[nrlew28]

Hi All,

I need some advice. I am a father of 4, work full time and want to get back into studying for the CPA exam. I have been approved since 2015 to sit, taken some parts, failed AUD real bad a couple times, then kind of stopped studying. Every time I want to get back into it, I get real scared and doubt I can do it. One, the material is tough, two, trying to find the time to study with kids is also difficult. I guess I can give up sleep and study then. Or get up real early.

Any thoughts would help.

Thanks

AUD – NINJA in training
FAR – NINJA in training
REG – NINJA in training
BEC – NINJA in training

[Recked]

Studying at night did not work for me, I was already spent from work and the rest of my day.
I found that I couldn't sleep much in the mornings because my ind was racing all the time anyway, so I just got up early to study, then went about the rest of my day.

[El]

Good luck. I am a father of two and work full time. I try to study late, wake up early, and study during lunch. I wish I had more time on the weekends to study but I don't feel I have the support of my wife to pass these exams. Which is another huge hurdle to say the least and believe me, I've had plenty of arguments about how important it is that I pass these exams and stress the need for more time.

Because of my lack of free time due to watching the kids the sacrifices I have made include no working out, no hobbies, no going out with friends, or time with my wife for dates.

I was similar to you and did not pass FAR or AUD years ago right after college. I decided to give BEC a try a couple years later because there wasn't much material and it seemed easier. After I passed that I realized that I can actually pass these things. So maybe get BEC or REG (if you are in tax) out of the way first for confidence? Roger CPA review recommends FAR first because the lead time for studying is the longest of all four exams then AUD right after because it integrates a good deal of FAR. I obviously didn't take that advice but wanted to add a different take.

[YETI]

I found the key to this is planning it out with my wife. I am a father of 3, ages 3 and under, so things in our house are a bit crazy. I sit down with my wife and talk about a study schedule before each section. I make sure to plan around birthdays, holidays and other important dates. That way she has agreed to it and you have agreed to it. I have found that waking up at 5-5:15 in the morning and knocking out an hour or 2 of studying before anyone else is up has really helped. I also do an hour of studying during lunch. This is a tremendous help because after working 40-50 hour weeks, the last thing I want to do is have the daunting task of studying 3-4 hours at night. If I can trim that down to only having to study 1-1.5 hours a night, it is way more manageable. This also helps if something pops up in the evening that you weren't planning on, not to mention spending more time with the kiddos! If something pops up, you are only behind maybe 1 hour instead of 3. Communication and planning are key. Good Luck!

[Author]

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