[jeff]

NINJA Question –

The NINJAs are giving away Ten Point Combos to 5 winners.

Entering is Simple:

Post either a

– CPA Exam Study Tip

or

– Career/Interviewing Tip

Please don’t post “buy company X – you’ll pass” (unless it’s NINJA – then it’s totally legit 🙂

Examples:

cpa123456 – CPA Exam Tip: For BEC, work all of your IT MCQs the night before your exam

SkynetFanClub – Interviewing Tip: If a partner offers you Scotch during an interview – decline.

Exception: if it’s single malt, then it’s ok.

Prize: 1 Ten Point Combo section of the winner’s choice

Winners: Five (5) – Randomly selected

Deadline: 11pm EST – Monday, February 23

Winners can “gift” their winnings to another individual if they are no longer taking the CPA Exam.

One entry per person.

[jackaroe]

studying tip – reread your text book.

Career/Interviewing Tip – Be willing to get your foot in the door by taking a lower paying and less prestigious position. Don't be afraid to enter a field that you know nothing about as long as you are honest that you are new to the field. Remember, assuming you get through the first interview, the folks you will be interviewing with are working in the field and probably know a lot more about it than you and can snuff out the BS. Even if you know the area, you might not be aware of the intricacies of business politics or SOPs. Sometimes a company is looking for a certain type of person to work with a certain type of division head – so always go to an interview – if invited – even if you think you do not qualify or the job is slated for someone.

[taxman89]

exam tip….buy ninja audio and mcq

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[Samurai Plamenco]

Interview Tip: Don't be afraid to let some of your quirks out during your interview. We are here to hire human beings, not automatons. Anything you can do to humanize yourself is always a plus and can lead to a much more interesting interview and make you a more attractive prospect.

[cathypierce]

Career Tip: When you are starting out in public accounting, never be afraid to ask questions. We all had to learn from somewhere.

[san4596]

Exam Tip: Study hard to understand concepts, and not memorizing answers to the questions. Work the MCQ's all the way through, and read the questions carefully.

Career Tip: Make sure to always be advancing in some way. Having a “Good” career is not the same as having a “Great” career.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[sc4649]

Exam Tip:

If you're feeling burned out, do small increments of MCQ (5, 10, your choice) in a row correctly and take a minute break between those increments.

i.e. Keep doing questions until you get 5 correct, then take a short break. (Increase number of questions to get right as you go along.)

This is most useful for those who are easily distracted by making a game out of studying. YMMV.

F DONE
A -
R DONE
B -

[rjg72001]

Exam tip:

Get your freak out over the exam out of the way the night before the exam if possible. Cry, scream, do what you have to then move on.

The day of the exam don't deviate from your daily habits. Eat, drink as you normally would except go easy on liquids a few hours before the exam. This is not the day, week, or month to quit smoking, coffee, or any other daily habit. Save the quitting for the weeks waiting until your score shows up. 🙂

Walk into the exam like a boss! You have studied so much in the weeks before the exam that nothing should be completely unfamiliar. Yes this exam is important, but your world will not stop based on this exam. Better to walk in with the attitude that you will rock it than to freak out during those crucial timed minutes in the exam. Remember that you know of at least 100 people who have passed this exam from Another71 forums alone! You got this! My experience is that the actual exam is much less difficult than most of the ninja MCQs I studied along the way. But I was prepared because I studied throughly.

Take a few seconds every few questions during the exam to take a deep breath, look at your time, and then jump back in.

Be mindful of your time map out a target countdown time to be done with each testlet. There is a countdown timer on the screen. Use it to know where you are at on timing.

Bonus tips: – Exam review.

Do MCQS in blocks of 5 -15 and write down a short tip to help you remember how to get the right answer for each missed question. Make sure you do not overlook any subtopic in the MCQS software. If it still doesn't make sense after going through your material Google it! There are awesome review videos on YouTube to help studied like us in this exam.

Drill down on your weak areas!!! Make them your strengths and you will have no weaknesses.

Best of luck to everyone everyone taking this journey. We will reach our destination eventually but not without completing the journey cirst. 🙂

.

FAR - 61 (1/15), Rematch - NEXT
REG - 70 (11/15), Rematch - Coming after next FAR Exam
BEC - Planning in 2016 after FAR & REG Wins
AUD - Planning in 2016 after FAR, REG & BEC wins

Good things don't come to those who wait.
Good things come to those who work their A$$es off
and never give up!

Every negative experience has taught me something.
I am like the weathered willow,
I bend with the wind,

[JBinDC]

Two cliches that I think are actually quite helpful/crucial, if not obvious:

Exam tip: Do not schedule the exam more than two weeks in advance (obviously this is easier said than done if you're on a deadline). You really need to let your own studying and preparation dictate when you should be taking each section. When I first started out I looked all around the internet and asked friends for when I should be scheduling parts, and what you learn from experience is that everyone is different – it's not practical to compare the time you need to what others did. If you prepare well enough and take one exam each window you can easily pass all within one year's time

Interview tip:Also easier said than done, but be yourself during your interview, not what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Painting a picture of what you think they want is not fair to yourself or your employer, and can lead you getting stuck in a job that isn't a right fit for either of you. Personal example: I interviewed all around at public firms and was fortunate enough to receive an offer at a regional one, but that isn't ideally what I wanted to do with my life, so I went the non-profit route. While public would have led to more money and probably a easier career path going forward, I am much happier doing something that I enjoy, and that's really what matters most (cheesy, but 100% true)

Best of luck to all of you!

FAR: 64 (Yaeger), 83 (Becker/BLITZ)
REG: 74 (Becker), 75 (Becker/BLITZ)
AUD: 68 (Becker), Retake 3/7
BEC: 4/13

VA Candidate

[Anonymous]

Exam tip: Don't cram all night before the test if it results in getting less sleep. I passed 3/4 in 6 months. I crammed all night for AUD and only got three hours of sleep. This resulted in failing by only a couple points.

Interview tip: Don't give answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. They will see right through your BS

[Soon2beCPA]

CPA Exam Tip: Don't let yourself procrastinate when you're studying! If you do it once, you'll keep doing it then end up in a never-ending vicious cycle.

Career Tip: Be friendly and personable in your job interview. Interviewers want someone easy to talk to and will probably hire someone they think they'll get along with.

BEC - 11/2015 - 82
FAR - 10/1/2016
AUD - 6/4/2016 - 80
REG - 12/10/2016

[absolutelyamy]

Interview Tip:

(1) Do your research about the company, the culture, read the investor relations section of the company's website, read filings, etc. This should also include reconnecting with anyone in your network that works for this company to get an insider's perspective about working at this company. Be sure this is a place that you would want to work, because most interviewers will ask you WHY you are looking to come work at this company.

(2) Do your research on the position you're applying for. Understand and be able to articulate how well your experience and skill sets fit the requirements for the company. The more of the requirements you meet, the better chance you have in getting an interview. Once you have the interview scheduled, be able to speak to why you meet those requirements…and have specific examples that you can reference.

(3) Ask questions. Find out more about the interviewer, what brought them to the company…why do they stay? How will your success be measured? What are the 60 and 180 day plans for the person filling the role? What did the predecessor do really well in the role that should be sustained and what could have been improved upon? Show enthusiasm and take notes.

(4) Firm handshake, good smile, be true to yourself.

[Anonymous]

Study Tip: Read each question and all answers as if your life depends on it.

Interview Tip: Be your self, don't lie on your resume and know your worth, know what you can bring to the table and what makes you the best candidate!

Career Tip: Never be afraid to ask questions, have a growth plan and hopefully you have a mentor that you can work with to help you achieve your goals. Maintain a work/life balance and if you realize you aren't do what you can to remedy that. Know your worth!

[svcvac]

Exam tips:

1. Go through all Ninja Blitz day before. It will be like revision of all the concepts.

2. Take a 30-60 break and relax after every section. This will help you relax and focus more on the next one.

[Anonymous]

Exam study tip:

Most of us know our study habits and what works best for us. Don't do what other people tell you to do. Do what works best for you!

[Anonymous]

exam tip – dont forget to study international standards; in todays global economy, these are becoming more and more important. Also, do progress tests as you go so you dont forget what you studied last week!

[Author]

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