[mk4]

It was 18 months ago today that I passed my one and only section FAR. To think that I started studying for this exam back in February of 2011 blows me away. I know there have been many others studying on here for longer than this but I have watched my wife go from being pregnant with our son to him now turning two next month. I tell myself enough is enough but I just am finding it harder and harder to stick with it after so many failures. I don’t want to quit but I find that being away from my family and the things I enjoy is getting harder and harder to do. I wish I could just really buckle down and pass this exam but I feel ADD coming on each time I try to sit down and study. Does anyone have advice for staying focused on the end goal after so many failures? I guess I am just looking for a little push…

Thanks

FAR 67, 68, 77 Pass(Expired 8/18/13)
AUD 69,62,66,73,67,74
BEC 62, 71
REG 57

[Tncincy]

@Mk4

The question is Is Passing the Test important to you? It might take some of us longer than others but it is doable. How bad to you want to pass and add more value to your family. I know failure is not fun and hard to deal with over and over, but if you keep trying you may pass some other parts. So re-evaluate your materials, your plan, and your heart and start studying until you pass. If not for you, do it for your family. Come on give it another try :-))

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

[Anonymous]

I have not passed any single part yet but I strongly believe if a candidate can pass FAR, he can surely pass it all in time!

[sarita]

As far as curbing ADD in the short run, I think it's really helpful to give yourself a deadline every day and “rewards” for completing what you want to get done. For instance, I'll make plans with my boyfriend at a certain time so I tell myself all the work I wanted to do better be done at that point so I can enjoy the rest of the night. If instead, I don't make any plans and give myself an entire day and night to study, I end up procrastinating and not getting enough done.

Tonight, if I finish my MCQ's, then I'm going to let myself watch Breaking Bad!

Don't give up. Just take it each day at a time!

FAR 7/3/13 - 82
BEC 8/21/13 - 82
AUD 10/2/13 - 92
REG 12/3/13 - 88

DONE!!!! CA Candidate
Beat the 12/31/13 clock!

[Anonymous]

Here's my two cents.

If you keep going it may last another 3 moths, 6 months, or even a year. But eventually you'll pass.

But if you quit, you're going to have to live with it for the rest of your life.

[Anonymous]

I feel your pain but don't give up! If you can pass FAR, you can pass them all. Figure out what works for you and ADD and then do it consistently. Get noise cancelling headphones, find a study cave somewhere, add the flashcards to your phone, re-write your notes, do smaller blocks of MCQs and give your self a treat after each set. For example, I am going to do 25 MCQs on Module X and then I'm going go play with my son for 20 minutes. Quality and consistency trump quantity every day. Pick one exam and focus on it until you pass it. Then add the others to the rotation as you go. Maybe start with FAR again, take it until you pass, add BEC and AUD, take BEC at the first of the next window and AUD at the end, keep that going until you pass one of those and then add the last one to the mix. You will eventually get there…but do not EVER give up.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Do not let yourself believe that this is an impossible task for you. Don't listen to the voices. Teach your son some inspirational words, like “Daddy is a CHAMPION” and create a signal. When you are starting to feel down, give him the signal and listen to your biggest fan tell you how awesome you are!!!

You Got This…now go kick some CPA exam butt!!!

[overapplied]

I have ADD … it is tough to focus, I also find that if you get in the right mindset as for something you can have tunnel vision and focus on it to exclusion. A comment from a potential employer during an interview actually set my mind, on an overall level, how to focus for the exam. He told me that he could not understand why CPA candidates had trouble with the exams. That we needed to live like monks, study, and get it over with. So I sacrificed what time I could, without sacrificing the time I could spend with my family (I'm a father, similar situation my daughter is 18 months).

Instead I gave up… these forums we're on now (I'm only visiting at the moment because I'm waiting on the next grade), facebook, social sites, the Internet (in general if not CPA related), e-mail, little distractions during work. I moved study notes to inconspicuous spots so that I could keep thinking about concepts on a day to day basis. I've added audio lectures and notes for the travel time between work and home. I begin the morning with questions and concepts, and end the nights with readings, and concepts. Every now and then my wife will go visit my family, or hers, to give me more time to work on the exam. So far it has paid off.

I also have taken steps to document every small bit of studying that I have done by recording the statistics in an excel spreadsheet.

When reading if I felt myself drifting I moved to writing the notes out until the point at which my mind latched onto the concepts again.

I hope this helps… at one time I felt I was covered in a long tunnel that would never end. There is a light at the end (this may be wishful thinking… I still have to pass REG).

AUD - 75 - 07/06/2012
FAR - 72, 74, 82 - 05/30/2013
BEC - 84 - 01/16/2013
REG - 60ish, 84 - 08/16/2013

CISA - Passed

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this helps but you mentioned you have a son 2 months old. When my wife told me she might be pregnant (shes not) all I can think about I want to make my son proud to have a dad who is a CPA. And one day when he is asked what does his dad do, he will say my dad is a CPA. Having my son proud of what his dad does is enough motivation for me. One day your son will tell his peers his dad is a CPA and is a role model for him. Think of that moment and hopefully that will give you some motivation to keep working towards your goal of passing the tests.

[kmaahs]

Do you really want the CPA designation? Will it do alot for you and you family? Is giving up another year of your life worth it?

If yes, then ok. Buckle down. Change things up. What you did this last 18 months didn't work. So time for something new. New material, new study location, new study time, whatever you have to do.

You did it once. So you can do it again.

One thing I do on occasion is goto my family farm to work on my cpaexcel. Why? No internet, not even on my phone! It's much easier to stay focused when you have nothing available to distract you…

Good luck!

C.P.A.

[mk4]

Thank you to all for the kind words of encouragement and advice! I have REG next Monday so I am going to hit it hard for the next week and then move on to the next.

FAR 67, 68, 77 Pass(Expired 8/18/13)
AUD 69,62,66,73,67,74
BEC 62, 71
REG 57

[jkpoker1]

I imagine you work full-time and have a stressful life if you have a child and wife. Just keep plugging it out if the designation is that important to you. I haven't taken FAR but if you can pass FAR, you should be able to pass each section. I would just examine your study plan (maybe try to put in 2 hours a day 4-6 days a week and take 4-5 weeks to study for 1 section), or pay for a course such as Becker or Gleim. I honestly believe anyone can pass the CPA exam as long as they put the time in (obv everyone is different and some people will require more time to study). I failed my first section with a 74 and will prolly fail my next (Reg) but honestly I think quitting is a bad move. Good luck if you continue and honestly if you have a solid job and career path, maybe quitting the cpa route will be fine for you. GL

Quest to be a CPA

BEC-74 (7/13),
REG- ?? (8/13)
AUD-TBA
FAR-TBA

[fuzyfro89]

First thing you have to do is decide you want the CPA, otherwise you are wasting your time!

These are not exams you can take casually, especially if you work full-time and have other commitments. At the same time, you need to have the opportunity to give the required time for each section. Everyone is at a different stage and level of familiarity, but a new graduate can usually pass the exams with around 75-125 study hours for each section. Adjust this up or down depending on how quickly you learn, how far out of school you are, etc.

If it helps, having your CPA will open up a world of corporate accounting jobs to you which typically offer a solid work/life balance, benefits, and ultimately a decent compensation package. I urge you to remind yourself daily (even multiple times a day) what you are working for. It's easy to get discouraged because it's difficult, you're busy, tired, or whatever else. It's easy to be ENcouraged when you are reminded how useful the designation will be to your career (and in your case, family as well).

Good luck!

[ParanoidAndroid]

Quitting is not allowed, sorry!

You just cannot quit because everything in life is about moving forward and keeping the faith….

CPA for life...

[Author]

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