[M.O.D.]

Pray tell why some schedule the test in X weeks before even starting to study. I see that a lot here. People schedule the test first and start studying second.

You wouldn’t schedule your wedding before even meeting your boyfriend/girlfriend. Why schedule a test before you know what is on it? This is blowing my mind.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[KBinMN]

I didn't read the entire thread but the reason I scheduled mine out is because sometimes the times you want aren't immediately available from Prometric. Say you are ready to take the test, then find out there isn't a test date that will work for 3 weeks. Or there are 2 weeks left in the window but no dates available, so then you have to wait 6 weeks before taking the exam. I'd rather schedule in advance (after I've estimated the amount of study time it should take) and then if I have to change the date, fine.

I'd hate to have those last 2 weeks and no times to take the exam and have my NTS expire because of it.

For me it wasn't about creating a deadline for myself but to make sure I didn't end up screwing myself.

[itsjustatest]

@MOD a lot of flaws in your thinking. The only thing that matters for the CPA exam is getting 300 points. Your example with comparing not knowing a random MCQ to facing a client leads me to believe you dont have any real work experience.

The stuff you learn on the CPA exam provides a good base for an accounting career, but the small details required to know every question will not benefit your career. The real knowledge comes from actually working and dealing with real issues.

Get your 300 points and make sure you know how your manager likes their coffee.

AUD - 83
REG - 78
FAR - 69,73,79
BEC - 85

[stag]

I agree with @rfc63 The goal was to pass, so unless you are trying to get the Elijah Watt Sells Award, passing with 75 or 95 doesn't really make a difference. You don't get any more than 18 months if you got 95 and I got 75. I got 87 on my first exam, my first reaction was jubilation, my second reaction was, “damn, I over studied, I could have gone out instead of studying for whole bunch of material that I don't use.” So for next 3 exams, I always picked the dates at the end of the testing window and set aside the 2 weeks leading up to the exam to study. You may wonder if I only needed 2 weeks to study for an exam, why didn't I just finish them in 2 months. Well, I do want to have a life besides work, family, school (finishing my 150 req) and studying. So I generally give myself 2 months off to relax. CPA license is a mean to an end. Lets not forget that.

FAR - Aug 2013 Passed
REG - DEC 2013 Passed
BEC - FEB 2014 Passed
AUD - MAY 2014 Passed

BSEE = who needs accounting degree to pass CPA exams?

[Kimboroni]

To me, it's just like a teacher setting out the schedule for a class– you know when the final exam is going to be, and you know how much material there is to cover, so you write out a syllabus that details what you're going to cover each class period so that you've covered everything by the exam. I just happen to be my own teacher who's making the schedule. It's the most organized way of approaching it.

Like others have said, I have to schedule my days off work, and this involves making sure that enough other people on my team (it's a small team) will be in the office when I'm out. I don't have the luxury of just getting to pick a date close in when I feel “ready.”

Plus if I waited until I was “ready” for FAR, I never would have sat for it. But I went, and I passed. I felt ready enough for REG, so I went and sat for it, but given the test I got, I don't think I passed. You just never know. But you do the best you can.

Sure, there are people who fail if they approach it this way, but there are also a lot of people here who have successfully passed using the “schedule then start to study” method.

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. 🙂

[samdiegoCPA]

@John Tucker… you are not being a realist. Obviously the exam is important to everyone on this forum so don't give me that BS that having the license should be the motivation factor and if it's not, then we aren't in the right industry. You must be one of those people who study for fun or get homework done a week before it's due. Yawn.

AUD: 84
REG: 84
BEC: 79
FAR: 83

[impska]

I waited until I was ready for REG and BEC, but my scores demonstrated to me that I was wasting time and over-preparing.

So I set a loose 10 week schedule for FAR (I work full time) – but didn't immediately schedule. By week 4, it was clear that I was way ahead of schedule, so I just went ahead and scheduled so that I didn't end up twiddling my thumbs.

By then, I also felt pretty confident in the amount of time I needed for AUD, so I scheduled that at the same time. I didn't want to end up getting stuck waiting because I couldn't get the spot scheduled when I wanted it.

REG - 94
BEC - 92
FAR - 92
AUD - 99

[How many letters do you need]

JT/MOD: well its definitely an interesting process you guys are working. Outside of conventional if you ask most people here. JT-I look forward to hearing how you end up. My only final comment is…If you know for sure you are taking (for example) FAR in November….what's the harm in scheduling FAR for the last week of November ahead of time?

End of the day we all have our way. I took the NINJA method and put my own spin on it, I think we should all make tweaks to proven study plans so that the plan is personalized to us. You can skin the CPA 27 different ways and since there are no style points for how you do it the only thing that matters is that we all come out the other side with 3 more letters on our name.

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[mla1169]

It would never occur to me to criticize JT (or M.O.D's, or anybody else's for that matter) approach, or be so presumptuous to make statements about someone's “heart being in the wrong place”. We all choose our own path. This is after all “another 71” not “four 99's in a row”.

Bottom line is its fine with me if someone disagrees with the way I did things, by all means decide another way is better for you. Think I'm wrong, think my heart is in the wrong place, question my commitment to the whole process, At the end of the day I am MLA, CPA not MLA, CPA who didn't do things the way someone else thought she should.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[M.O.D.]

@ mla, letters, etc.

Agreed. There are as many ways to prepare as there are candidates, and indeed, there are no points granted for style (other than my self-satisfaction).

Though I did have an accounting professor who recommended placing CPA exam scores on one's resume, but only if they were high.

I originally posted to try to understand where others were coming from. I thought my method was that of the majority, but it seems we are in the minority. No big deal, it happens frequently 🙂

Let's not look down on others, lest they return the favor 🙂

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[kplummer517]

When you finally pass that first test the clock starts ticking…18 months to go. I kept taking AUD till I passed it and I thought I'll take BEC till I pass it…and then I had two fails in a row. So The best option for me now is to Take BEC at the begining of the testing window and take the next exam (REG) at the end of the testing window. I do not reschedule exams, I study and study knowing the deadline. Plus you cannot retake an exam in the same testing window, so if I take BEC 1st at the begining I have no choice but to move onto REG and act like I passed it (BEC), because it doesn't matter, can't take it again right away and don't want to waste a testing window when REG is on the line and I still have FAR to take last…April 1st 2015 isn't to FAR away when my AUD will expire. Sometimes we just have to take chances and utilize the windows they give us, pass or fail…I can't keep waiting for scores to come out…gotta push forward!

AUD - Passed - 82 (10/1/13), Expires 4/1/2015 (57,62,64)
BEC - Passed - 77 (7/14/14) (53,67,70,74) Half way to CPA!!!!
REG - Passed - 81 (8/23/14) (68) 3 down 1 to go!!
FAR - Passed - 75 (11/11/14) I'm DONE!!!!!

Illinois Canidate

[Kimboroni]

Just out of curiosity, MOD, since you don't have it in your sig– where are you in the process of taking/passing exams? You appear to be studying for BEC right now, since I see you very active in that thread (and you are very knowledgeable on the subject– I have learned a lot from reading your posts).

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]

MOD-

To many of us, there is an additional consideration: bonus expiration. I know of one firm across the street that has what they call the 6/4/2 CPA bonus. $6k if you pass in one year from date of hire, $4k if within two, and $2k if within two years. Under these circumstances, one could even consider the time value of money, which could be material under some circumstances (such as carrying high interest debt, either directly or indirectly related to CPA exams).

Under these circumstances (and simplistically), you could probably determine the value of simply taking the CPA exams based on the probability of passing. Multiply the probability of passing times the potential lost income if the test isn't taken, then subtract the cost of the test. If you get a positive number, take the test. Theoretically, it could be worth it to someone out there to take the test with even only a 1% chance of passing. This situation would only be more pronounced with a high-interest TVM situation and/or bonus timing scenarios.

There are other financial considerations to keep in mind. Lets say that one is guaranteed a 10% raise upon passage of the exams and raises are only issued once a year. There is definitely a financial incentive, to squeeze that last one or two in based on increased lifetime earnings and/or TVM considerations as well.

Not to mention more uh… more qualitative constraints. If someone really hates their/job/boss/commute/whatever, they may be under the gun to squeeze a test in to increase their marketability. Taking a test with a remote chance of passing would be favorable under these situations when there is no time lost due to testing window timing.

[M.O.D.]

@ bill

I agree, if there is a financial incentive to complete quickly one should test to just pass within that time frame. Though I am not sure about the 1% chance because there are costs to retaking sections, and your own time at prometric, drive there, etc.

@ Kimboroni

I am waiting for may application to be evaluated by NASBA, so I can't even schedule a test if I wanted to.

I prepped for BEC by reviewing Gleim, and I do 20 MCQs per day to keep the info fresh. When I'll get a NTS, I'll still follow my plan: take a practice test and schedule 2-3 weeks out, then start memorizing all the formulas, COSO, IT, etc.

I know so much BEC because I just took the CMA tests. They are 150% of the BEC material, but 200% harder.

As I wait for my NTS I am studying ahead into FAR.

Like I wrote earlier, I have two modes of studying: one is to gather information: notes, examples, and MCQs

Second mode is drilling: memorization, sample tests and, SIMS.

The second mode only works for 2-3 weeks, whereas the first mode takes 2-3 months. This is why timing is critical to my thinking.

BA Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Certificates in CPA and EA preparation, College of San Mateo
CMA I 420, II 470
FAR 91, AUD Feb 2015 (Gleim self-study)

[Skynet]

Just Schedule my appointments for BEC and REG in Oct & Nov.

From the wise words of Rocky Balboa, “Yo Tommy, ONE MORE ROUND!”

[Anonymous]

The 1% chance was extreme to say the least, but it is possible. A person would need to receive the Elijah Watts award and the rumored $20K bonus (vs. no bonus), but its possible.

I personally may be better off on the days I test. I get the day off (with no charge to vacation), the test center is 20 mins from my house with no tolls (vs an hour to work with tolls). I like to test in the morning, pick up my fishing rod and go to the beach to catch some fluke for dinner in the afternoon.

I think we have it pretty good in the NE as far as driving to the test centers goes. I could imagine that California is probably similar. There are like five Prometrics within 45 minutes of me. There are probably 20 within two hours. It's gotta be rough testing in the Midwest. I've seen places where you have to drive an hour just to get gas.

[Author]

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