[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 🙂

[mitchmatch]

Regardless of this prize give away i love to share this tip with anyone that will listen. In all the exam, but with an emphasis in Audit, it is very rare to have a correct answer that states: The auditor HAS TO, the auditor MUST, the auditor WILL ALWAYS, the auditor CANT, these definite and aggressive words are always never the right answer. I used this tip and was able to eliminate usually 1 or 2 answers, leaving me with a 50% of answering even if it has to be a desperate guess. I feel this tip was a huge contribution in studying and my success on AUD, and i have seen this on other tests.

FAR-76 First attempt.
AUD-79 First attempt.
REG-79 First attempt.
BEC-79 First attempt.

Done!

BECKERS

[ibbysane]

Do not begin studying for the exam until you've committed yourself to taking it. It might sound simple, but you'll be surprised how much time will go by where you've had the exam on your mind but haven't had “enough” time to take it seriously. It may only be a mental hurdle, but it just might be the hardest one to jump over.

[cpa2bks]

Exam Tip(s):

Use different colors of ink to write notes. Whenever you change the subject of your note, change colors. Later you might have an easier time “seeing” that in your mind because first you might remember the color, which may lead to the structure and then finally the answer in your mind.

Study in different locations. I took my computer, calculator and a notebook to the library to study in 4 hour shifts. I was less likely to stop to play candy crush or check facebook when I imagined the people around me would “judge” me for wasting time. Be careful of people watching though. Other people do well in Starbucks, but I got too busy watching other people. Changing locations helped me, but also gave me more structure because I felt more committed to the time. I mean, I did drive all the way there. I better make it worth it!

REG - 85 (8/31/15)
FAR - 82 (10/30/15)
AUD - 84 (11/30/15)
BEC - 77 (5/31/16)

[Anonymous]

This applies to anything: If things get too challenging or stressful, take a breath, take a step back and evaluate what the next steps should be. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but it is a necessary skill to overcome stress and succeed.

[Me!]

CPA Exam Tip: This exam takes perseverance, keep striving for it. “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison.

[Anonymous]

[Job Seeking Tip] Most job offers come through networking. If you are in college, keep good relationships with your friends, mentors, and teachers. You may be asking and receive a job offer from them someday.

[Jay]

[Career Tip]: Take vigorous notes. Only you need to understand them. Look back to them when you need to. For example: I do all types of tax returns so I have files for each type of entity and every time I get stuck and find a solution, I'll add that to my notes. Not only can I remind myself when I forget, actually taking the notes will help you retain the information. Besides the notes, say yes to more work.. It will help you stand out and you get to learn more but don't take on more than you can handle. Know when to say no and know when to ask for help.

REG 82 (08/08/15)

[waijo]

[Career Tip]: If you're in the office a lot, make rounds! Meet up with your colleagues, no matter what service line or level, for coffee or lunch. I'm awkward and pretty shy, so I started with short 15 minute coffee meet-ups. Manager and partners are more “human” when you get to know them personally. Also, take lots of notes! And keep a running list of projects you're working on and accomplishments so it's easier to ask for reviews.

FAR- 76
BEC- 78
AUD- 60, 80
REG- 65, Feb 2016

[shamlax79]

[CPA Exam Tip] Make sure you take the exam as early after college as possible. Once you start working full time for a few years and have more responsibilities at work, it becomes much harder to focus on the exam and making the time to study.

[amax22]

Kill as many MCQ as possible and take notes on why one answer is right or wrong. Don't be afraid to ask others for advice or help.

[mdhardyman]

[CPA Exam Tip]

The best thing to do for studying purposes is to set your routine BEFORE you embark on studying for a section. Whether you're a morning person or an evening person, set your goals, follow the routine, and don't stray. It's a long process, but by sticking with a plan, you can do it!

Closer to Complete

AUD 60 58
FAR TBD
REG 76
BEC 84

[nsl51]

[Big 4 Tip]: Do not be afraid to send an IN-MAIL on LinkedIn to people working in the Big 4 and ask for potential referral. They all get referral bonus if you get hired (assuming experienced hire) and it goes on to their performance review if they are able to recruit quality people to their companies.

[EmilyKB]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Don't give yourself a break after graduation, just go right into studying. You don't want to be two years out of school and still studying, you have already forgotten more than you think!

FAR- 80 (expires in September, ahhhh!!)
AUD- 74, retake in April
BEC- 75
REG- 79

[MrThib22]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Be realistic with yourself and budget your time wisely. I've seen many of my co-workers stress out over passing and end up failing because they weren't able to relax. Too much stress and pressure will cause mistakes and errors. So breath! Relax! …… then get back to work.

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Make time for life, but not too much time.

[Author]

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