[Anonymous]

There are two obstacles we have when studying 1) to comprehend a concept and then 2) to actually commit the concept to memory. However, there are times when I am struggling so much with comprehension that I am worried I will never get to the stage of understanding and clearly recalling the concept.

I sometimes have to remind myself that I am not an idiot…some topics just require a 3rd, 4th…10th pass…but somedays it is quite discouraging.

*How do you pep talk yourself when you feel like you are struggling with a topic/concept? Do you have concepts that seem like they are not truly sinking in but time is running out?

[smp73]

I used to keep telling myself that I could do this, I mean repeatedly I would say “You can do this, you know this!” I also had a song for each exam…my pick me up/pump me up song. When ever I felt that I was not getting it I would listen to this song and tell myself that I could do it. Especially for my last exam, the pep talk I gave myself going in made the difference. 🙂 Sometimes you just have to convince yourself that you got this!

NYS CPA License # 113563
CIA: Done as of 2/15/14

Training for a half marathon post studying!

[Anonymous]

I yell at myself… A lot

[Anonymous]

Anytime i get burnt out from studying and just get overwhelmed by the whole process, i think back to a year ago and realize how far I have come and just keep picturing the day when i pass my last exam and how amazing thats gona feel!!

[evesocal]

I got exhausted / discouraged / pissed off on a regular basis throughout all the studying. Pissed off because it took up nearly all of my very limited free time, and also because I knew that a huge portion of the material on the exam is useless in real life. At least in my real life.

The best advice I got was, work the questions, work the questions, over and over and over.

Writing things down helped me a lot. I wrote down the steps in figuring out the pension benefit (or whatever it's called), journal entries, exchanges and other stuff which is rapidly leaving my memory lol.

Breaking things down into steps helped me to comprehend things that at first seemed impossible to grasp.

I did not spend enough time on IFRS but passed anyway. The strategy I used for all those freakin' IFRS questions was to think of it as more conservative than GAAP, less likely to let you deduct anything. I used that and guessed my a** off on those questions.

And in the end, I knew I'd never understand or remember everything. Some topics I was destined to get wrong, unless I just guessed well. At some point I stopped putting time into things that did not seem worth it. Like dollar value inventory. The concept was not beyond me but memorizing the calculation was not worth my time. I knew it wouldn't stick on the exam and would take too long. I decided the answer to any question about it would be C.

On exam day, stay calm, tell yourself you can do it. Try not to overthink it. Just move through the material, thinking calmly about each question. This is not beyond you. It's accounting, which you've studied for a long time. Some questions you will know easily, some will come out of left field, and many will be in between. It's the same for all of us no matter how we prepare. If you have absolutely no idea, pick C. Or do eeny meeny miny mo. Seriously. I know it sounds ridiculous but I did that with my first exam, BEC, and I got a 75. If that's not luck I don't know what is.

IMO it's good you are taking FAR first. Get it over with. All the others have much less material.

Best of luck to you, you'll get there. 🙂

B: 75

A: 77

R: 80

F: 81

Ethics: 84, 92 and done!

Licensed in California

B: 75
R: 80
A: 77
F: 81
Ethics: 84, 92 and done!
Licensed in California

[Anonymous]

Thanks…good stuff!!

…Studying for FAR made me question why I was even trying to be an accountant. I know a lot of people say that but I had pretty much passively thrown in the towel…I am a career changer and I seriously started racking my brain to think of what other career option I could pursue. I got over that when I began to realize that struggle is par for the course.

…now back to MCQ's with intermittent yelling breaks 🙂

[wizards8507]

This probably makes me a bad person, but pick somone you know who isn't all that bright but managed to pass the exam. If you start to get down, remind yourself that “if Joe can do it, YOU certainly can.”

NY CPA

[Anonymous]

Hahahah @wizards I do this on a everyday basis. Mostly for kids that I know that will eventually have to take it though. I usually think “If I can't do this these guys are completely screwed”

[wizards8507]

Lol it's the same strategy I use to stay motivated at work. “THAT guy is my ‘superior'? Really [employer's name]? Really!?”

NY CPA

[StephAV]

@wizards – YES! So totally yes! I think those things too!

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[MintsRGood]

@Wizards I'm right there with you!!! So funny because it's true!!!!!!!!! 🙂

REG: 75 DONE 🙂
AUD: 61, 71, 68, 92 DONE 🙂
BEC: 76 DONE 🙂
FAR: 72, 74, 79 DONE 🙂
Licensed Michigan CPA 🙂
-Some people dream of success...others wake up and work hard for it!!!
-The cowards never start and the weak die along the way!
-You better work, b***h!
-Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.-JFK

[peetree]

Oh Joe, why do you have to be so dumb?

Poor Joe doesn't even know it but hes going to be on the next set of Ninja CPA t-shirts.

“If Joe can pass, I CAN TOO!”

FAR 02/21/13 - 95
REG 07/02/13 - 87
AUD 08/02/13 - 94
BEC 08/30/13 - 85
Ethics Exam - 90

Illinois candidate awaiting his license

Used Becker Self Study | Ninja Audio | Becker Flash Cards | Ninja Notes | Wiley Test Bank

[Anonymous]

I'm beginning to realize that taking the CPA exams needs it's on 12-step program…every day I wake-up and recommit to the Everest climb of studying towards the goal of taking one more exam.

Here goes – 12 steps for CPA Exam Candidates

1. We admit we are powerless over the CPA exams–that our lives have become unmanageable as a result of sleepless nights and early morning studying.

2. We come to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to study one more day.

3. We make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of studying like Ninja Jeff suggests as we understand Him.

4. Make a searching and fearless inventory of our exam subject weaknesses.

5. Admitted to Ninja Jeff, to ourselves, and to another CPA candidate the exact nature of our gaps on the Forums…

6. We entirely are ready to have Ninja Jeff and all our fellow Ninjas remove all our defects of CPA exam understanding.

7. Humbly ask the fellow Forum CPA candidates to remove our shortcomings through sharing of their kind words and understanding.

8. Made a list of all formulas, weak subject areas, MCQs and SIMs we have gotten wrong, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Make direct amends to the Forum on our weak subject areas wherever possible, except when to do so would just waste our time.

10. We continue to take personal inventory on our understandings and when we were wrong, we promptly admit it to the Forum.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with Ninja Jeff's teachings as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to pass another CPA exam.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all CPA Candidates, and to practice these principles in all our affairs on the Forum.

Wisdom Truth and Funny you asked (WTF)…You passed another exam!

Cheers!

[Author]

Replies