[John Doe 15]

One issue that I’m having a hard time getting a concrete answer for is regarding any correlation between recent undergraduate accounting/business coursework and then jumping into studying for the CPA exam.

I’ve been out of school for three years and I pursued an entirely different career. I want to come back to accounting. I have a BS in accounting with 159 credits but no work experience in accounting. I was recently certified by NASBA to sit for the exam and I registered for BEC. I’m going to use the Gleim review which I will start next week.

I just don’t know what to expect with this going forward. I’m highly motivated but I want to make sure I’m doing this the right way. Do these “review” courses assume you know nothing or are they assuming you are already coming in with a decent amount of knowledge?

Just want to see what you guys think of a situation like this. I’m not working right now so I’m trying my best to pass all four sections on the first try in 12 months.

Thanks

[Earla Riopel (NYCARE)]

What's keep me going on taking US CPA exams? My Accounting background, 2000 taxation season job at one of the Big 4s, and being a former student rep for Becker, and most of all my family.

My background:
April 1982-graduated HS (86% Average)
Oct 1985 – graduated with BSCommerce, majored in Accounting. (84% Average)
1989 – Computer Studies Certificate – 6 months – part-time
1993-2000 – former ICABC courses(newly CPA-Canada), courses only – on/off
1999-2002 – Completed UBC-DAP – on/off; some exemptions from BSCommerce/ICABC courses, taken min req. for credential.
1999 – Passed BLaw (currently called BEC)
2008 – Passed AUD
2009 – Passed REG
1995 – Present – Always doing accounting/tax/finance/FS review related work, paid and unpaid, mostly on part-time basis.
1997 – Present – AICPA/NASBA – US CPA candidate – on/off.
2017 Q3 – Passed AUD, again. Racing the clock with the 18 months threshold, again.

So basically, I have been going to school most of my life, on a part-time basis. Was it worth it? Sure. What else are there to keep busy until retirement?

Always love learning new things, especially investments, tax savings, personal financial planning, and building up a little wealth, enough to retire on, and a little left to pass on to the kids, once we're gone.

Most CPA exam materials are fine, if you actually put your time on it. As long as you know your basic foundation, you can easily jump back on it, even you're away for 20-30 years.

Also, most review materials are designed for those who have been away for awhile. As long as you put the time to study, passing becomes easier. It takes time to become a good test-taker, so don't get discouraged if you don't pass the first time, your time will come.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

@PNS2CLT – I was hesitant about posting that link for what you pointed out, but echoed the same sentiment as @Defo.

Interpret the information how you want, my point is that @b694515 is not alone in that they waiting for a few years after college to sit for these exams. These statistics show what age group studied enough and which did not and that is the largest determining factor of passing. I'm sure there are plenty of explanations as to why one age group studied sufficiently more than the other.

[Anonymous]

@b694515 – I'm sure Gleim will work fine. Many users have passed using Gleim. If you find their materials lacking, try supplementing with a Ninja package.

[Author]

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