[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 🙂

[mdfritz]

CPA Tip – Read the Ninja Notes and do a lot of MCQ
Career – Do not settle for a job look for your career. Remember Big 4 is not for everybody. A lot of the “smaller” firms are better fits for more people and are usually more willing to work with you and train you instead of just putting you into a cubical. The partners for the firms are usually more available to talk with and are usually more than willing to help you.

[jmart75]

[CPA Exam Tip]

Take the exam late enough in the morning/day that you can get a little cram session in before. I wrote down all the formulas I struggle with and then as soon as I start the exam I write down those formulas on the provided marker boards. Also listening to the audio right before the exam helps.

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip] Always leave time for some small fun activity in a week or you will go crazy

[zonast]

my best advice is research why you got a question incorrect. if possible, answer the question without looking at the answers. after leaving the testing center…kill a monster steak burrito from the nearest hole in the wall. I so look forward to that burrito after 4 hours of blah….

[JAllen105]

[Busy season tip]: this can be applied to the exam too, but get plenty of exercise. It helps maintain energy levels and focus needed during year end. It can also be a great outlet for any frustration built up during the long days/nights.

BEC Pass
REG Pass
AUD Pass
FAR Pass

[Anonymous]

– Think of downtime as study time
– Study while commuting, on breaks, lunch hour, waiting in line or running errands
– Take advantage of the review notes and audio (10 to 15 minutes per day a few times a day ) reading or listening will make the material easier to understand

[cyurum]

CPA Advice: Getting back into study mode after failing a section could be extremely difficult but my suggestion is to take sometime to cool off; 2 weeks if you must, then get back at it. Keeping the end goal in sight is keep to not letting discouragement win the battle.

[leiae09]

CPA Exam Tip:

Make a one page cheat sheet for every chapter. Highlight the major points or even just the topics you continue to miss while practicing. Then re-read these notes over and over again until you basically have them memorized. When I get nervous on test day and go blank I can usually visualize where in my notes that topic was and it helps me remember. 🙂

AUD 75
BEC 77

[blcooper4]

[BUSY SEASON TIP] #1 advice I give to new hires is to make time for yourself. This can mean taking an hour before dinner to go to the gym, taking a coffee break and walking around the block, or leaving early one day a week to spend time with your SO or family. Also, make sure you drink enough water! I keep a five rubber bands around my water bottle at my desk and take one off every time I refill the bottle.

[Anonymous]

After reading a chapter of NinjaCPA/Becker/CPA Excel, take 100-200 multiple choice questions on that subject. Use Brainscape.com on the computer to copy and paste problem questions (on one side of the virual index card) and answers (on the other side of the virtual index card). On the answer note card include the correct answer along with explanation and also supplemental definition of the problem on your answer card. I used ninja mcq's (the explanation was at the bottom). Make different sections for each set of problem questions i.e. BEC-Operations Management, BEC-Strategic Planning, etc. and as you go through them, regardless of if you get the right or wrong answer read the answer explanation along with the additional information provided on the subject. This will allow you to pin point problem areas in each subject. You can download the brainscape.com app on your phone and it allows you to pull out and do mcq flashcards if you have five or ten minutes here and there. Note: On problem questions, read the entire explanation of the answer and whatever ever definitions you have included, it is very easy to attempt to memorize answers. Remember memorizing answers won't help you on test day.

[aly.marie88]

[General CPA Exam Studying Advice] Get a good nights sleep no matter what. If you're starting to freak out because your exam is coming up and you stop sleeping, it will begin to affect your health. Don't make it a habit for every exam because it could have more lasting effects.

[Gsotomayor]

My biggest piece of advice to anyone that is taking/ plans on taking these exam is to not get discouraged by how many times you have to take each one to get that 75. It is meant to challenge you and make you want to tear your hair out but remind yourself that you can do it! And if you are in an environment where others around you are also taking them never compare yourself to them. Everyone moves at their own pace and the less you worry about how quickly others are getting through the exams the more you can focus on passing yours 🙂 This isn't to say you shouldn't talk to them about their study habits and how they prepare for the exam because advice from one's peers can be great, but remember come exam day it's just you and the exam! (I also find that listening to awesome music while you study helps if you're hitting a stopping point! Best of luck!)

[Anonymous]

[CPA Review Tip]
If (and when in my case) you are feeling discouraged, I've found that it helps to pop on some podcasts and listen to others talk about the exam. Sometimes you start to feel that you are the only one who cannot pass the exam. It is very reinsuring to hear others talk about their short comings and ways they've overcome them. It is also how I found another71.com and have used the materials to help me along my journey!
Happy studying!!

Jake Earp
Boca, FL

[Anonymous]

My advice is to understand the way you learn and use materials that support that learning style. For me, I am an auditory and visual learner. In my studies I am using materials that work with that style of learning. Also, I believe working as many MCQs as possible and working to understand the problems you don't understand will help when it comes to exam day.

Andrea Garrard
Colorado

[jinu34]

Just started studying for the BEC exam with ninja MCQ because a friend who recently passed all parts suggested it to me. It is very very helpful in refreshing my mind with all the comprehensive subjects from previous courses taken in college. I have taken quite a break from studies and MCQ is kicking my ASS (in a good way). I have yet to see the results of this course as I hope to take my exam in the upcoming month. I will be sure to post again to share my results. As far as suggestions go, I have seen many helpful ones in the comments above. What works best for me is to study NON-stop going each section by section all throughout the day if I can. There are thousands of questions that you need to understand and familiar with before the exam and if everyone here says it works, it must be true! Thanks Jeff!

Brian
WA State

[Author]

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