[skiw97]

Becker Question –

I worked in internal audit for 1.5 years, then joined big 4 firm and worked there to almost manager in external audit… the lectures are not adding much value, and the majority of the questions I have experience with throughout my career.. (I’ve done all lectures and q’s for A1-A3)

Should I even bother spending 2 days doing the B4 and B5 lecture, or just skim the material, maybe review the flash cards and go straight to the MC’s??

PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SIMILAR WORK EXPERIENCE, I noticed a lot of people on here are are still in college and study aka memorize stuff they have no clue about. I’m sorry for all of you that get 150 credit hours and pass CPA exam before you start working because it adds no value and you forget everything by the time you start. Its really too bad they put that rule in. I’ve worked with Big 10 masters students with CPA license that cant tell the difference between an asset and a liability in the real world, and have no idea how to work with the client to understand/audit simple balance sheet accounts.

FAR 11/13 - 78, BEC 1/13 - 82, AUD 2/23 - 94, REG 5/15 - 86

[skiw97]

Strider, I hear you pal. I'm out of PA and will never return. I am taking the exam and REAPING the benefits of having all that great work experience. I vent a lot bc it really kills your life and so much of what you do is admin/non-value added, etc… but bc you work so much, on so many clients in so many industries, get the best training/development, etc, it really helps when you are ready to make the leap to finance/operations/consulting, etc. A lot of people think auditing is just accounting but its so much more then that, learning how businesses do everything, who what when where why, deep diving on analytics, looking at their restructuring plans, strategic plans, auditing their acquisitions, being in high level meetings with management, list goes on and on. There is no comparison. In auditing, at least in the big 4, you just get so caught up into politics, compliance, PCAOB requirements, firm requirements, quality review partner review, the all these ridiculous firm initiatives. I've just been on 1 too many engagements witnessing teams give up their life to work 80 hours a week in something that could be done in 40. Some of them married, have kids, etc. Its amazing to see the new staff, so eager to do this, like they are saving lives, doctors if you will. Everyone is miserable, and if you are not miserable, you have handed over your life, officially brainwashed. There is rarely a sense of accomplishment.. and the client, no matter how they act to your face, dislikes you being there and wishes you would quit trying to ask for more money and adding ridiculous requests every year that dont eve make sense. I'm all about working hard but waling out feeling unaccomplished after working 14 hours is NOT a good feeling. My last 6 months I worked, on average, 11 hours a day, ordered in lunch in dinner, worked most saturdays, and was in a cramped audit room, what kind of life is that? yuck…. Getting laid off, being able to have adequate time to study for CPA exam, and truly realize what its important in life has been an amazing blessing and I silently thank my former company daily. peace and prayers

FAR 11/13 - 78, BEC 1/13 - 82, AUD 2/23 - 94, REG 5/15 - 86

[AnotherFutureCPA]

Shut up already.

[Anonymous]

Not trying to butt into anyone's diasgreements, but the stress of the exam is hard enough…this should be a place that we come to build each other up!

[The GaJone]

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FAR: 81 (1/20) AUD: 88 (2/27) REG: 91 (4/19) BEC: 75 (5/20)

[skiw97]

anotherFutureCPA is angry at someone, if you dont like my posts, dont read them. I know your type, angry at the world, cant come up with something funny to say so you just sit back and try and attack people who have fun around you. Please find something better to do with your time then be rude to me via blog.

FAR 11/13 - 78, BEC 1/13 - 82, AUD 2/23 - 94, REG 5/15 - 86

[jeff]

I can tell scores are about to come out…it's like a full moon…

[Anonymous]

Wow, that was interesting reading. . . .skiw97 – maybe it is a blessing in disguise that you were laid off so you can concentrate on the exam. I wish you luck with it. . . . .You sound like you are pretty bitter with this profession. When you work at a Big 4 you almost have to expect to work those hours. In the end, with this profession it's instilled in you that you do what it takes to get the job done. We are in a business to service our clients. And accounting firms have different approaches to serving their clients, where they can work you to death and give in to whatever the client wants or they can put the client in their place and work their staff within reason. Maybe you just didn't find the firm that is right for you. Or maybe public accounting is not your thing. I'm in NY workin in the city and growing up in this profession you don't complain. You have to pay your dues. I am at the manager level (just not the title till I get certified. . one part left) so in the end to answer your original question, you already have the knowledge. Just skim the chapters and do the questions. You almost have to take yourself out of the “audit world” and put your head in the “book world” and not look too deep into the question.

[Anonymous]

I can understand wanting advice from people in a situation similar to yours, but there is no need to finger-point and criticize others. It's widely accepted that the most opportune time to pass the CPA exam is right out college, ideally before one starts work. This exam is a major commitment as I'm sure everyone on this board is aware of. I have the utmost respect for people who can balance working full-time, studying for this exam, and in some cases tending to a family.

The CPA exam, more importantly, is a “book” exam. Guess what most college students have been doing for the past four years, and in the case of many, their entire lives thus far? Taking “book” exams. So why would someone put it off and put themselves at a disadvantage relative to others? From an exam material standpoint most candidates are better equipped to sit for this exam right after graduation as much of it is covered in their collegiate curricula. Real-world experience plays little into actual success on this exam. It might help on the Auditing section if you're an auditor, but it's most likely not going to help on the Regulation section. There have been numerous published studies over the years which have shown that real-world experience is often a statistically insignificant factor in determining CPA exam success.

[The GaJone]

I personally disagree with that, CapitalGains, but that might be because I was a pretty big slacker in college. I graduated with just a 3.0 GPA from an “ok” business school. I've learned WAY more about accounting in my 3 years experience in public than I did in college. It definitely helped me a lot for FAR, has made studying for my next exam (AUD) a complete breeze, and I can already tell you that I probably won't even watch the tax lectures in REG as I know quite a bit about personal, coporate, partnership, and not-for-profit tax returns. To me there's just a HUGE difference between reading something and getting tested on it in college vs. actually experiencing it first-hand. Personally, it helps me learn so much easier when I actually understand something because I've gone through that experience first-hand.

I also wanted to get a job right out of college that would pay for my additional schooling, CPA review course and/or CPA test fees. Over the past 3 years my company has paid for almost $10,000 worth of college courses for me as I worked toward my minimum required hours to sit on top of another $2,000 or whatever it costs to order the Becker review course (I wouldn't know how much it is because I didn't have to pay a dime). Granted they don't cover the exam fees, but still, they've helped out quite a bit.

Just my personal opinion, but I think the benefits of getting a job before taking the exam far outweigh those of trying to pass the exam before getting a job, for someone with the same situation as me, anyway.

FAR: 81 (1/20) AUD: 88 (2/27) REG: 91 (4/19) BEC: 75 (5/20)

[Anonymous]

The GaJone, you are fortunate to be in job where you get a variety of experiences but I think most people in accounting tend to have more specific jobs, like I never do audits and do lots of tax.

I agree with CapitalGains: fresh out of school, candidates have just been exposed to much of the material on the exam and it is an ideal time to take it. Now that I have a family and a full-time job, it is so much harder for me than it would have been 20 years ago.

Skiw97, I understand many of your points. Reading what you said makes me all the more happy I left the corporate world and work in a small, family practice. We are a laid-back Southern accounting and tax firm. My dad is my boss, my recently laid-off husband is helping out during tax season, I can bring my kids to work, wear flip-flops if I want (but always professional in front of clients!) and we bring in over $200K a year. I don't have to pass the CPA exam, but I really want to for my own personal accomplishment.

Everyone on this forum has the CPA exam in common and I appreciate the support and advice I have gotten from here. I have seen some negative posts, but lets not let the stress get to us.

[leebird]

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