[jmjones4]

Hey,

I am just curious as to what the percentage is of people who pass this whole thing the first time? I know its pretty low, but I just wonder if anyone has an actual number of the people who only take each part once.

Thanks!

BEC - 79; FAR-79, AUD-80, REG-80

HOLY CRAP I DID IT!!!!

[LSU_BR]

Since passing the exam in December 2010, I have not posted here although I drop by from time to time to check on Allyson (aka CPAWannaBe). I CANNOT understand why anyone fortunate enough to have this process behind them would ever come back for here for the sole purpose of knocking other people down. My mom always taught me to be careful of how you treat people on your way up because you may see them again on your way down. Just sayin'

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 🙂

[JamaicaBro]

Well I passed all papers on my first attempt individually and I am not going to tell anyone that this is an easy process. In fact people who express to me that they want to do the exam, I warn to not to start unless they are ready and able for the commitment that is required. My only response is to challenge @TheREAL_CPA_test is go take all 4 papers in the current format in 2 consecutive days and I would love to see those scores lol. I can bet the scores would be nowhere near the required 75 lol for any part.

[Thefacta]

Hahaha, there is no way “The Real CPA Exam” is actually a CPA. It is almost amusing how horrible his points are and how ignorant he is. In order to take it back in the day took a few days of *memorization* and then spitting it all out at once. Now, you really have to *comprehend* the material. I've had a dozen 50+ CPA partners tell me there is no way in hell the paper exam was ever harder then the current exams, how could this “3 year controller that blah blah blah implemented erp blah blah” think this way? This one is to you, dumbass! Cheers

REG - 81 (2/2)
BEC - 87 (2/28)
FAR - 76 (4/18)
AUD - 75 (5/20)

[Anonymous]

Excuse me TheREAL_CPA_test, you cannot comment about the difficulty of the old v. new formats unless you took the exam under both formats. If you passed under the old format I really doubt you took it under the new format. I did take the exam under both formats so I think I can respond with some knowledge.

Quick refresher: under the old format if you made between 70-74 you were re-graded up to 75 or down to 69 and you had to pass 2 parts the 1st time to “condition” and only have to take the remaining two. If you passed one part, you had to retake all 4 parts. I made 75-69-69-69 the four times I took it. I passed each part once but got no credit. I also took the exam 4x under the new format & passed each part the 1st time I took it.

I can tell you this without a doubt: The new format i way more difficult. Much more specifics, much more detail and more questions to answer. The old format had more time so the new format is that much more rushed and time is more of a factor. I will say the old exam was harder physically with 2 days of testing but that's it.

I studied much more for each section of the new exam than I did for all 4 parts of the old exam total and yet I almost passed it before. You do the math. I honestly think that if I had studied as much for all parts the old exam as I did just for BEC, I would have passed back then.

In closing, Mr. TheREAL_CPA_test, stfu.

[RustyGator]

I've passed the Bar Exam already and am now taking the CPA…let me tell you, the CPA is HARD!

Overall, I think the CPA Exam is more of a challenge. While the material for the Bar is harder, the volume of material for the CPA is worse. I've put in so many more hours studying for the CPA.

As for passing, got the Bar on first try and am 3 out of 4 on tries for the CPAs (1 to go). The nice thing for the Bar is the pass rate for most states is above 75% on first try and the whole exam is done in 2 days (about 3 months studying) and doesn't eat you up for a year or more taking 1…exam…at…a…time.

REG: 90
FAR: 73, 86
BEC: 77
AUD: 73, 79

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the insight @brla and @RustyGator!

[kandisjoy]

@ TheREAL_CPA_test – nice job trolling. Seriously, I don't think I could have played arrogant, ignorant and ridiculous better if I tried! Thank you for the show. 🙂

My boss is a CPA/Controller and he is constantly asking me questions about SOX, IT stuff, etc. He took the paper format test and he recognizes that I'm learning things that he didn't have to when he took his exam. I respect that he passed a while ago and has more experience than me. He has still complained to me that he had to pass two sections at once, had to take the whole thing at once, etc. But I think that we both respect each other's achievements because we know that CPA = CPA, paper test or electronic test. We're both hard working and dedicated, and that's what the CPA exam really takes.

The real bond between CPAs is the sacrifices we've all made to pass this exam. I'm so grateful to have all of you along side me in this journey! Well, except for TheREAL_CPA_test maybe.. 😉

FAR: 71, 77
BEC: 70, 82
AUD: 62, 78
REG: 71, 68, 85

CA Licensed 11/2011

[herbert7890]

I'm now a licensed CPA (Passed all on first try) and would never treat CPA candidates with disrespect, no matter how many times the exam format changes or how they struggle on a particular sections. This is one of the hardest (if not the hardest) professional licenses to obtain and the exam is a real barrier of entry to “the club”. Also, I will never rub it off that I passed without failing a part because I consider that insignificant, since a CPA = CPA. The president of the Puerto Rico Society of CPAs told me he failed the exam twice (old format) and he is truly a genius. This is exam is all about sacrifice, struggles, patience, hard work and persistence. If we want it bad enough, WE WILL all be CPAs someday.

FAR 88 - BEC 86 - AUD 90 - REG 85

[Anonymous]

Repost: I placed this in another thread and felt it belonged over here as well.

If the test were soooo much easier these days then I wonder why the head of the accounting department at my university(and former dean of the business school) was so adamant I take the cpa exam back in '03 when I graduated? I recall him trying to tell me it would be getting progressively more difficult to pass down the line and that the newest round of changes right around the corner (back then) would be making the thing a whole lot more challenging to pass. For the record realcpatestroll: My former professor's dossier of writings in international accounting publications ALONE makes all of your “accomplishments” appear to have been produced by a droopy, armless child.

And for what its worth:

“In the next 12 years, according to Friedman’s estimates, 75 percent of all CPAs will become eligible for retirement.” – cpatrendlines.com

That tells me the baby-booming curmudgeons who passed it back in the day HAD IT MADE compared to those taking it today. OTHERWISE, we'd not have so few CPA's filling that huge void.

Suck on that CPA-holes!

[RockyB]

Success is not measured by where you begin……….but by where you end that matters.

True when you run a marathon to the finish, as well as when you take the exam.  What you do with those credentials is what it's all about…….

[johncuse]

I did it =)

BEC - 11/28/10 - 83
REG - 02/19/11 - 94
AUD - 04/01/11 - 97
FAR - 05/09/11 - 88

[Youngbizman]

Hate to bump an old thread but just thought I'd add a couple of points for anyone who seeks this out as it is the first result when googling first time cpa exam pass rate.

My Mother passed the old CPA exam some 20+ years ago. As of this week, I also have now passed the CPA exam. She looked over my study materials various times and admitted flat out that had they had to deal with all of this information, the pass rate would have been nearly zero. It is quite ridiculous to compare at all considering the fact that things like Information Technology and SOX were not even feasible concepts years ago. But there was one point that really stuck out to me. I remember sitting through audit thinking wow, had I not done a full review course I would have had absolutely no chance at this. And this is coming from a college degree where we had three full classes dedicated to auditing and internal control (from a D1 school with a accounting programmed ranked highly in the state). My mom happened to mention that many people back when she took it, would sit right after college and pass all four sections by reviewing school materials. Now I can only speak for myself, but I believe many others can vouch that if we tried to go straight from college and take the exams based off of our degrees we would probably be seeing 30-60% on most sections. I openly admit this as someone who averaged a 91% of all four sections. Of course there will always be those who are just incredibly intelligent and talented, but they are few and far between. The fact that they did not need a review course and that their degree was enough speaks volumes, in my opinion, to the differences of now and then.

[yankeeaccountant]

@Youngbizman,

I remember reading this post way back. I thought your comments were interesting. Thanks for sharing your Mom's perspective.

And congrats on REG and being done. Yahooooo!

[Givemesleep]

@the real CPA-test: It's all hard past and present. Comparing the old test with the new one is like comparing the notary to the bar exam. Go sort some checks.., I know what you old timers do, delegate all the hard stuff. Pencils, what a joke you guys have no idea.

Reg 11/15/2011 - 80
Aud 02/28/2012 - 81
Bec 05/31/2012 - 78
Far 08/31/2012 - 83 Do you believe in Miracles, YES !!!

CPA License received 10/2012 !!
CFE License received 04/2013 !!
EA License received

Givemesleep

[Minimorty]

@giveme – that dude hasn't logged in in over 9 months. He probably isn't going to get your message. Lol.

[Author]

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