[75 CPA]

All CPA candidates are in the same boat. Your life is on hold until you pass all four parts of these exams in the 18 month window. There will be no vacations this summer, no trips to relatives, etc. Everyone that you know will just shake their head.

You may have to retake a section. Retaking an exam should not deter you. These exams are all about endurance, not intelligence. I promised my wife a first class vacation after these exams, even if I had to borrow the money!

There are no failures in this CPA game. There are only people who quit. Do not be one of them. No one will care how many times you take these exams. All they will care about is if you are a CPA.

The purpose of the CPA exams is to keep you from becoming a CPA. That is a fact of life. Those 3 initials, CPA, do not come cheaply. There is a shortage of CPAs and there will always be a shortage of CPAs. The pass rate of the CPA exams is only one half the pass rate of the Bar exam.

Take an exam and do not look back. Start studying for the next exam. That was my plan.

By the way, a 77 and 76 just means that you were smart enough not to study too much. It does not mean that you “barely passed.” Perfection is the enemy of good enough. If you made a 75 on all four exams, would that be good enough?

It helps to be a Christian. Get close to God! Children trust their parents and children do not worry. God calls us to trust Him. Worry and fear about these exams are useless. If we worry about these exams, we are not close to God. Peace and joy only come from God. Have you ever noticed the joy in a toddler? Confusion and discouragement do not come from God.

When I made a 68 on FAR, my first exam, I did not get upset, or complain. I admitted the mistakes that I made in my study methodology (I was using out-of-date books). I developed a better study process and I easily passed on my second attempt.

Do not become Miss Inflexibility. Inflexibility is the kiss of death. You cannot change if pride does not allow you to admit your errors. Failure is just a learning experience. Change your study materials and the way you prepare for these exams.

You will become a CPA, IF you never give up! Do not substitute emotionalism for reason. Come up with a better study process that works for you, and then share it with everyone on this forum.

I passed all of my exams within the eighteenth month window in July. It all seems like a distant memory now. I hate to admit it, but I enjoyed the study process. I am one of the few people who would be willing to retake the CPA exams.

The CPA exams are the best game in town. The whole thrust of the AICPA is to discouraged you and to get you to quit. 17% to 25% of the CPA candidates do just that, quit. Once you decide that you will pass these CPA exams, no matter how long it takes, or how much it costs, 50% of the battle is won.

Hang in there! No one can stop you from becoming a CPA, except you. Additionally, do not start this CPA process unless you willing to give up your fomer life. There is no free lunch. College was a peice of cake compared to these exams.

[Anonymous]

ITaliancpa no disrespect also to u but what could be more serious to test takes than these tests?? so no disrespect also to u but if u know anything about prayers u should know that u are expected to pray about anything you are concerned about….there is no rule or regulation on what to pray for….,,,,

75CPA thanks for yr prayers and your boldness to speak up and motivate those going thru these difficult exams. it takes a lot in these times when folks wish to silence others for no good reason.

prayers definitely got me thru REG and hopefully wil get me thru FAR and the res. so pls keep it coming.

freedom of speech rules!! God bless

[75 CPA]

italianCPA

I once tried to approach the concept of God from an intellectual viewpoint. All I got for my effort was confusion and more questions. Once I opened my heart to God things changed. I literally became a child of God.

Like a child, I trust God Our Father. God never reveals everything to me at once, but God gives me the wisdom to discern little things one day at a time. I have learned to trust God. I also have a deep abiding sense of PEACE and JOY. Notice the joy in small children. Where is our joy?

When I went on a pilgrimage to Medjugore, a small village in southern Bosnia, uncontrollable tears would stream down my face for no apparent reason. I could not explain why this was happening to me. It wasn’t until I returned to the States that I came to understand that I was experiencing God’s love for me. To put an exclamation point to my experience in Medjugore, I watched the sun “pulsate” for about 10 minutes. If I tried that stunt today the sun would burn the retina in my eyes!

Open your heart to God. God’s love is there for you and all of us. God is real. He is not just an intellectual concept like I once believed.

Pray and work. Let your work for the CPA exams become your prayer. If you knew how much God loved you, you would cry tears of joy. It is my wish that all unbelievers experience the love of God.

[suzzette1]

Thanks for your post 75 CPA . It is really inspiring. If being a CPA will make us to glorified God so be it!

Elsie and Ness I will pray for you for your FAR exam. We needed support from each other and we are blessed that we have faith in God!

ItalianCPA my prayers are always with you!

BEC 2/8/10 - 75 (studied hard & prayed less)
REG 5/15/10 - 88 (studied less but prayed hard)
AUDITING 8/9/10 - 79 (studied hard and prayed hard)
FAR 11/30/10 - 79 (studied hard and prayed hard) Thanks GOD! I'm DONE

[FARbehind]

People who don't go to church and pray are not “nonbelievers”. They just believe in a copletely different deeper way. They don't need an external show of their belief. I also think like italian cpa, it is disrespectful to pray to god for a stupid exam, even if it is cpa exam. There are much much more serious things in life than you taking these exams. Like your child in emergency room, war, people killed every day. Churches are built by people for people. If it makes you feel good to go there, just go. If it makes you a better person to believe that someone is watching you, believe.. As long as people are not doing evil things in the name of the religion, I have nothing agains it. To me, so far I didn't have to pray, thanks god.

aud,bec,reg-passed
far-->75 Done!!!!!
ethics-100

[LSU_BR]

I never pray to pass. I pray that God will grant me calm and that I will be able to apply the knowledge I have spent hours upon hours learning. My biggest obstacle is often myself. The anxiety when I hit the begin button is unreal sometimes. Either way, prayer never hurts.

@ FarBehind – you are getting close! I have been thinking about all of you. I know you, CPAWannaBe and ChaFay test in November. Sending all my positive thoughts your way.

AUD 95 (3/5/10); BEC 83 (5/28/10); FAR 71, 72, 74, 82 (10/16/10); REG 65,80(11/23/10)
ALL DONE 🙂

[whitesoxfancpa]

FARbehind,

My thoughts exactly.

AUD 96 FAR 95 REG 94 BEC 88

[Anonymous]

WITH all due respect it is only a non christian or unbeliever that u will ever hear tell u that it is silly to pray for a stupid exam. if the exam is so stupid then why bother ? this exam affects most people's life in so many different ways. it takes your time, money and even a toll on yr loved ones. it affects yr career , future and yr life in general.

anyway christians who read thr bible know that God expects us to make our concerns known to HIM and pray about all things. therefore it is line with the Christian precepts and faith to pray about very big things and also little things… infact one is expected top pray daily and cast yr burdens unto the LORD FOR THE LORD cares for us just like u would a loved one.

anyone who doesnt like this can kindly move on from this motivational topic as thr are so many other threads to comment on.. Study hard, pray daily and God bless.!!!

[tkemp6]

I've prayed before every exam, and as LSU said, I don't pray for a passing score. I pray for the strength to put forth my best effort, and use what I have learned to the best of knowledge.

As for what you are “supposed” to pray for, I look to the scripture.

Philippians 4:6

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

AUD- 74, 81, BEC - 73,82, FAR-82, REG- 77, and DONE!

[75 CPA]

I did not intend that my post about motivation and passing the exams to be solely about God. However, I am 64 years old and I have reached that point in my life where studying for the CPA exams was my prayer. All of you are aware that studying and taking these exams involve a tremendous amount of sacrifice. I offered my sacrifices for God's peace plan for our families and for the world.

I once tried to understand the bible so that I would have faith. That did not work. The bible did not make any sense to me. You must have faith in order to understand God’s word. Now the bible is coming alive for me and every word has meaning.

Our senses lead us to reason. Additionally, God made our reasoning ability to lead us to faith. However, we have short-circuited the process. Our reasoning ability does not lead us to God because our culture tears reason from its roots in God.

As you can see, reason has its roots in God. You may recall that the fruits of the Holy Spirit (God) are love, peace, wisdom, etc. However, that is not the way it is in the real world, is it? We live in a chaotic, unstable and evil world. We are more evil than at the time of Noah. If the origin of life is blind evolution, should we expect life to be any different than unstable and fluid?

Look at abortion. We murder over 4,000 unborn babies in the United States every day. Some on this forum would argue that abortion is “reasonable.” If man is reduced to matter, and therefore a thing, then it is “reasonable.” Reason loses its dominance and man has no other value than being an instrument of power.

God is infinite love. He loves you more than you can comprehend. If you knew how much God loved you, you would cry tears of joy. I know that I have felt God's love. Tears come streaming down my face and I cannot talk.

God wants to be your friend. We are His children. God wants to hear about all of our little concerns, even passing those awful CPA exams.

[potatogun]

Just my opinion here, but chaos is a beautiful thing….

Anyways can we get off this tangent and focus on things to help people pass the exam–which might be praying for some.

FAR 92 - AUD 91 - REG 94 - BEC 86

[2010Please]

75 CPA

Thanks for your words of wisdom…I certainly needed them this week – it has been a week where I've felt like throwing in the towel a time or two…but you have pulled me back from the brink. 🙂

Back to studying.

AUD 92, REG 85, BEC 90, FAR 85
Ethics 100
Obtained License 7/11/11 🙂

[Anonymous]

sorry but this thread or topic is on this tangent so why do we have to get off it?? if u are uncomfortable then move on to the next topic…why do folks think they can tell others what helps them in their CPA exam walk…? faith is what keeps majority of Americans and even others going, so those who are unbelieving should also respect those who believe…..thanks

75CPA pls keep it coming bcos these are hard times and from what we have read on here, some test takers are even losing hope so anybody that can keep hope alive is more than welcome….

PEACE!!!

[wishfulthinking]

I know that I am the one who has to study and do the grunt work for these exams, but without God in my life…there is no way I could get through this….the anxiety and overwhelming feeling of studying, putting life on hold, and going into these exams is more than I can bare….With God, I can study with a sense of peace and walk into that testing center with a confidence and feeling that I am not alone!

75 CPA – I know those tears that just come when you experience God's love and that is when I truly feel joy in my life. God is so good and without HIM I am nothing. I am not ashamed of my Lord, my Savior, my EVERYTHING!! Thank you so much 75 CPA for posting your motivational words and about your faith.

REG 85 | FAR 85 | AUD 88 | BEC 76!!! DONE!!!!

[suzzette1]

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

BEC 2/8/10 - 75 (studied hard & prayed less)
REG 5/15/10 - 88 (studied less but prayed hard)
AUDITING 8/9/10 - 79 (studied hard and prayed hard)
FAR 11/30/10 - 79 (studied hard and prayed hard) Thanks GOD! I'm DONE

[75 CPA]

elsie

Hope only comes from God, not from man. Worry about these exams is useless. Offer your sacrifices studying for these exams for God's intentions, not yours. If you are at the end of of your rope, and you cannot solve your own problems, put it into God's hands. Ask God for the strength to keep moving forward.

Your job is to answer a lot of questions on exam day. The rest is up to the AICPA. Get back to studying for the next CPA exam after you have taken an exam.

Never quit, no matter how long it takes or how much money it costs for review materials. The will to prepare for these exams is vital! If you do not pass an exam, look at it as a progress report and move on. 80% of those who do not not quit eventually pass.

[Author]

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