[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 🙂

[If I can, u can too!]

1. Solve lots of problems and when you do them, think about what they're trying to teach you.
2. Read the book on your own (I had benefited getting few points by doing this b/c they sometimes test on topics each review does not cover)
3. Make your own recording of your formulas/notes and listen to them on your way to work (this will save you ton of time and help you to memorize formulas and concepts) <- this was quite helpful for my REG study.
4. I recorded the hours I put in each day so I can be honest with myself. I'd say anywhere between 15-20 each week is decent if you're working full time. You can easily put in 3 hours on a weekday (1 hr before work, 1 hr during lunch and 1 hr after work)
5. Use the discussion forum here to bounce off concepts, troubling questions, etc
6. Read/use the relevant authoritative literature: ASC for FAR, IRC for REG, AU-C, PCAOB for AUD.
7. Do whatever you need to stay motivated (pray, watch motivational youtube, etc). Don't give up EVER.

Licensed CPA since Apr 16
Order in sequence of passing
FAR-71,71,79
BEC-80
REG-72,77
AUD-56,72,72,72,80! Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord!
FAR/BEC/AUD: Becker & Yaeger lectures (Wiley & Ninja MCQs). REG: Becker lectures (Ninja MCQs).

[Knight4CPA]

[CPA Study Tip] – Rewrite Rewrite Rewrite! I read the book Managing Oneself and it really makes you think about what learning method works best for you. Beethoven had hundreds of sketch books that he would write down his learnings and never return to. It was simply writing it out that made it stick for him. My tip is whatever CPA knowledge you are struggling, rewrite it as many times until it becomes obnoxious and sticks. Extra Tip – I did this for memorizing my company’s Mission statement, 250 digits of Pi for extra credit to pass higschool math, all 101 dalmations for a prop bet and the formulas to pass BEC !! #Rewrite 

AUD: 70, 80✔ (Expires 1/18/2017 - / Ninja MCQ / CPAExcel MCQ)
REG: 61, 70, 75✔ (Expires 2017 - Ninja MCQ / CPAExcel MCQ)
BEC: 78✔(Expires 5/17/2017 - Ninja MCQ / Becker Flashcards / NinjaNotes)
FAR: 57 (just to get trigger time I scheduled 1 week after REG) Retake 5/13/16

[golfball7773]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Don't eat Taco Bell before your exam. You don't want to waste precious time regretting your unhealthy choice of food……

In all seriousness, eat a healthy meal before your exam so you are more alert and focused!

FAR: 63, 55, 62
REG: 65, 77*
AUD: Fail, 64, 71
BEC: 72, 74, 81

*expired

[simsy808]

[Exam Tip] Take the exam at a time when you are most productive. For instance I am much more productive in the morning hours than in the afternoon so I do better with an 830 am exam time. I found that it helped me tremendously.

AUD - 53, 76
FAR - 58, 60
REG - 65
BEC - 74, 76

[Key522]

[Interview} Be yourself and be honest. Trust me in the long run it makes a big difference.

BEC Feb 2015 68 - rematch Apr 2015 - 84
FAR July 2015 77
AUD Oct 2015 74 Feb 2016 71 April 2016 85
REG Jan 2016 67 July 2016

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Always make a personalized study plan for each exam. That way you'll hold yourself accountable and stay on track.

[tuanxn]

[CPA Exam Tip] Leave two weeks for a review phase and do sets of 30 MCQ's (preferably 3 sets each day) to mimic the exam testlets. Turn off all distractions, put away all notes, and pretend that you're actually taking the test during those 30 MCQ sets. This will help with your pacing and easing exam anxiety.

[alboreland]

Exam Tip- Remember to review the basics. In my experience, I have spent alot of time studying the complicated material that I was stumped on a simple one line question with a one word answer.

Now i always go back to the basics when reviewing, especially the day off, and it has helped me alot.

[okcpa2015]

[CPA Exam Tip]

Make a single study sheet the night before your exam that is to the point and includes topics that are common and that you struggle with. Use it the next day to review in your car before you head into the exam. You now can double-up and use your long-term and short-term memory during the exam.

FAR - 91
REG - 88
AUD - 98
BEC - 88

[bigbuk]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Make sure you utilize the Authoritative Literature (AL) during the simulation parts of the exam. Even if you know nothing about what the question is asking, you may be able to locate information to help you solve the problem.

[Melzie]

#1 MOST IMPORTANT TIP:

Don't give up!!!!!!

FAR - 56 womp womp
REG - 10/22/15
AUD
BEC

[Gronk-a-donk]

[CPA Exam Tip] Don't be afraid to step away from the monitor for a few minutes. This exam is a long, unending grind and if you don't allow your brain a chance to decompress, you will burn out and retain nothing. Take the 1/2 hour off to walk around, watch a 20 minute TV episode or just vegetate. You will gain more from taking that time to unwind than you would burning for 3 straight hours and remembering 1% of the info from the first 45 minutes. Good luck!

FAR - Passed!
BEC - Passed!
AUD - Passed!
REG - August 2016

"Be the type of person that when your feet touch the floor in the morning, the devil says 'aww s***, they're up'" - Dwayne Johnson

[Anonymous]

[CPA Exam Tip]: Don't take a break, unless to go to the bathroom. 3 min away from the exam doesn't hurt and refreshes you a little. I usually take that break before the Simulations.

[kwood1018]

[CPA Exam Tip]: get used to telling people “no, I have to study.” People who really matter will understand how important and difficult this process is and will be cheering you on, even if you hardly emerge from your CPA study cave 🙂

AUD - 89
BEC - 85
FAR - 82
REG - 90

[Patsfan_1284]

Tip: Know why you got the problem wrong. Don't just accept that answer A is correct, truly understand why A is right and B,C, and D are wrong.

Reg - Passed
Aud - Passed
Bec - Passed
Far - Passed
Ethics - 95!!! Paper work getting submitted first thing on Monday!

The CPA exam is a test of wills, never quit and never doubt yourself.

[Author]

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