[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!

[msquared17]

Let me start by saying I agree with everyone before me. I graduated in 1997 and got my masters in 2003. I haven't worked in accounting in over 10 years. The hardest part is figuring out a study method that works for you. The second hardest is conditioning your brain to retain information again. Its important to create a study schedule and stick with it as much as possible. Be realistic with your schedule. I factored in family time and kid activities. This is purely personal for me so I don't have a hard deadline to get this done. My current job doesn't depend on it. I started with FAR since its more of the foundation of accounting. I had to relearn almost everything. You will get lots of good advice on this website. Trust the process. You can do this!

[PDiddy2000]

I started studying this year and will tackle FAR next month. I wanted to get the beast out of the way since this is probably when I will be the most excited to take these exams. I would imagine that complete brain drain will take effect on my last of 4 exams so I wouldn't want to be studying FAR last. NO WAY!!

BY the way, I'm kind of following @Recked timeline except I'm going to study 4 weeks for AUD not 3. That's just insane. lol… I'm shooting for this to be a 6 month process which includes study time with my last test being taken the first week of July. Wish me luck!!

[Adam]

The Aud section isnt all that hard..know the difference between reviews,comps and audits-the wording of reports..and then how an audit flows and you should be able to pass.

FAR is the most important section..all other sections will have info from FAR…KNOW FAR

[CS]

I graduated with a Finance Degree in 2009. Started as an Accounting major, dropped out of Financial II (intermediate) twice (not necessarily due to difficulty, more of being a lazy terrible student), then switched over to Finance. I needed 19 Accounting credits for licensure (wanted to knock it all out so once I passed the exams I could go straight for the license), and it took me exactly 12 months to get them, which wasn't too bad working full-time. At first the classes were spread out too much for me but I didn't know how to search for accepted courses in the most efficient way, and once I did I got 3 or 4 done within a few months.

I started with FAR, and I definitely shared your apprehension. I couldn't cut Financial Accounting II, how was I supposed to pass FAR, let alone all 4 parts? I just sat down and started hitting the books and that was it. I had to quiet the little doubt and with practice came confidence. Of course I was sure I failed at my first attempt (scored an 81 by the grace of all), but once I saw that I passed, I knew I'd be able to tackle this process. I used Wiley for FAR (I passed so no regrets but if I had to do it again I'd probably just go with Roger – which I used successfully for AUD, BEC and am now using for REG).

I did FAR – AUD – BEC, and have REG next. A lot of FAR is directly applicable to AUD, and a lot of AUD is applicable to BEC (there were definitely questions on my BEC which I didn't see in Roger's BEC or Gleim test bank but since I just came out of AUD I knew the answers). I probably would have went for REG 3rd but we do a ton of payroll, S-Corps and 1040s so I thought even BEC was a long shot but here we are. The ironic thing with FAR is that it's usually the first exam most people take, yet most, myself included, have to re-learn how to study and what works for them. If I had the system I use now for FAR I probably would have done better or have been more confident but a Pass is a Pass so it's all the same.

I also agree with Tim, I tried I learning through MCQs in the very beginning when I started with FAR, but I need to have a knowledge base on a topic before I'll understand why answers are correct/incorrect but that's just me.

Bottom line, just get started and the rest will come, good luck!

[lurking_CPA]

Passed the CPA 9 years after graduating – started about 7 years after graduating.

Agree with the strategy – take FAR first and stick with it until you pass. FAR provides a basis for all the other sections… is usually the trickiest for the folks who have been out of school a LONG time.

Agree with the statement… you WILL have to learn HOW to study again.

Every effort I made in the beginning that felt like ‘enough' wasn't, and I needed to push and squeeze juuust a little more to get to passing. Looking back, it was definitely painful – but possible with a demanding career, wife, and family.

Yes, the bottom line is start and COMMIT to the exam. I would have passed a year ago if I really committed. The exam changes in the middle of my testing was a HUGE curveball.

The trick is passing the first one – and then the rest start flowing in little by little. I got used to ‘failing' at least once for every section! Failure will happen for most of us… stick with it and you WILL pass.

Everytime you fail and restudy (earnestly) you DO get better at this exam!

[Author]

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