[jeff]

Welcome to the “I Passed the CPA Exam” thread for CPA Candidates who are DONE and have their Life Back.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[Aleks]

After almost 3 years of fighting I am finally done!! I started out with Becker and failed 3 sections (FAR-65, AUD-72, and REG-63) before I decided to supplement with NINJA. I then passed AUD-78 and failed FAR-62 and then failed REG-69 and FAR-52 again because I reverted to Becker refusing to admit that it did not jive with my study method. I went back to NINJA and got me a pass in BEC-78 on the first try. I proceeded to fail again FAR-70 but passed REG-81 relying only on NINJA at this point. I quickly retested after a 3 week review but failed FAR-70 again. In a last ditch effort, I crammed again and finally passed FAR-80!

Over all I failed many times but kept at it and finally passed, hopefully this serves as some sort of motivation for someone struggling to not quit.

Over all attempts:

BEC: 1
AUD: 2
REG: 3
FAR: 6!

Luckily None of my scores expired because of the score extensions due to COVID-19 (Only good thing to happen out of it I guess), otherwise I would still be testing for AUD and BEC today.

A rough calculation of the total cost to pass these exams, including review courses and exam fees: about $9000.

Thankfully I will never have to go through this ordeal again. Now I'm off to play the waiting game with NYS on getting licensed in the middle of a pandemic.

Good luck for those still testing, and congrats to all those who have passed!

AUD - 78
BEC - 78
FAR - 80
REG - 81

Keep pushing through!

[Tncincy]

@Aleks, Congrats to you on passing. A long hard fight has paid off. Keep those fingers crossed for the rest of us. Please enjoy your CPA career 🙂

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[ssaetern]

After what seemed like an eternity (a little over 3 years), I am finally done. I was actually done in July but just posting now. I didn’t have enough accounting units so I had to spend about half a year going back to school after graduating like almost 10 years before. I first started with Becker because work was paying for it and I heard so many good things about it. However, I found out Becker wasn’t for me because I only passed BEC using it. So after it expired I decided to go with Roger. I found Roger more suited for me. His lectures were entertaining and his setup was almost like a college room setting; where he used a whiteboard to write stuff down. But his MCQs I felt were too basic. I didn’t pass any exams, but my scores were pretty close to 75. I then decided to supplement with Ninja. That combo allowed to pass AUD. For the other 3 exams I decided to supplement with Gleim. I didn’t have much success with the other three using Roger and Ninja; but again my scores were pretty close to 75. With the combo of Roger and Gleim test bank, I managed to pass. I did however had to take REG twice. I got the dreaded 74 on first attempt with that combo. Overall, I had to take it 15 times. I found Gleim to be very helpful. The MCQs and SIMs are a little bit more difficult. But because of that it prepared me better.

For those that are still on the journey, don’t give up. If I had a dollar for every time I wanted to give up, I would be a millionaire. If you put in the time and effort you will pass. Looking back I’m glad I didn’t give up. The long nights and giving up weekends to study was worth it. Now on to the next chapter of my life. In the words of Jimmy V. “Don’t ever give up…”

AUD - 78
BEC - 78
FAR - 85
REG - 83

So glad to have my life back!

[TeeJay1993]

I passed all 4 parts of the CPA exam on my first try each!! Just found out I passed FAR this past week, and I am officially done and can enjoy the holidays! Take it from me, believe in yourself and work hard, it will pay off. I honestly NEVER felt good coming out of the exams, and I passed each time. Don’t count yourself out. Looking back I would be easier on myself, but it all got me to this moment. Good luck to everyone who is still testing, I have faith in you! Time for me to catch up on much needed sleep and relaxation time!

—————————————————————————————————-
AUD 82
BEC 85
FAR 81
REG 87

[IraMartin]

I thought I would never be writing this letter. And I am finally doing it!!! I also want to help all those that felt like me. Stuck, confused, working so hard yet no results. Yes I know there are those success stories of people accomplishing it in 6 months and scoring in 80+. But that was not me. I had no idea what I got myself into. I am stay at home mum with bachelors in communications and no accounting degree or accounting work experience. I was just looking for some intellectual challenge and to have something solid in my hands after my children grow up. So I went back to school to take all necessary classes to sit for CPA exam. I was straight A student, always on a Dean's list, I figured how difficult can this be. Oh boy,talk about an uphill battle!!! What a brutal exam. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened to me in the last 3 years. I Started in January 2018 with Wiley, failed REG with 67, then REG 66, then FAR with 62, then AUD with 64. I decided to switch it up with Gleim and finally passed AUD with 75 in September 2019. That was followed with BEC 66 in December 2019, BEC 64 February 2020. Then figured lets go back to REG and I get 75 in June 2020. Fail FAR in October 2020 with 73, pass it in November 2020 77. And finally BEC in December 2020 with 75. Funny, all that hard work and I barely got by. My advice is simple : DO NOT GIVE UP. Big fan of Ninja's questions, and Sparring videos. I believe those had a lot do with FAR and BEC success this year. Gleim might seem an overkill for some but since I had no accounting experience or a degree I needed that depth. KEEP AT IT. It is a lot of material, you need time for that to start sinking in, do not be so hard on yourself. This is brutal. Do not cut corners. Try to UNDERSTAND as much as possible. I do believe luck plays a huge role. I have noticed when exam is geared towards my strengthens then I pass. If I see my nightmare topics in SIMS, its game over. I believe in drilling of mcqs. I did easy 20,000 over 3 years, no joke. This was hard. But as time went on, it all starts to make more and more sense. You will need some time to figure out what works for you – what style, what videos, what program. I do not believe it is Wiley's reason I failed first 4. I just did not learn enough. Give your self time and room for error. Now that continuous testing has been approved, it will be beneficial I think. Unfortunately, Michigan never approved it so I never benefited from it. My journey started on January 12, 2018 and ended January 12, 2021. Exactly three years from when I received Wiley package. Keep at it!!!
REG – 67,66,75
AUD – 64,75
FAR – 62,73,77
BEC – 66,64,75

AUD - 75
BEC - 75
FAR - 77
REG - 75

Winners will always find a way to win.

[CPAdreamer]

Finally done after exactly 18 months. The key to passing the exam for me, was to translate as much of the study experience into a work like setting. I used excel spreadsheets and onenote screenshots extensively in my studying. Think about being “comfortable” in studying in whatever form that comes for you. You can do this

AUD - 81
BEC - 78
FAR - 84
REG - 75

Just do it

[Professor Farnsworth]

I passed FAR on my first try. Used Roger only, no other supplements, studied for 2 months while working. The exam was hard but I felt prepared and knew the material well, Roger does a great job at preparing you for the exam and make you feel confident.

[Road2CPA]

Done after 12 months (including 1 retake)! I've enjoyed reading everyone's success stories, which has kept me motivated. This process has definitely been draining and then factor in a pandemic – which ironically kept me in the house and forced me to study since there was nothing else to do.

Congratulations to all of those that passed with this most recent score release! For those still going through this journey, do not give up. Also, use this forum regularly because you will get some great testing tips, encouragement, and help with questions tough MCQs and SIMs.

AUD - 81
BEC - 83
FAR - 75
REG - 75

Great things never come from comfort zones - Roy T. Bennett

[Club74]

I'm done! I can't believe it. It's finally over. Just passed FAR after failing it during the tough Q4 testing window with a 74. So excited to have my life back again. I don't have to feel guilty for spending time with my 4 and 1 year old girls anymore because I should be studying.

Good luck to those in the studying process. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to crawl through it Shawshank style.

Also, don't use “Club74” as your username. Use “Club75” or literally anything else. You're just tempting fate.

AUD - 78
BEC - 74, 79
REG - 79
FAR - 74, 81

Maybe I shouldn't have made my username "Club74"

[Tncincy]

Anybody finally finished this round of score release? even through the pandemic?

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Shelby]

My first post here although I have been a long-time observer in the forum. I created an account specifically to celebrate. Found out my score last night. I am officially done with this exam!! I passed all four sections two days before the 18 months of AUD (my first pass) expiring. I could shout from the rooftops. IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TOO.

AUD - 81
BEC - 80
FAR - 81
REG - 75

 

[unreachable]

Officially DONE!
This journey took me three years
English is my second language.
Some candidates take few months to pass and others take them a long time like me.
However, it is only your own journey.
I learned so much from these exams and it should minimize the gap between college education and real life experience.
I am thankful for Covid credit extension. Otherwise, it would have been a disaster to lose FAR.
Thanks to Becker, Jeff, Mick, and the ninja team.

AUD - 67, 75 

BEC - 69, 64, 80

FAR - 42, 64, 72, 73, 76

REG - 88

[Giwa]

I'd like to start by saying THANK YOU Jeff! Your CPA journey is similar to mine in that I had to learn to pick myself up after many tough losses. Knowing that you were able to cross the finish line gave me hope during really dark times. So, to make a LONG story slightly less long…I started my journey back in 2012 when I attempted my first Audit exam. At that time, I was underprepared and didn’t truly understand the intense nature of the exam. Needless to say, I received a poor failing first score. I didn’t realize at the time that it would be the first of many failures which would become exceedingly painful as I continued to pursue my certification.

Over the next 5 years I attempted the Audit exam 4 more times before I finally received my first passing grade on 12/19/17. It was at that point I became determined that I was going to pass all 4 exams no matter the costs. I failed my first attempt at BEC before passing with my 2nd attempt on 7/2/18. I felt confident that I had the right formula for success and looked forward to tackling REG and FAR. It was at this moment that my journey truly began. I studied a minimum of 200 hours before each exam yet continued to struggle with the REG exam. It wasn’t until my 5th attempt on 8/23/2019 that I finally passed the exam.

Passing REG was honestly one of the hardest things I had done in my life up until that point. I found the exam challenging but the most difficult part was trying to find a way to approach each attempt with the same level of enthusiasm and vigor I had after each heartbreaking failure. I felt my experience pursuing the REG exam changed me and helped to create a mentality that would translate into growth throughout my life. I found that I was better able to recover quickly from losses and setbacks and persist in the face of adversity and failure.

My struggles with FAR also showed evidence of growth. I realized my time was running out on the exams I passed initially. I put everything I had into every attempt I had at FAR, but every time I failed for some reason it wasn’t quite as painful. This certainly wasn’t because I didn’t care or became numb, but instead because of how focused I was on figuring out my weaknesses, retooling, and preparing for what I would hope would be the next successful attempt. It took me a total of 6 attempts before I finally passed FAR on 9/15/20. This was a great moment for me because not once did I ever think twice about moving forward after each failure. Despite people close to me who were aware of my struggles urging me to move on, I never wavered.

This CPA journey has been one the most challenging and character-building experiences of my life without question and has been intrinsically rewarding. Now, after 9 years, well over $10,000 spent on exams and study materials, and countless hours dedicated to achieving this goal, I had finally passed all 4 exams! Nevertheless, I set out to become a CPA and although I had passed all 4 exams 2 of those exams (BEC & AUD) had expired and would need to be retaken.

I had been using the NINJA program since the end of 2019. I found it to be intuitive and extremely helpful with understanding how to tackle the MCQ's. I credit the program with me FINALLY being able to pass FAR and then my eventual passing of my BEC and AUD retakes! I am now officially a CPA!!!!!! Through the most difficult experience of my life I found that having an irrational belief that somehow someway I was going to get there. I realized that for me that's the key to success, just knowing you're going to get there. Every obstacle in your way is just an opportunity to grow and gain a new skill that you can use in different areas of your life. I am so grateful that I have my license, but I'm even more grateful for the journey and who it has made me become. The journey truly is the reward. The advice I would offer someone struggling through the peaks and valleys of this exam process is…something has got to give, but it doesn’t have to be you…enjoy the journey!

Glad to be a real Ninja now! As a beloved former Patriot said…LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!

HIYA

My CPA Exam Scores:
FAR 6x (63,63,55,71,72,75)
BEC 4x (73,75*,67,85)
REG 5x (59,57,70,73,77)
AUD 6x (25,39,58,48,76*,78)
AICPA Ethics (87,82,95)
* = credit lost due to the “18-month rule”

"Ease is a greater threat to growth than hardship"

[CPAHOPE]

@tohibagiwa
Congrats on your victory! Your perseverance paid a big dividends! I hope to be on the victory side as well!

AUD - 78
BEC - 76
FAR - 80
REG - 77

FAR 80

REG 79*,77

AUD 78!!Final

BEC 76

"Theres no limit unless you allow it"

*expired

[Giwa]

Thank you! I'm as confident in you as I was in myself based on how many times you've picked yourself back up. You're clearly not giving up so its inevitable…you WILL get there. Looking forward to your Victory post!

"Ease is a greater threat to growth than hardship"

[Author]

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