[Anonymous]

I am studying for REG, I have a problem… I have all this week to study while I am at work and I just cant do it! I get sidetracked, think of other things to do, etc. I always say I never have enough time to study but I think I really do, I just don’t want to study. My mind wonders and I just generally hate it. I will get started say yesterday and today, I have been working on Individual Taxation. I will start off good, watching Roger Cram and doing some Wiley MC and some SIMs. The SIMs always make me discouraged… I don’t like the long ones and I loose focus and say FORGET IT, and exit out. This is just my first of four exams… how do people stay focused and make them selves study for one much less four. I feel like I just know I am going to quit or just not study and my next exam in July 19th. 3 1/2 weeks away.

I just don’t know if I am able to accomplish this, I don’t have consistent time to study at work, I could study at night, but I don’t want to cut out my family time, I don’t want to study on the weekends either.

That’s just the problem I just don’t want to study!!….. SO now what? 🙁

[Anonymous]

Hire someone to do your job as a mother. I don't know how that would work but you have to sacrifice at least 6 months or a year to pass the CPA exam. Your situation is difficult, but I think your husband should help you out here and take care of the kids and the house. You shouldn't feel guilty or anything if you study instead of spending time with your kids or attending their school activities. You are passing this exam for them and to provide for them. Remember, it'll pay off at the end. Just because you are a woman doesn't mean you should let go of your ambitious because you have to take care of the kids. Maybe you can take time off from your job? Preparing for CPA while being a parent and full time worker is hard on men, so I imagine that is 10x harder on women since women are typically the ones who do 80% of kids and house work.

That being said, I do not know the details of your situation or husband or background. But, this is the best I can say to you.

[Meeekks]

If there's one thing that the CPA exam has taught me, it is to eliminate all “non-value adding” activities in my life.

[MaLoTu]

@Megan – You definitely need to set aside time that is for studying. I totally understand how difficult it can be to manage children and study. I have an 8 and 10 year old. They are on summer break now which is not helping me get stuff done!

I try to set deadlines for parts of the lectures and questions. Plus, sometimes just sitting down and starting is the only kick you need. Once I sit down and turn on my lecture or start my MCQ I can usually complete a task.

Are you busy everyday after work? If not, I would choose those days to dedicate 2 hours to studying. Buy dinner those nights. Your kids are big enough to understand that you need this time. You should really try to invest 6-8 hours on Saturday or Sunday. If you do this you should be able to take one exam per window.

If you cannot or do not want to sacrifice you are not going to pass. You need to evaluate your situation and figure out if the CPA is really going to add value because to me it sounds like it is going to take more than give.

[taxgeek83]

I have always loved @mla's story along with other stories like hers – I was single/no kids when I took the exams and still had a hard enough time sitting down to study. And my only reasoning was that I simply just didn't want to, not because I had other obligations to fulfill/work around.

My best advice to you – If you really want it, you'll find a way. It will take some sacrifices, late nights and early mornings on your part, but it's doable. Make sure your study time is quality time though – quantity is not necessarily the most important thing. If you hate the long SIMs and find that that's the reason why you aren't getting your time in, focus more on MCQs or shorter SIMs. Either way, find a study method that works for you and go for it. You might have to tweak it a bit over time, but with enough determination it will all come together. And then you'll have a sweet comeback for your kids next time they say they don't have the time or energy to sit down and do homework. 😉

[Anonymous]

I am a married dad with two children ages 5 and 3. I work a lot of hours at a public accounting firm. I have been here a few years and my desk is always on fire. There is absolutely no way I can study here, even if it is before or after office hours or on the weekends. If people see me here they will bug me about projects or try to chat…

My first three scores were 74, 72 and 71. I blew almost one year studying while I got those scores. Then I decided to step it up.

What I did different that worked:

1. Followed the NINJA advice from Jeff. Hit the MCQ like crazy, read and re-read the Ninja Notes and watched Blitz and used the Audio as much as possible. On my recently passed AUD retake , I did almost 3,000 MCQ over a period of 5 weeks. For my last exam FAR, I plan on doing 3,000 questions over 7 weeks. I have it spaced out to where I need to hit 70 questions per day at my current pace and progress level. I typically do 40 in the morning and 30 at night.

2. Instead of studying late at night / fighting to stay awake, I leave the house at 5:15 AM every day of the week and study at Starbucks. I repeat, every day of the week. I wrap up studying and head to the office at 8:00AM.

3. I shower, shave, get my clothes ready at around 9pm at night and then do one more hour of studying before I go to bed.

Making these changes, I have passed 3 times out of the last 4 tests that I've sat for. And I see my kids after work , in the off season.

I should also note that I have my house listed for sale, so it has to look perfect at all times. I have to pitch in and keep things perfect. I spend a lot of time helping the kiddos, going to Kung Fu, bathing them and having fun with them. On a side note I send my wife to the spa regularly , that helps a lot.

[ncjm304]

I think the first thing you have to do to get motivated is to tell yourself why you are studying. I don't mean this in a critical way, but based on a little of what I read above, it does not sound like you know why you are studying or know what the key motivating factor is for you. For me, I always know what it is. I know that I can't become a partner at my firm without it. Right now, at this point in my life, that is exactly what I want and what I am aiming toward. It keeps my motivated to study. I also know I have people depending on me and that pushes me through. I am in the middle of not wanting to study myself (hence why I am on here). Being unmotivated at certain times is totally normal. When I am on a roll and feel motivated, I can go hours on end studying. You need to find out what motivates you and keep that in your mind when things get difficult. Like others have suggested, write your goals down.

I think you also need to set yourself realistic study goals for every day of the week. I will be the first to tell you that I fall behind on my study schedule all the time because of work and other commitments. But you have to make up the lost time somehow. Set yourself daily study goals. If you don't meet your goal for a day, make sure you make up the time. Hold yourself accountable. I think you will be able to do that with daily study goals and it will help you feel like you're making progress.

Don't let yourself get discouraged. You can do this. Like you said, if you quit, you will regret it. Don't let the exam get the best of you. Study efficiently and at the times of day that work best for you. You will have to make sacrifices, but everybody does while taking these exams. I could not tell you the last time I had a full weekend just to relax, hang out with my girlfriend and dogs, and not have to worry about work, studying, or both. Would you rather be miserable in the short term while passing these exams or miserable long term either a. regretting that you gave up on the exam or b. constantly failing because you aren't making the sacrifices you should or putting in the amount of time and effort you know you are capable of?

AUD- 71,79
BEC- 72,77
FAR- 83
REG- 63,71,83

DONE!

[sdguy]

You think because you invested a lot of money into the study materials, that makes you serious about this? No.

You are serious about it when you sacrifice for this, like everyone else has. If it were easy, then every accountant in the world would be a CPA.

The cold hard truth is, you don't really want it. You need to face the reality of the situation. If you're unwilling to sacrifice, then you don't deserve it.

AUD: 83
FAR: 77
REG: 86
BEC: 86

[nika_cpa]

Just to inspire you, here are my 2 cents. Got my bachelors in Europe 15 years ago. English is not my native language. Leave in US for about 12 years. I have 3 kids (10, 8 and 3!). I work full time in public accounting. from 2011-2014 I somehow managed to complete my masters degree, have my 3rd baby and pass all 4 sections of CPA exam within 12 months period. Yes, I did fail few sections on my first try, but I didn't give up, studied harder and was able to pass.

For AUD I woke up at 4;45 AM and studied in AM. I took 1 week off prior to each exam to study full time. I always studied at least 2 hours each evening. During weekend I tried to study as much as I can. It is doable if you really want it!

Becker self-study, Wiley Test Bank and books, Becker final review. NINJA MCQ bank and NINJA notes for BEC only!

AUD - PASSED!
FAR - PASSED!
REG - PASSED!
BEC - PASSED!

[Anonymous]

Download Jeff's CPA Survival Guide and read it. It's free on this site and will only take 10 or 15 minutes to read.

The quote that sticks with me the most and sounds like it applies to you, and I'm paraphrasing, is: “You want to be a CPA but you don't really want to be a CPA.”

The exam and the CPA designation is not for everyone. You need to decide if you can commit to the process. Thousands of people who came before you made sacrafices and made a deep commitment to passing the exam. We decided that it was important and we did what was needed to accomplish passing. You need to ask yourself if you're willing to do the same. Like I said above, the CPA designation is not for everyone. And there's nothing wrong with deciding it's not for you. If you do decide that it's worth pursuing, you just need to be ready to commit to the exam and to the process.

[ChristieF]

You just have to buckle down and study. I have a 7 and 2 year old and am the girl scout troop leader… now that its summer, it's the best time to take advantage of studying because there are usually less activities. I understand, believe me-I do, that you don't want to study on the weekends and take away from family time, but if you really truly want this, you will have to at some point. My husband works weekends so I can't just leave since I have the kids… but I will go sit outside and let them play in the sprinkler/water slide while I soak up the sun keeping my eye on them and getting some studying in. Something is better than nothing, if you are able, go to the library as soon as it opens for 4 hours on Saturday, or go super early to a Starbucks or something to that effect. You're going to have to sacrifice some family time, but if this is truly what you want, it will be worth it. I had a hard time studying at first because I've never had to study for anything ever, but I realized that it was worth the sacrifice if I wanted this so bad. Sit down with your family and explain you need their help and support to get through this. My 7 year old helps out alot more with her chores since she knows mommy doesnt have time to do it for her if I'm studying. It's amazing the kind of support you get from your kids if you talk to them about it. Good luck!

[golfball7773]

I would love to have my weekends free but I find that half of the weekdays my mind is burnt from working and my studying is not as good.

On the weekends, I try to get 4-6 hours done in the morning/afternoon while my mind is fresh – I find the weekends to be my most productive study times

FAR: 63, 55, 62
REG: 65, 77*
AUD: Fail, 64, 71
BEC: 72, 74, 81

*expired

[Tncincy]

So Megan, What did you decide? are you better today?

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

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have less than two weeks before my REG exam (July 19th) and I plan on finishing my Roger Cram Course, Working through 100- 150 MC a day off of wiley test bank and listen to my Ninja Audio on my commute which is about 40 mins now. I took a little time off to regroup and get motivated to study and now for the next two weeks I am going to buckle down and study with a frenzy!

[Anonymous]

It is so hard to stay motivated with kids and work. I am struggling now to get back to REG. I wake up at 4:30 to get to work at 6 so I can study for 2 hours but this week I have spent that time WORKING, ugh!

I understand your struggles with the kids, I have dealt with that twice before. I walked away from the exam process years ago and also 2 years ago. I finally just told my family enough is enough, I have to do this. Like you I have older teens and my baby is 10 so its a little easier now than it use to be. My son was not signed up for baseball this year so I could commit. I study early and all weekend long. I can have my life back when I finish this.

Good luck!

[Author]

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