[Mae]

Money is not an incentive for me. There’s no pressure from my company to take this exam. There’s no bonus or promotion at the end of this road.

I’m doing this mainly for me because a) I believe it would help me in the long run (better job opportunities, more chance for promotions) and b) I love to learn. I’m understanding and retaining more with my current job as a staff accountant (journal entries, accounts analysis, etc.) from studying for this exam.

But, on the other hand, there is the pressure from *myself* (“Why am I doing this?”). There are the strange looks I get from non-CPAs (“Why are you doing this?”).

There are days when I’m afraid to talk about the exam because I dread *that* suggestion.

You know the suggestion.

“Maybe you should quit.”

I hate that suggestion. I get angry at that suggestion even when said with best intentions. And then it becomes harder because I doubt myself and my intentions.

What you do when you get at that low point? How do you build confidence and motivation while taking the exam?

AUD - PASSED MAR '15
REG - STUDYING SEP '16
FAR - PASSED MAY '16
BEC - PENDING JUL '16

[Jdn9201]

It's easier said than done, but I think it's best to block out what other people say or think, both the good and the bad. Have you identified an important reason for you to get your CPA? Then that should be enough – it shouldn't matter if someone else thinks you should quit. I'm also a big believer in self-visualization. Especially since I'm studying for my last exam, there have been days recently where I've had a hard time staying focused. I stop, imagine myself feeling amazing because I passed, and then I imagine how bad I will feel if I don't pass, and tell myself that whatever chapter I'm having issues with could make the difference between passing and not passing. On test day, I say a prayer before I go into Prometric, and I sit there and imagine myself not being nervous, feeling comfortable with the questions, and leaving with a good feeling about the test. I think it really helps me. I'd also like to think of these exams as training for a marathon in stages. You're going to have peaks and valleys. And for most people, exam day should be a piece of cake if one has honestly put in the work and hard effort – all you should have to do is show up. Exam day doesn't make you pass or fail, its all of those days beforehand where you fight staying focused or doing one more question on a topic you're not sure of, etc.

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

[Missy]

If you only do things that are logical and earn total support from family and friends you'll have a very boring life. You'll never have kids, lol! You take chances in life because you only regret the ones you didn't take.

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

[FIFOisbetterthanLIFO]

Because being a CPA garners respect like no other certification. Just having it on LinkedIn means way more potential jobs and recruiters reach out all the time. It also means that you won't ever be beat out just because you didn't have the CPA on your resume. I could go on and on and on.

FAR - Passed (82)
BEC - Passed (76)
AUD - Passed (89)
REG - Passed! (81)
AICPA Ethics

Licensed CPA

[Mika]

I don't regret the things I have done. I just regret the things I didn't do when I had the change.

REG - 80 (02/13/2015) Roger + Ninja Flash Card + Ninja MCQ + Becker's Note
FAR - 84 (05/29/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Some Wiley book questions
BEC - 77 (08/27/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Half Wiley book questions
AUD - 87 (08/28/2015) Roger + Ninja MCQ + Half Wiley book questions

[Author]

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