[Elaine]

I’m wondering how you guys did in your intermediate accounting courses, as many say they are the toughest. I just finished one, and got 88%. I’m trying to get over the 2% but it’s disappointing!! Also, how does how you do in the course relate to your CPA preparation?

[msgolds]

I got low Bs in both of my Intermediate Accounting courses, but part of that was because I had a professor who was border-line sadistic. His exams were the definition of worst-case scenario, with averages in the 40s. I distinctly remember a girl breaking down into tears during our midterm. FAR has been tough for me, but marginally less so compared to how difficult my college courses were.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[Herbieherb]

I been out of college for over 10 years. There was no IFRS and no ASC etc…I cannot credit any of my college courses with passing the CPA. All you need is a good review course and focus. I received B- and C+ on my Intermediate classes

NEW YORK- DONE

[Minimorty]

Yeah I never even took an intermediate accounting course. Review course and maybe some real life experience is all you need.

[IndianaCPAGuy]

I had A's in both Intermediate Accounting courses. Only had an A- in Advanced Accounting.

Licensed CPA in Indiana

[Whyme]

I hit A's in all my Master's Accounting courses except Corporate Tax! Although they did cover IFRS, it wasn't to the extent where they went into the calc's, they would just not the major differences. I didn't have an advanced accounting course so consolidations were kind of new, other than that the material is pretty much the same. The problem is remembering it all. In intermediate you spent weeks mastering one topic, not you have to master the entire book + Advanced + IFRS + Governmental & NFP, not an an easy task at all!

AUD- 71, 73, 87 Done!!!!!
BEC- 75
FAR- 72, 77
REG- 77

[Mayo]

Two A's in my Intermediate Accounting courses.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[jenuno01]

Intermediate Accg 1 and 2 were hard AF in my college. We would have a test after 2 chapters and the class average would be in 50-60s. I think I scored a 90 once, but that's because I skipped the test due to illness and a buddy of mine told me what to study lol. I ended up with a B+ and A-, because all tests had to be curved, otherwise only 2 or 3 people would've passed. Our professor would tell us that our scores on his tests were an indication that none of us would ever pass the CPA test…what a jerk. Mini is right, if you a good review course, it is definitely possible to pass FAR.

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

I had to take 3 intermediate accounting courses. The school I went to basically took two and split them into three and we went more in depth into some topics. I got A's in all 3 including the one I took independent study. So I would have to say that they were of absolutely no use in studying for the CPA exam. Mini is right, a good review course is much more important than an A in that class.

[Anonymous]

I had an awesome Intermediate Accounting I teacher. She could teach anyone about accounting. Retired after 36 years. She was the department head and taught like 6 classes per term. Taught Accounting, Economics, Math and a couple of social science classes. She had a chart of over 6,400 students who she taught throughout the years.

So I took FAR right away, while my knowledge was still fresh. Passed.

[Anonymous]

The difficulty of college courses is different than the difficulty of the CPA exam. In college, our instructors would give us an exam where we had to do several journal entries, then after all the entries, you need to calculate the ending balance of each account and then prepare an Income Statement and/or Balance Sheet. Depending on the difficulty of the questions, this was quite intense at times. I used to always panic because one little error can make all your other answers wrong. But instructors always gave partial credit, so I always ended up doing very well.

However, the CPA exam is not like that. They don't really ask anything that comprehensive. They ask questions that are quicker to solve, but can be tricky to figure out. Due to the trickiness of the questions and the fact that no partial credit is given, the CPA exam is harder. And not to mention that you get tested on A LOT of topics whereas in college, you only got tested on a few chapters.

[oneFREAKINGpoint]

Wasn't an accounting major but took Intermediate. Barely passed due to a combination of disinterest in the subject, laziness, and a professor that didn't teach. (Literally. She just read out of the book and couldn't answer our most basic questions.) At the time I had NO intention of taking the CPA exam. Now I'm kicking myself…

[Author]

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