[average joe]

First off I thought I would start with saying, yes of course the easy answer is I should study and take the exam right now. As everyone on here knows though sometimes it just isn’t that easy. If you are not mentally 100% prepared for the exam then you could be in for a big surprise.

I have no true reason to not take the exam. I don’t have kids, I am 25 years old, only been working for about 1 year. I have my 150 credit hours and my job will count towards my cpa hours as well. I just can’t seem to get motivated and 100% committed for the exam. Is this bad???

I want to be a cpa, but building up the confidence and pushing through the grind is tough. I have attempted to begin studying twice and I go strong for about 2 weeks, then just die out.

I currently have a pretty good auditing job, pays 40k, I work 4 10 hour days a week. Low stress ( state government), it’s a great time to start studying especially because of the 2017 changes, I just want to come home and enjoy the freedom this job has. Did anyone else feel this way? Did you regret waiting to take the exam, or did everything workout just fine. I am sure I am going to get some negative answers about my thoughts, and that is perfectly fine. I should be all in on this and going for it, I just for some reason cannot get on board with the mental barriers of the exam. Any thoughts? Should I really push myself right now? Should I wait till I think I am ready or does this feeling never really leave?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Only you can answer whether you should do this or not. It sounds like you'll never have a better opportunity, but whether you personally want the CPA enough to be willing to give up your free days is a question only you can answer. *shrug* I don't mean to be flippant, but that's the reality. We can tell you all the reasons it would be advantageous to do it right now, but it sounds like you already know them.

So, I'll just contribute one thing: If you think you'd like to do this right now, then having a 4-day work week is an ideal way to be able to pass the exams without making major sacrifices. Through most of my studying, I was working at a public firm that was closed Wednesdays through the summer. I'd use Wednesdays (or more often every-other Wednesday, and work alone in the office on the alternate Wednesdays) for study days, which allowed me to get my studying in without having to give up all my evenings. You could do something similar with your free weekday – make it a study day, dedicate 6-8 hours of the day to study, then if you also studied on your lunch breaks (if you don't eat with your coworkers) and studied a few hours between the other weekend days, it would allow you to study and pass the exams without sacrificing all your free time. My point is, your schedule is ideal to allow you to pass these exams without making lots of huge sacrifices.

The alternatives are to wait (likely will mean that bigger sacrifices will be required in order to pass) or to skip it altogether. Like I said at the start, only you can know if getting this past you now is worth it to you. For me, knowing that I was forever free of mandatory study was worth pushing through it instead of enjoying my 4-day work-weeks. But, for others, they'd rather enjoy the freedom while they have it, knowing that the day will come when they're locked in to the 5-day grind, and they figure they'd rather give up evenings then than give up their free day now. It's a personal decision that only you can make. We can give you the reasons to make the one that we've made, but only you can make your own decision…and there's nothing “wrong” with either decision, as you have your own personal reasons for making it. Just make your decision, commit to it, and own it proudly. 🙂

[Missy]

If you're waiting to feel some sort of motivation to do this, you'll never be a CPA.

If you are determined to do it and willing to dig here is my advice:

You treat it like your job. You schedule the time and do not deviate except in an emergency. If you want to use something as an excuse not to study, try using that same excuse to get out of work, “Its so nice out”, “my friends are meeting for drinks”, “Ugh I just want to veg on the couch”. Your boss wouldn't accept those excuses and neither will the CPA. Can you imagine if you only went to work when you felt motivated to? Exactly.

Remember you don't have to isolate yourself completely to do this, be reasonable and figure 2 hours/day on work days, more on your days off but even that leaves time to do other things. Its only for about a year to 18 mos, then its done, over and out of your life.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[marqzho]

I could take the CPA exam five years ago but I didn't. I am talking it now but I regret not to take it 5 years ago every single time I think about it .

REG 90
FAR 95
AUD 98
BEC 84

[Sang]

Are you approved to take the exam yet?

1. I recommend that you schedule your test now, even if you are not ready.
For me, as time gets closer to my test date, I feel more pressured to study, therefore, my study habits improve.

2. I think once you fail your first exam and lose the $200, it will motivate you to study harder on your next exam.

——————————————————————–

I am scheduled to take my first exam next week, and it will be over FAR, the hardest exam.

It has been 4 years since I graduated college, and I was procrastinating a lot when I first started studying in April.
As time got closer to my test date, the pressure to study increased, and my study habits have improved.

I have mismanaged my time the past 2 months, so I plan to fail my FAR exam next week.
But I know that the failing grade will motivate me study harder for my retake in July.

FAR: (05/24/16) | (07/15/16) | (10/22/16)
AUD: (09/07/16) | (11/29/16) |
BEC: TBD
REG: TBD
Using Roger CPA Review + Ninja (MCQs, Notes, Audio)

[Author]

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