felt more disappointed in myself for not being better prepared. I definitely think it helped spark something in me. Also, I am going to try to start losing weight while I have this break before preparing for my BEC retake. I feel like some confidence in that department will help me to gain confidence in others.

A lot of you gave me pretty good reality checks, as well. My initial reactions were that I was slightly offended or angered at them, but then after thinking longer about it, it's exactly the truth and what I needed to hear.

I took the exam feeling angry and disappointed in myself yesterday because surprisingly I did know several answers and had I just studied more I would have known even more. I still did give it my best and didn't give up on any questions.

I am tired of feeling like a failure and I do want change to happen.

@tomq04 – You're absolutely right. My relationships have suffered, my work has suffered, my wallet has suffered, my weight has suffered, my own mental stability has suffered all due to these exams and me prolonging them. I've thought a lot about how deeply each one of those has been affected by this exam and how each of those issues could easily be cleared up simply by me passing and being done with it. I've never wanted it more.

BEC - 78*, 7/26/14
AUD - 66, 81
REG - 70, 62, 67, 8/26/14
FAR - 68, 73, 64
*indicates expired due to 18 month rule

"Your dream doesn't have an expiration date. Take a deep breath, and try again" -kt witten

[Lisa_Jane]

@kelslynn1028

I have been at this for 6 years exactly- I took my first FAR exam on 5/28/08 and it was a disaster. I had to take it over yesterday because it expired but through this whole process I have learned a lot. I'm sure you can pass these exams but you need to have confidence in what you know deep down. I used to get upset when I would study specific topics and they would never ask about them on the exam or the questions would be so strange you didn't know what they are talking about. The way I approach it now is to learn everything and then be prepared for anything. You have to think fast and on the fly in that exam and not get upset and give up in the middle of the exam. I wanted to walk out when I saw my SIM topics yesterday, but I hung in there and I sure hope I passed. You are close to passing so hang in there and get it done.

FAR Passed 5/28/14
AUD Passed 1/22/13
BEC Passed 7/12/13
REG Passed 5/9/14
Virginia CPA license issued July 2014

[Author]

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