[cpaexams]

Hi all,

I had a question. Has anyone dealt with pre-exam anxiety? So here is my story, I have taken far twice now and everything a few weeks before my exam I get a lot of panic attacks and anxiety attacks. I feel like I am going to fail the exam and that hinders my ability to study properly. I cry a lot and seem to be so anxious and nervous for my far exam. I am taking far 8/8 but I wanted to know if anyone has dealt with bad exam anxiety? Was it so bad you had to seek professional help?

Thanks!!

[RobOh]

I think everyone has experienced some form of panic and anxiety before the CPA exams. You are not alone and it all depends on the level that it is at. My wife is a therapist so I may be bias, but people see her for panic attacks and anxiety all the time. It is very very common, so I would not hesitate to speak with a professional and see if it helps. I think it is worth a one hour commitment each week to see if it could benefit you and help you get through this. Best of luck on your exams and you will get through this. Stay safe and take care of yourself.

[cpaexams]

Thank you. Yeah it gets very bad because I have anxiety attacks and I can't study. It always happens weeks and gets much worse days before. I appreciate your response. I am going to seek help. I think a normal level of stress is good but when anxiety is too much, it impairs my studying.

[RobOh]

You're welcome, you have to take care of yourself first. I hope you find it helpful.

[CPAHOPE]

I do have an anxiety before the exam but not as bad as yours. You know yourself the best so you need to figure out why you have so much anxiety before the exams. To calm my anxiety, i have this daily routine where i would do a light prayer, meditate, and tell myself i can accomplish anything that i put my mind too. I also jog daily to be in a sharp mental and physical shape. I jog for 20 minutes and while jogging, im reviewing and analyzing my CPA studies.

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[AGI]

Not a professional but I feel like you need to ask yourself these two questions
“Why you think you will fail?” and “How much study will give you enough confidence that you will pass?”

Write down an answer, let's say 6 hours, and implement a daily schedule that fit in the 6 hours. Write as detail as possible, like every 15 minutes of the 24 hours day time. Write on a big piece of paper and hang it all around the house (including the door to the bathroom, because you will pass by there 8 times a day at least).

Stick to the schedule and DON'T THINK. ACT LIKE A ROBOT. Do as what the schedule said and don't give yourself exceptions. Don't take breaks unless it's break time. Drink your coffee only when it's coffee time. (With that being said, do leave enough rest time for snacks, TV, coffee, meals, and housework!).

Whenever panic attacks happened, talk yourself out in front of that paper. “I told myself if I studied 6 hours everyday I will pass, I am studying 6 hours, I will be okay. Crying doesn't solve that problem.”

Share that piece of paper with all your family members and make copies on messenger, IM, FB, etc…so everyone around you can give you support when you do collapsed. Give yourself 2 weeks of vacation (usually until the score day) so you can relax completely.

NY - CPA

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Passed CPA Exam (11/2014)
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[Donna]

@cpaexams I hope you’ve found some peace. These exams are tough and it’s easy to psych yourself out a week/day/hour before exam time. I struggle with anxiety and recently had to resume counseling/anti anxiety medication to continue through this journey. Use your support group (family/friends/this forum) to help keep you focused and in the right mindset. You can pass the exam trust all the hard work you’ve put in. It will pay off!

[cpaexams]

@JFKGY and @Donna and @CPAHOPE thank you for the response. Thank you @JFKGY, I just need to be hard on myself. Yeah my mind is normally distracted with the thoughts of failing this exam early on. I am going to try your method today and write it down every where how much I am going to study a day and what I need to cover to feel comfortable.

I just need to find the best way to relax and find a rhythm going so thoughts don't have any time to come in my head.

Thanks!

[Author]

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