[jeff]

Hey! The NINJAs are giving away 3 pair of Powerbeats 2 Wireless earbuds – your choice of color.

In the video, I said that they were $200-$300, but they’re actually $150-ish (the mall walker distracted me, I think and I was thinking of the over-the-ear headphones). SO … I’ll give away 3 pair instead of 1.

To Enter: Post your best advice or “tip” for anything CPA Exam or accounting related…it can be CPA Exam, Busy Season, Resume, Big 4, Interview, Getting Hired/Fired, etc. Please label your tip.

Example:

[CPA Exam Tip]: Always take the 1pm exam – never the 8am. You’ll have more time to study and there’s no risk of oversleeping

or

[Big 4 Tip]: During networking events – don’t be the dude throwing back the beers. Nurse it. You can pound beers later when it won’t matter if you make a fool out of yourself.

etc.

**Please do NOT post something like “buy company ____ and you’ll pass” … that’s spam, not a tip***

(Unless it’s NINJA – then NINJA spam is always welcome, encouraged, and appreciated.)

Who Wins? On Friday (1/29 – deadline to enter is 12pm Eastern), I will randomly pick three posters from this thread. I’ll use the RANDBETWEEN function in excel to pick the post(s).

No purchase required to enter…void where prohibited…must be 18 to win, etc.

I will also toss in a NINJA Audio of the winners’ choice – since it goes so well with the earbuds 🙂

One entry per person, please 🙂

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[dianoj225]

SHORT TERM MEMORY IS KEY!

Schedule your exam late morning/early afternoon. Get up at 6am the morning of, hop onto your PC, and just drill MCQs like a mad man for a solid 3 hours. What I do is a 30 question testlet from each categorical unit (i.e. Engagement Planning, Audit Evidence, Professional Responsibilities, etc.). And then top it all off with one last 30 question cumulative testlet. That way, you'll burn as much content into your brain prior to driving to the test center. Stay strong NINJAs!!

[Megan612]

[Career/Life]: Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. If you never ask, the answer will always be no. Whether it is a promotion, raise, job assignment, a puppy, etc. just ask for it. If the answer is no, hopefully constructive conversation follows and you have an idea of how to get it in the future. This advice has changed my life, hopefully it will benefit you, as well 🙂

[realguy30]

Firstly, it all comes down to what works for you. I started my CPA journey the traditional way; reading, taking notes, videos etc. After 2 months of study sat my first exam and got a 68. I later tried just doing multiple choice questions only and got a 79. In the end all that matters is what makes you understand the concepts. I kept doing the multiple choice questions, what I got wrong I would research it and then look for other ways the question can pop up. It worked for me.

[Dawn]

[CPA Exam Tip]: If you commute to work every day, get a cheap Bluetooth speaker (if your car does not have the capability to sync to your phone, iTouch, or MP3 player). You can listen to the Ninja Audios to help you study during those long commutes. I am doing this for my FAR section. I have a 45 minute drive one-way every day for work. I don't do it on the morning commute simply I am afraid it might put me to sleep. I do listen to it on the way home.

Another quick tip: Once you start, don't ever stop unitl you passed them all!

F – February 27, 2016
A – TBA
R – TBA
B – TBA

[acemonster]

MCQs, MCQs, MCQs. You have to do as many of these as possible. Listening to the lectures is ok if you are already doing the MCQs, but nothing helps more than banging out as many questions as possible. Make sure to eat a good breakfast and to follow a routine. Do not neglect every-day life (girlfriend, parents, work, gym, etc…). Most of all – this is just a test written by people. They can't write new questions fast enough. That means, it's beatable!

[jaredo155]

[CPA Exam Tip] Always schedule for the first exam on a Monday morning. You are coming off the weekend, so you are well rested and had plenty of time to study. Taking the first exam in the morning, prevents spending the first part of the day working yourself into a nervous mess. Realistically anything you would have studied for a few hours in the morning isn't going to make a difference anyway.

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip] Try to finish the CPA exam before starting you full time job. This will give you the opportunity to focus 100% on your career and not have to worry about going home to study, getting passed up for a promotion, or making less than your licensed coworkers.

[RunningRach]

[CPA Exam Tip] take one night off a week. The break will do your mind some good!

B-11/29/2015 68, 2/12/2016 82!!
A-10/23/2015 66, 4/18/2016 75!!
R-6/8/2016
F-8/7/2015 77!!

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip] Focus on understanding the material rather than trying to get through the material. Take advantage of any time you have to study. Even when you're riding the train, take advantage of on-the-go materials and study. Don't waste time.

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip] Begin your CPA adventure when you are good and ready to. When you can jump in with two feet and give this process the time it deserves (a lot). It takes a commitment unlike any other form of schooling one can go through. If the only reason you are doing it is because a third party is forcing it on you, your heart will not be in it and you will be just wasting time and money. Like most things in life worth fighting for, it comes down to how badly you want it.

[thatfigures]

Career Advice…list all your jobs on your resume, even the embarrassing ones. I was a bank teller while I got my MaCC degree and I put that job on my resume so I wouldn't show a job gap…turns out my boss had been a teller as well so that got her interested in my resume.
And one more piece of advice…always be nice to everyone you meet. A professor knew my boss and recommended me for the job.

[HTX12]

[CPA Exam Tip]: You know the montage in Rocky IV where he's out in the snow hauling logs and chopping wood while Drago is training on the finest equipment money can buy? Well, if you don't remember you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqwuYX3fZZc.

That's basically how I like to prepare for my exams. May not work for everyone though.

FAR - 85
REG - 68, 68, 89
AUD - 73, 89
BEC - 5/15

[My Phan]

[CPA Exam]: If you fail one part, retake that one right away. Don't wait until finish taking the other parts and retake that part since you will be forgetting all the materials.

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip]/[Busy Season]: If working in busy season and studying for the exam, be sure to take a night off from it all at least one night a week. This will give you a night to replenish and refresh yourself before diving right back in to work/studying.

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip][Busy Season][Big 4]: During busy season, try to do few MCQs per day and understand them inside out before you go to sleep. Once you wake up, look at the MCQs you missed the day before first thing in the morning. Never procrastinate.

[Author]

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