[jeff]

Watch this Video (you will need to enter a valid email address for it to launch):

Official Rules:

-No purchase necessary

-Valid from 2/13/14 to 2/14/14

-Run by NINJA CPA Review, LLC

1100 SW Wanamaker, Suite 2

Topeka, KS 66604

-Three (3) iPad Minis (16 GB / WiFi / $299 retail price)

– Prize will be awarded via a $299 Apple Gift Card

-Winners will be selected using a RANDBETWEEN Excel formula, which will choose a random post within the thread. This post is post #1 and the final post will be the final post # in the formula.

-A posting of the winners will be within this thread by Monday February 17, 2014

-Void where prohibited

-U.S. Residents Only

-Must be 18 to Enter

-One entry per person. Participants with multiple usernames/entries will be disqualified.

Update – Winners: https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/ipad-mini-giveaway-x-3-official-thread/page/15#post-402516

[shmianco]

Do not forget to keep breathing!

Breathing is the most important.

With that kept in mind, do not panic.

Keep Breathing, and Do Not Panic – the rest is easy. 🙂

[shmianco]

Do not forget to keep breathing!

Breathing is the most important.

With that kept in mind, do not panic.

Keep Breathing, and Do Not Panic – the rest is easy. 🙂

[taxattorney]

The best advice I can give on the CPA exam, and well really any exam, is to follow the approach I took. This approach is what got me through to pass without an accounting degree the first 3 of my parts, fail FAR by only one point (with no financial acctg background) and pass it the second time. If I can do it given my background, anyone can pass if they just approach the exam the correct way. The key is to focus your studying efforts not on pure memorization but on understanding. Yes, some things will need to be memorized, especially for audit, but if you instead look at the material and try to figure out why something works the way it does rather than purely blankly memorizing what it is, you will be much better prepared for whatever random questions they throw at you exam day. Further, it is far less taxing and stressful to simply treat it as a learning exercise rather than route memorization and a happier exam candidate has a step up on the exam compared to the many miserable exam candidates. Additionally, knowing why something is the way it is helps hugely with sims in a way that pure memorization usually does not. While you may have a sim or two that you can answer from memorized material, the sims as a whole are more focused on your application of concepts which is greatly aided by your understanding of how they concepts work and why they work that way. So I guess that is the big piece of advice I would like to give- focus primarily on the question of why rather than simply what is.

REG- 89
BEC- 86
AUD- 92
FAR- 74,80
DONE!!

JD, MBA, Law licensed in two states and before Tax Court

[taxattorney]

The best advice I can give on the CPA exam, and well really any exam, is to follow the approach I took. This approach is what got me through to pass without an accounting degree the first 3 of my parts, fail FAR by only one point (with no financial acctg background) and pass it the second time. If I can do it given my background, anyone can pass if they just approach the exam the correct way. The key is to focus your studying efforts not on pure memorization but on understanding. Yes, some things will need to be memorized, especially for audit, but if you instead look at the material and try to figure out why something works the way it does rather than purely blankly memorizing what it is, you will be much better prepared for whatever random questions they throw at you exam day. Further, it is far less taxing and stressful to simply treat it as a learning exercise rather than route memorization and a happier exam candidate has a step up on the exam compared to the many miserable exam candidates. Additionally, knowing why something is the way it is helps hugely with sims in a way that pure memorization usually does not. While you may have a sim or two that you can answer from memorized material, the sims as a whole are more focused on your application of concepts which is greatly aided by your understanding of how they concepts work and why they work that way. So I guess that is the big piece of advice I would like to give- focus primarily on the question of why rather than simply what is.

REG- 89
BEC- 86
AUD- 92
FAR- 74,80
DONE!!

JD, MBA, Law licensed in two states and before Tax Court

[RKOller]

My tip would be regardless what review course you are using, go ahead and get the Wiley books. The current set is pretty good, and it sometimes helps to have the same material covered by a different writer. I especially like that they often show the T-accounts, which can really help if you're a visual learner like me.

[vin1209]

By completing all of the MCQs over and over, there are specific concepts that shine through.. if you can master those concepts, you'll be in good shape for exam time.

Happy Busy Season studying everyone!

[vin1209]

By completing all of the MCQs over and over, there are specific concepts that shine through.. if you can master those concepts, you'll be in good shape for exam time.

Happy Busy Season studying everyone!

[RKOller]

My tip would be regardless what review course you are using, go ahead and get the Wiley books. The current set is pretty good, and it sometimes helps to have the same material covered by a different writer. I especially like that they often show the T-accounts, which can really help if you're a visual learner like me.

[Anonymous]

My advise on the best study tip would be to rise early, go for a short jog or a run ( get that metabolism going for the day so you are not fatigued at all during the day), take a shower and start studying. Write down as much as you can during the first session. During the night, review what you studied and go over the MCQ's over and over. Understand your mistakes, and re-test yourself on them. Last, Relax during the last day.

P.S Try not surfing the net, and enable the website blocker on Google chrome, so you don't procrastinate.

[Anonymous]

My advise on the best study tip would be to rise early, go for a short jog or a run ( get that metabolism going for the day so you are not fatigued at all during the day), take a shower and start studying. Write down as much as you can during the first session. During the night, review what you studied and go over the MCQ's over and over. Understand your mistakes, and re-test yourself on them. Last, Relax during the last day.

P.S Try not surfing the net, and enable the website blocker on Google chrome, so you don't procrastinate.

[yanekmichel]

The most effective method I've found with the Becker material is to view the lectures and then do practice questions of previous material and then do practice questions on the section you just finished. And definitely do custom practices tests for the entire section (AUD, FAR, etc..) in short bursts (10 – 20 questions) and master the missed questions versus taking entire tests all the way through.

[yanekmichel]

The most effective method I've found with the Becker material is to view the lectures and then do practice questions of previous material and then do practice questions on the section you just finished. And definitely do custom practices tests for the entire section (AUD, FAR, etc..) in short bursts (10 – 20 questions) and master the missed questions versus taking entire tests all the way through.

[macd7788]

My career tip is to do something you really enjoy and have a work life balance. I am a Certified Financial Planner working on my final 2 sections of the CPA exam, talk about a lack of a work life balance. I get to interact with many people on a weekly basis and develop very close relationships with clients over time. Through my experience, you really see that there are some wealthy individuals that are completely miserable. Some of the happiest individuals I have worked with over the years were not wealthy by any stretch but enjoyed their family and their jobs. I'm not going to say that money can't help make you happy like other people may try to pass along but is working 90 hours a week and ending up divorced worth it? Your career is very important but always keep in mind what is most important to you. If you let your life be dictated by work and money, you may look back and regret the life you could have had. There are too many examples of people in the personal services industry, like financial planners, insurance agents, accountants, and others, that find themselves with plenty of money but no one to share it with. So when you are deciding between different companies or career paths, keep in mind what I have said.

[macd7788]

My career tip is to do something you really enjoy and have a work life balance. I am a Certified Financial Planner working on my final 2 sections of the CPA exam, talk about a lack of a work life balance. I get to interact with many people on a weekly basis and develop very close relationships with clients over time. Through my experience, you really see that there are some wealthy individuals that are completely miserable. Some of the happiest individuals I have worked with over the years were not wealthy by any stretch but enjoyed their family and their jobs. I'm not going to say that money can't help make you happy like other people may try to pass along but is working 90 hours a week and ending up divorced worth it? Your career is very important but always keep in mind what is most important to you. If you let your life be dictated by work and money, you may look back and regret the life you could have had. There are too many examples of people in the personal services industry, like financial planners, insurance agents, accountants, and others, that find themselves with plenty of money but no one to share it with. So when you are deciding between different companies or career paths, keep in mind what I have said.

[Anonymous]

My exam tip is to exercise each day before your study session. If you’re ‘lucky' enough to take the test a second time, study everything again as if it’s new and pay close attention to weaknesses from the first attempt.

[Author]

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