[lokilailadogmom]

BBA in Accounting in December 2011

MSA in August 2014

I work full time at a public CPA firm (and 8 hours on Saturdays til April), I am also very involved in our church, and I have a direct sales business where I lead 217 girls. At work I do write-ups, compilations, payroll, and various federal and state tax returns. I think I’ll be able to fit in 2-3 hours a day on weekdays, and some more on weekends.

I saw someone else’s plan where they are taking one section in April, one in beginning of July, one at end of August, and one in November. Would that be reasonable for me, and would I have time to take one at the end of April if I start studying this week? If so, which one? Ideally, I’d like to get them all done in 2016, but could take one in spring of 2017.

I have the full version of CPA Excel, and I plan on reading the text and doing MCQ. Should I also purchase the Ninja MCQ?

[wombataholic]

If you're willing to carve out 20 hours a week to study, there's no reason why you can't knock out the exam on the schedule you had posted.

I suggest FAR first, since it is usually the most difficult for people. By finishing it first, you'll start your 18 month clock with the most difficult finished.

Study material-wise, it's important that you know your learning style and get materials that support that style. MCQs will be the most important thing that you do to prepare for the exam – lots and lots of MCQs.

Good luck!

Licensed CPA
Passed each section on the first try with Ninja Notes/MCQ/Audio

[golfball7773]

I also suggest FAR first. Once you pass FAR then your 18 month window starts as well.

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

*expired

[Ag12thman]

I'm doing FAR first and about to crank up on it to hopefully get it knocked in April. So, you're not alone.

If you have CPA Excel already, I'd just focus on using it for now and maybe add Ninja MCQ when you get a little closer to your test date. It will take some good time to go through the CPA Excel material and questions.

FAR: July 2016

[lokilailadogmom]

Ok I'll do that then! Is the end of April too soon for FAR?

[lokilailadogmom]

And thanks guys 🙂 I've put it off long enough, need to just get it done!

[Anonymous]

I started from the middle level difficulty ones which are AUD and REG from my perspectives. Now I have a better idea of about how much effort to be put into FAR (the harder one) and BEC (the easier one).

[Jdn9201]

I started with BEC first because I wanted to get a pass without having to put forth a ton of effort. I chose REG next because I figured it'd be my 2nd easiest since I already work in tax. Everyone's different, but I needed a quick pass to get me more motivated. I also put myself on an aggressive schedule for the rest of them because I didn't want to pressure myself by only having one window to pass my last one (especially since my last one wound up being FAR). If you do FAR first, I think April is doable. Some may say May because of the amount of material. I never give myself longer than 8 weeks to study because it's too hard to retain information past that point, and my brain will put it off if I have too much time to prepare.

BEC - 88 8/29/15
REG - 82 11/14/15
AUD - 83 1/8/16
FAR - 80 2/29/16

[lokilailadogmom]

Thanks jdn9201, it would definitely be nice to have a quick win. I am a little nervous about studying for FAR especially during tax season

[waffle_house]

It doesn't matter which exam you do first because each will test your soul. Pick an exam and study only for that exam for the amount of time you promised. Do not worry about what exam you will take next. Only worry about passing the current exam you are studying for and go 100% each study session. I always see people post which part of the CPA exam they will take in the future months but honestly I say just plan your the next section after each pass.

jdn9201 mentioned he wanted to pass Reg next to keep his motivation. I think that is why I choose BEC as my first exam. BEC has the highest pass rate and once I passed that gave me motivation to immediately start studying for my next section AUD (which btw has the lowest pass rate and people say FAR is the toughest). No section is easy.

Ninja is great for review because it's MCQ kicks ass and I love the flashcards but I would not use this as a standalone course (sorry Jeff the Ninja book is lacking big time).

[lokilailadogmom]

LOL so just sign my soul away now…

Thinking about getting Ninja MCQ to go with CPA Excel books

[Spartans92]

I would recommend taking FAR first as well. It contains a lot of material and one of the hardest of all the sections. I am currently studying for it. Another benefit of studying FAR first is it helps on the AUD SIMS. I took Audit a few weeks ago and the amount of SIMS i got related to FAR was over half of the total. It is a luck of a draw for the SIMS though, if you do end up taking AUD first you may not see any FAR material on it. Good Luck on this journey!

BEC- PASS

[Tawpeak]

I went with FAR-AUD-BEC-REG.

AUD had some FAR concepts and BEC has some FAR and AUD concepts. I felt like this approach was the most beneficial for me.

Done.
AUD 95
FAR 86
BEC 82
REG 84

[Author]

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