Actually, it was a 16 point increase because I got a 73 before that 61. After I got a 73, I was like, “Oh wow, only 2 more points to go. Only a little more studying and I should be good!” So, I only studied just a few extra hours and thought I could pull off a 75. Nope, got a COMPLETELY different exam the next time around and I was in shock. So, bam! 61!!
I took a break for a few months to think things through and figure out if Accounting was the right direction for me. After my break, I came to the conclusion that I definitely wanted to be a CPA. So, I decided to study from scratch and aim for a 99 this time, not a 75. I rewatched all my Yaeger lectures and took notes. I started studying again as if I was taking the test for the first time. I would study 3 hours a day on weekdays and 4 hours a day on weekends. Did nothing but watch lectures, take intense notes, review lecture and do practice questions. When I found myself getting a lot of practice questions wrong on a particular topics, I would go over my notes again and teach myself the material again from scratch. When I found certain topics starting to slip away from my brain, I went back again and started going over my notes and reviewing. It was a painful process, but it obviously worked. Keep in mind that after all that studying, I still found my FAR exam to be brutal. I was in agony as I was taking the test and when I walked out of Prometric, I wanted to jump out the window. But since I scored an 89, I obviously did better than I thought and I know it was because I worked A LOT harder this time around.
I may consider putting back my exam dates in my signature so people know exactly how long I was taking this exam. I originally had them there, but since I ended up taking this exam so many times (11 times total), my signature was getting too big, lol. But for purpose of giving some encouragement to others, I may add them back.
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