[mrrgreene]

I passed all sections of the CPA exam within the 18-month window after 11 years. I’ve been one point away from being a CPA twice while watching a test fall-off that I passed. It was demoralizing and had me questioning if I had some inherent learning deficiency or lacked what it takes to be a CPA. I have several degrees from a well known University where I was a 4.0 student. Back when you actually had to take proctored tests. I couldn’t google the answers on quizlet because I was getting some online degree; you know who you are.

So how did I finally pass and what is the secret? Let me list some reasons that might make you feel better.
1.) People who pass with 98’s that freakout saying they think they failed. Ignore these people. These are your garden variety overachievers that were gifted at taking standardized tests or have 10 hours a day to study. Remember that kid who cried to the teacher because they thought they deserved a 97 instead of a 96, while you were happy with a C? Yah, this site is like crack cocaine for those types.
2.) Luck. The test is full of topics and sometimes you get the short end of the stick. That’s just reality. If you have a real-life you won’t be able to dive deep into every topic. So pick a religious icon and pray to it.
3.) Becker is the most-well rounded program. Roger is the most understandable. Gleim is good for lots of questions, but be wary they ask some ridiculous questions in areas like Reg you are just wasting your time with impossible questions or some trivial bs. Wiley is chunked out in a way that makes it bite-sized. Ninja is a good supplement. Checkout Edspira on youtube if you can’t wrap your head around something or Fahrat if you want to understand something until your eyes bleed.
4.) Understand the concepts and hit the MCQS hard, supplement with Ninja. Pick a program that fits your learning style. Understand why the answer was right and why the answers were wrong. If you guess right you don’t understand the question. Shy away from Gliem unless you want to win that Elijah Woods Trophy of being an expert at taking standardized tests.
5.) Focus on the concepts. The real meat of the sections. Don’t spin your wheels on the minutia.
6.) Practice SIMS. You will find out really quick how you make stupid mistakes if you haven’t devoted a large amount of time to sims.
7.) If you aren’t good at standardized tests…then grind and grind and grind.
8.) You will feel something click. You actually become better at taking the test. Like playing a sport or instrument you will develop muscle memory. You will actually become a pro at taking the CPA test. You will almost have an ESP for discerning the right answer especially when it seems like two are correct.

Just remember this test is supposed to be hard. I see how many posts about people passing and less about failing. It’s like social media people tend to curate how wonderful their life does not show the reality. So there is a lot of under-reporting of failure. It’s a hard test and if you aren’t fresh out of a university with proctored tests you need to develop that skill. Keep failing, but keep trying. If you are getting less than 60s and actually followed the program and did all the problems. Just stop. Either you are lying to yourself about putting the work in or you shouldn’t even attempt the CPA. Otherwise, like most of the normies out there, put up with the heartache, try to balance your life, but just keep chipping away. You will get there eventually.

That’s the secret to success. It’s like life. There is no magic formula and other people make it look so easy. It’s not easy. It’s not supposed to be. This is a business. Look at the money the test makes let alone the magic bullet programs they try to sell you. The struggle is real. I’ve obtained a piece of paper that is meant to give me credibility and has created a cottage industry of test prep and CPEs. But, I don’t have to worry about unemployment as much as the next guy that doesn’t have the piece of paper. I did it. You can do it. Peace out.

[DocJ]

“2.) Luck.”

Careful, you'll get killed here for saying that. Every single person that ever passed the exam did so entirely out of their own HaRd WoRk!!!1! :p

[hamcpa2018]

MrrGreene……you're my hero. (Ferris Bueller '86) You are absolutely correct that there is no magic formula.

P.S. Watch out, #1 might trigger some people on here…..:)

[Author]

Replies