[GaGirl82]

Hi everyone,

I will be taking the CPA exam this year…after being out of school for over 12 years and I am literally shaking in my boots. I should have taken it long ago but just kept putting off because of the sheer fear of failing. I have been reading up on the exam and now I am trying to determine if I should take FAR first or save it for last. I am here to ask advice on what order I should take the exams and how to study. I am also interested in knowing which review course you guys used, how many hours you studied for each sections, and how many times it took for you guys to pass. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Recked]

4 for 4. 5.5 months, 535 hours. 15+ years out of school.
Take FAR first as it is the hardest and most potential to fail.
Getting back into study mode will be a challenge and you will need to re-learn how to learn.
Take advantage of the free trial offers from all the providers to see what fits your learning style best.
Then they send you discount coupons.
Roger videos and MCQs, Gleim MCQs for FAR and BEC. Plan on doing 6000+ MCQs in total.
FAR 250 hours 10 weeks 93
AUD 3 weeks 85 hours 88
REG 6 weeks 110 hours 96
BEC 4 weeks 90 hours. 91

You can do it! Age is just a number. Start slow and learn what works for you.

[Nate]

Welcome to the CPA exam world, warning, it sucks, the exams are awful, and it’s a huge sacrifice to pass them especially if you’re married and/or have kids, they’re a very serious thing and if you don’t have the motivation to sacrifice a lot for them, then you will fail. I’m not trying to scare you out of the exams at all, just wanting to warn you how much they suck. But if you truly want this, then you’ll get it done and pass all four and become a CPA and as Roger says, find out what true happiness really means!

I personally found that passing one helps a lot. My first time I tried to pass FAR first but without knowing what to expect, that ended up being hard and I got a 73, I was devastated, and I foolishly scheduled all 4 right next to each other while working full time so I failed AUD badly and got a 70 on BEC and skipped REG cause I was moving. I was so devastated by failing FAR (especially cause I thought I passed) destroyed my confidence and motivation level for the other exams. For the second time through, I was intimidated and scared cause of how long and big of a process passing all four exams are, so I decided to try to get confidence first and go with the easiest one for me, which was BEC. When I took and passed BEC, it changed everything. Suddenly this impossible task seemed possible and it gave me confidence that I used to pass FAR and AUD. So if you’re like me, I say start with whatever you think you’re most likely to pass first. In addition to feeling like I was best equipped for BEC, it had the least material and that motivated me to start.

But if you’re not like me and feeling super confident like you can pass any one right now, then that’s great! Go with the toughest one first, which is usually FAR cause of the insane amount of material on it. Or if you’re kinda in the middle, feeling pretty confident and wanting to get a tough one out of the way but want to save the easiest for last, then do a middle one, which is usually AUD or REG for most.

I guess what I’m trying to say, the best order probably depends on what type of person you are and your current confidence levels. I just like to share my experience with BEC cause most people I talk to who haven’t passed one yet seems overwhelmed at the idea of passing all four, and the confidence booster of passing one helped me a lot. I’m sure you’ll figure out the best one to start with for you, and I’m sure you’ll pass all four if you put your mind to it. It’s literally impossible not to pass all four if you’re motivated and dedicated and decide to put in the work for it.

[Nate]

Oh and I forgot to mention, I took Roger. There is probably an excessive amount of material but I liked how many acronyms he has and how energetic his lectures are, cause even in school I did best watching lectures, then reading the material after, followed by questions which is how Roger is set up for.

As for timeline, I’m hoping to pass REG in June which will have made it an 11 month process for me, though I passed FAR 2 1/2 months after AUD, I just had to take a break after BEC cause I moved back home with my wife.

[Jen-J]

Welcome! I'm 10 years out from school (and I went part-time, so I was like 15 years out from Intermediate). To answer your questions, I'm using Becker and Becker Final Review, with some free multiple choice questions on the side. It will be a 9 month study process (so not including the wait for my final score), assuming everything goes well. I have no idea how much time I spend studying, but it's pretty much been my life other than going to work and being distracted by the internet 🙂 . I've passed 2 parts on the first try, waiting on my 3rd score. I am doing FAR/AUD/REG/BEC in that order. I found that FAR (while a beast) was the part that I could most directly relate to my job. It's a good foundation, and it's nice to not be “on the clock” (the 18 month pass window) while studying for it.

[Mkilpat]

Hello! It can be done, I've been out of school for 17 years and just passed the FAR the first attempt while being married, having two kids that do a ton of activities and working part time. Every time I would think about taking the exam before, life would get in the way and I would put it off. I am using the ninja exclusively and found it more than prepared me for the exam. I did 90 hours of MCQ as the majority of my study time for FAR as well as watching most of the Plus videos and making sure I understood how to do all the JE's that went with each concept. I figured I would tackle the one I felt was most daunting first and then go from there, so the order I am planning is FAR, AUD, REG and BEC. For me, I think I am more disciplined now than I was when I was younger, probably just because I don't have time to put off studying and get everything else done. Good Luck!!

[Tncincy]

Well welcome to the battle. Now is the best time than never. I graduated in 2011 with my master's and I should have taken the Cpa a long time ago but it is what it is. Jump in the Ninja's are with you. I agree with everyone else, take FAR FIRST.

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Anonymous]

Recked, I wish I could get in touch with you. You studied for Audit for 3 weeks? What provider were you using?

[Anonymous]

@Gagirl82

Graduated in 2005 and just starting sitting the exams. My order is FAR, BEC, REG, AUD. I chose FAR first as it is the most lengthy and the one I felt I'd struggle with the most. My thought process was that I want to take the hardest/longest study period exam first, as your 18 month ‘clock' doesn't start until you pass your first exam. Therefore, if it takes you 10-16 weeks to study FAR, none of that is on your 18-month ‘clock'.

I started studying for FAR in 9/1/17, and sat it on 2/7/18 (didn't study for all of November and most of December due to illness). Passed with a 77. I was beyond stoked. I'm just as happy with a 75 as I would be with a 90+. Seriously.

Between 2/7/18 FAR exam and the FAR score release date of 3/8/18, I started studying for BEC, as I felt as though this material would be easy for me. If I had failed FAR, I would have stopped studying for BEC and gone back to FAR. However, since I passed, I then immediately registered at the testing center for BEC and took it on 3/10/18. I felt I did well enough to pass and now I'm onto REG.

So what I've done is basically passed two exams (assuming I passed BEC) and only used up one month of my 18-month window. You can get a bit creative with your first test date and play the system a bit (depending on when they release scores) to minimize your usage of the 18-month timer.

Recked is absolutely right – you'll need to relearn how to learn/study again. That was the most difficult component. Stick to a schedule, find a quiet place to study, and minimize any deviation from said schedule. This meant I was getting up earlier than usual and staying awake later, but I made sure I did my X hours of studying per day without fail.
I'm using WileyCPA excel, which from what I hear, is quite long and wordy. I did appreciate their ‘partner until you pass' motto, so I knew I'd never ‘run out' of time with the class.

Check out my profile if you have any other questions.

[Anonymous]

My first BS degree was completed December 1999. Graduated in Class of 2000 (Chemistry). My second degree (Business/Accounting) was completed December 2014. My biggest challenge was stepping back into a classroom again, and at a junior college (not a university) where i did some of my early coursework. I'd say that was harder for me than taking the CPA exams. All you need to do is study for them and take them and not worry about anything else. Yes, there's the psychological aspect of doing the CPA exams when you're older than most who are taking it, but don't think about it too much if you can.

[Tim]

I'm only 5 years out of school but it was enough that I didn't remember any of the details and had to re-learn every single topic. I highly recommend Gleim's study program, both because of its affordability and its comprehensiveness. If you take the time to read and understand their entire book you will know 99% of what will be tested on the exam. Their practice MCQs and sims are top of the line. The sims are the closest you will get to the sims on the real exam and the MCQ's are actually harder than the real exam MCQs. When you take the exam you will zip through the MCQs because they will just seem easy in comparison. Gleim also does an extremely good job explaining the answers to their questions so you aren't left guessing why you were marked wrong.

I highly recommend having a structured study schedule. I also highly recommend devoting more time to learning from the book/lectures than from doing MCQ questions. A common trend I've noticed from people who are struggling is they skim the material and spend all their time doing MCQs thinking that is a legitimate way to learn the material. You need to learn the material THEN do MCQs to hone what you learned.

Confidence is important. If anything you being 12 years out of school is probably an advantage since you have more life experience. Create a plan and stick to it and you will be successful.

edit: FAR first is definitely the way to go. It takes the longest time to study which in turn makes your window longer when you pass it. Also, FAR topics come up on the AUD and BEC sections so it's best to already know them.

[Anonymous]

I graduated with Bachelor's degree in 2001, went back to school in 2013 to get my accounting credits and fulfill accounting requirements, jumped into the CPA exam in 2016, and just finished this past week. It sucks and is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it's not impossible and a good review course will give you all the info you need to pass. I used Becker and supplemented with Ninja for all of my sections. I took them in the following order: BEC, AUD, REG, FAR. Had to take FAR twice. Good luck!

[Nikki374]

I have been out of school for 15 years. I actually started out in public accounting and went into industry and never finished the exam. I decided to go back and finish it last year. Ten months later I have one more exam to go. 3 for 3 and I am using Surgent to study. The main thing is that it takes time, discipline, and focus. How much time will vary by person. I have BEC coming up on April 7 and I will be done. I am having trouble focusing on this last exam and I think it has something to do with the material. But this forum is helping me to remain focused.

I didn't know what order to take the sections so I did: AUD, FAR, REG, BEC. You can do this!

[charlesrskinner]

I am in the same boat as you. I have used Becker, Yaeger, and Ninja. I far prefer NINJA. It fits with my lifestyle and learning style. I have a 4 yo and work in the DC area doing accounting and auditing. Make sure to put in the hours, do the questions, and realize that sometimes the answers on the exam are not always the same as our real-life experience. The only exam I have failed is FAR with two 72s. Its a bear. make sure to commit and get through all of them before you lose any… then its a revolving door.

[Anonymous]

I totally agree with Nate. It really depends on your confidence level. I wanted to have a passing exam under my belt before I tackled what is known as the Beast (FAR). For me personally, I would not want my first experience to be with FAR. I have been out of school longer than you and also kept putting it off, although I did take a couple of the exams (REG & AUD) several years ago and even when I passed one I didn't stick with it. Not this time. I am determined to complete all 4. I took BEC first because it seemed easier than REG and FAR in my opinion. I passed on my first attempt. I just took REG (hopefully I passed) and and I am currently studying for FAR. AUD seems like the easiest for me since I passed it previously so I am saving that one for last.

I can also see why others suggest taking FAR first. It makes sense to get the hardest exam out of the way first, but that wasn't the best move for me personally. You know what type of student you are or will be so you will have to make the best decision for yourself.

I am currently using Roger. I like his teaching style. I have used Becker in the past. I do believe you can pass with Becker, however I just feel like I was out of school so long I needed to be taught certain topics again and Roger did a good job with that. I haven't tried any of the others but if I had a chance to pick one again I would choose the one that allows you to continue using their program until you pass. Paying for these review courses can be expensive.

[Recked]

@ems215

Roger 1-2 week video cram (I think it was 20 or 28 hours) then 1 week of MCQs, 1000 MCQs averaging about 75% roughly
It was a hail mary and it paid off.

[Author]

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