[Anonymous]

I have AUD and FAR left. I went against conventional wisdom and took the exam I am most familiar with first, so if I had to retake one it would be the exam I felt the most comfortable passing again. I’ve got REG and BEC knocked out, and my plan was to take AUD on October 6th, and then take my time to study for FAR and take it in January. Passing BEC has me feeling more motivated than ever to get this exam completed, and I am now considering taking FAR in early December.

Am I crazy for thinking I can finish before the end of the year? I know it’ll be a rough stretch studying for FAR between now and then, but I feel like I don’t have anything to lose and I can always retake one or both in January if needed.

[reallytired]

I don't think that sounds crazy at all. That is actually exactly what I'd do. Take AUD on the 6th, maybe take a week off to relax and rest, then start back up studying FAR. That'd give you about 2 months to study FAR, which I think is the perfect amount of time to study (as long as you give yourself enough time to review at the end). I say go for it! Beat these exams in 2017!

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Anonymous]

are you studying full time? then totally doable!

[Anonymous]

no – working a full time public accounting job. luckily I am in tax, so post 10/15 is relatively quiet.

[reallytired]

I don't think you need to worry about studying full time. I passed BEC and AUD while working in public. Don't let that thought deter you.

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Anonymous]

I mean I passed REG studying during early tax season and BEC in the middle of a very busy summer, so studying while working is status quo for me. I have been out of school for 9 years, taking it more seriously on my second attempt to pass this exam and so far its working. I was too immature to be disciplined enough to study in my early 20's.

[SP]

Agree with Reallytired. 6-8 weeks for FAR should be good! I would go for it!

[GAPilot715]

I think that is enough time. You'll likely have to give up doing anything else outside of work. At least if you fail one in Q4 you can retake in Q1 '18. If you wait until early January to take FAR, and fail, then you'll have to wait all the way to Q2 '18 to retake.

I took FAR and started studying for AUD the very next day. Started REG the day after AUD. 7 weeks for FAR, 5 weeks for AUD. I also work full time, plus extra hours lately because we just had an acquisition. I think it seems like you have plenty of time to get in both. For me, taking any break after an exam would be detrimental to my study cycle. I realize that strategy is not for everyone though. It sucks.

[Anonymous]

with tax season consuming me from feb-april, Q2 would be the next viable time as well. I don't start losing sections until August of 2018 so I think that worst case scenario I would have 3 more chances to pass both if needed. I feel like I might as well try.

[PNS2CLT]

Yes, it is. There are plenty of people, including many FT professionals, who pass all four sections in one window. It comes down to your prior knowledge, academic talent and amount of time/dedication you put int.

[CPAcandidate3]

Not crazy at all You absolutely can do it.

[Iceman6]

Definitely would recommend bumping it up to December (one of the last days you can if testing location has space). Give yourself 7-8 weeks of 15-20 hrs a week for FAR and get both scores back in December and be done! Worst case you take a 2 week break after FAR and tackle the beast in JAN/FEB

[Big Daddy]

Totally doable.

[Author]

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