[Wanna_B_TXCPA2014]

I am really feeling defeated by this stupid ass exam. I am having such a time getting over myself. I am reluctant to admit that this downward spiral of emotion comes from the fact I suffer from anxiety and depression. It getting harder to ignore. My frustration level has been the highest its been and I feel like I could throw the towel in.

I struggled for 18 months to finally get a pass in April 2016. Then I passed two more exams in May and Oct 2016. Then in Q4 took REG for the first time and failed. I didnt sweat it b/c I was tired from all the energy it took to pass FAR in Oct after 6 attempts. Q1 2017 I studied smarter and did well on Becker progress tests only to fail again.

I am seriously at the end of my rope with this. I look at my kids and I am very sad about all that I have missed in their lives. When I started they were 2 and 4 now they 6 and 8 and I am still not done.

I just don’t know what to say or do at this point cry, scream, quit. Started taking meds for anxiety and depression to help ease my mind. I guess they help because Iam not yelling at people anymore but I still want to punch holes in walls.

Any suggestions on how to mentally put those two failures out of my mind? I realize if I dont the jerks that grade this test will happily give me another 66. I didnt got to best colleges but I am not stupid. I mean I feel like this process is complete BS! How could I still not be done after 4 GD studying an average of 20hrs a week? I don’t know where I am going to find the strength to study for this “new and improved” BS test. Is this where I get off the bus?

[Anonymous]

What review course are you using?

Do you know when you study best? (early morning, evening)?

REG is sort of tough..alot of seemingly unconnected ways of calculating things..

Take a look at the thread about basis, and if they got it all. It highlights the important things you need to know. If you know those, you WILL pass..Know enough Blaw to get you by.

I'm sorry you're feeling that way man. Don't let it get you down.

[alinute]

You just have REG left to my understanding! It’s time to get this done- you’re so close.
There is nothing you can do about the exams you have failed at this point- just forget about them and move on. Focus your energy on knocking out REG.
If you don’t already- get gleim questions. I’ve been struggling for a while and failed a lot of exams, but in 2016 when I got gleim questions, I passed REG, AUD, FAR and just finished BEC without failing anything else. Take serious effort in getting the questions done, recognize your weak areas and make sure your weak areas become your strong areas.
I feel for you, believe me I’ve been there. Just for example it took me 6 times to pass AUD and I was about to throw in the towel and felt like I could not mentally do this anymore.
Also, if you didn’t already, join CPA facebook groups! It’s a tremendous help and it makes you feel like you are not alone. I have found a coupe awesome study buddies on there and they mentally helped me because we would vent to each other about the exam struggles, work through questions together and help each other on weak areas!
Hang in there, you can do it!

BEC:74,71,80
FAR:57
AUD:61
REG:

Switched from Becker to Roger in April.

[Tncincy]

Wow wanna B…..What a rant. It's like that sometimes, at least you have passed 3, I have not passed any. I know it's due to procrastination, wrong materials, family, no money to pay for the next test window, etc. But with the effort and grit you have given, one more shot won't hurt. I know it seems like everything is passing you by as far as the children are concerned, but you can do it….they are counting on you to get it done. I agree with alinute, find some study buddies, and anything else to make this last go round positive. If you didn't think you could pass, you would not have accepted the mission. Don't let it self destruct. I'm finding it's a lonely life when you're trying to accomplish something great and meaningful.

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

[CPAcandidate3]

I think it would help if you got rid of this mentality that you're a victim. If it wasn't a hard process being a CPA wouldn't mean anything.

[Missy]

I know this will sound hokey and stupid but trust me it works.

You need touchstones. Its easy to focus on the losses and sacrifices but won't get you to the end goal. You have got to focus on your successes to date, and any time you drift back to the negatives make a concerted effort to remind yourself of the successes. Write them down VERY braggy to yourself.

Or print this and look at it over and over again:

I have passed FAR which is notoriously the most difficult exam because of the sheer volume of material to cover.

I have passed AUD and BEC.

My kids are happy and healthy and I am a great parent.

I will change my avatar to the New England Patriots Logo because I am brilliant 😉

You think TB12 decided to give up because he was down 25 points at the half in the Superbowl or you think that gorgeous man though “I am TB12, I got this!”

Once you decide how accomplished and smart you are, you can sprint to the finish line.

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

[SchruteBeet]

@Wanna_B_TXCPA2014 I don't have anything more to say than what the other A71'ers have posted already. You are SOOOO close. You know how much it takes to get to where you are now?! It's not easy but you're just one exam away. Clearly you've been doing something right. So what if you failed one exam. Most of the candidates fail this exam at least once. As far as REG is concerned, you didn't mention what material you use but what has helped me pass this exam is making summary notes (very brief; single page and double sided per chapter) and reading them over and over again. Please don't give up just yet. You're almost there!

[gigabyte2001]

I agree with @mla11692 about the touchstones. The best way to combat depression & anxiety that I know is to refuse to allow yourself to linger there. You feel what you feel and those feelings ARE valid. They do not however get to define you or control you. So you failed REG and now you're angry, depressed and anxious about it. You've felt that for probably a week or more now. Time to be done with those feelings. You've felt them, acknowledge them and now they must go because they no longer serve any useful purpose for you.
EVERY TIME your brain starts to wander down that negative thought process you're going to have to first recognize the trend, then tell yourself stop. I've already felt this, I've already acknowledged this, it no longer serves me and I will not permit it any longer. Then from there you remind yourself: I am capable of passing REG. I know this because I've already passed FAR, AUD & BEC. I need only focus my attention on the task at hand and I will pass. Make it a mantra and repeat it over and over and over as needed. It will ultimately combat the negative thought train.

(PS this works on others just as well. Whenever my mother feels like i'm being “overprotective” of her I simply repeat: “Mom, it is my goal and intention to provide you with meaningful support without compromising your independence or privacy.” It's been almost a year and now when I say it she immediately calms down.)

B - 11/11/16
A - 4/16/16 87!!
R - 2/17/17
F - 7/26/16 - Waiting for 8/23

[LCMAU]

Possibly switch study materials entirely. I found Gleim to be amazing for REG, although a little overkill. Also, make note cards for any items that you do not feel comfortable with and review daily. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Everyone feels like this to some extent. It's part of the process. You are SUPPOSED to struggle with the material and you are SUPPOSED to struggle in completing the exam. It doesn't indicate that there is anything wrong.

Here's my advice: all these thoughts are a distraction. It's time to focus on right now. There's no reason to rehash what happened, going all the way back to when you began studying, and there's no reason to re-evaluate whether the sacrifices were worth it. There's no reason to re-evaluate whether or not you are capable. When those thoughts come, tell them, “thank you, I know you are just trying to help, but go away now”. Guide your mind back to your paper, your book, your screen. Nothing in the past matters, the only thing that matters is what you are doing today.

Take an hour to plan your studies on a calendar so you have a daily goal to reach, and then don't think about the future, either. Start fresh from the beginning of REG and just do one lecture, then complete one module, then complete the chapter. One step at a time, thoroughly. Check off your goal for the day and go to bed. The next day, look at the calendar and only focus on the task at hand. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, keep your eye on the prize. One day you will look up and say hey I made it to the last chapter! Plan out your review and go take your test.

Then, you don't have to think about it again until August. You can spend the summer with your kids or whatever you like. But, you have to be firm with those intrusive thoughts – identify them as distractors and ask them to leave over and over again until your brain breaks the habit. Or do what @mla11692 suggests and confront those thoughts with touchstones to cancel their negativity.

[RE2PECT]

Buy Gleim's test bank and thank me in August when you're done! 🙂

FAR: 75 Roger & Ninja (notes/flashcards/audio/MCQ)
AUD: 73, 81
BEC: 71, retake 8/29
REG:

[debitcash]

Hey I feel you!
This exam made me feel feelings that I personally never felt before. But, I think that these feelings were important for growth as a human being.

Now that I got all of that stuff out of the way, let me give you this advice:

Buy Roger Cram for whatever section you have left.
While you are waiting for the textbook to be delivered, watch the lectures and make your own notes.
Make sure to dedicate a clean, new notebook for this.
By the time you finish the lectures the first time around, your textbook should have arrived.
This time, go over the lectures WITH the textbook in hand and make notes on what he says in the textbook.
Third time around, read the textbook with the notes you made in them and connect them back to your notebook.
That whole process should take at least 2-3 weeks.
After you have done this, buy NINJA MCQ and do 100-200 questions a day in sets of 20.
This should be done for two weeks prior to exam day (day after day) because you want your mind to be ready for the set of MCQs come exam day.
As for SIMS, its a hit or miss truly, but I think that Roger did a very good job of spreading over all important and high chance topics.

MAKE SURE YOUR UNDERSTAND AND NOT MEMORIZE!

Good luck
You can and you will.
Let this site speak for itself.

FAR:75!
AUD:69, 63, 73, TBD
BEC:76!
REG:71, TBD

BECKER + NINJA PRODUCTS

keep your cool

[Wanna_B_TXCPA2014]

THANKS FOR THE POSITIVITY!!!

I swear it's like I couldn't breathe and yall just gave me some AIR!

[Liss, Master of Coin]

TXCPA, you can do this! You are so close. Remember, the CPA exam has the reputation of being one of the hardest exams in the world for a reason.
It's not you, it's them!

REG was my last beast to conquer too.

What I did, was probably excessive, but I needed it. I rewatched all the (Roger) videos. Typed up every single word he said. If I missed something, I went back.
I have a long commute, so I put my newest notes in a text to speech app, and listened to it on my way to work; on my way back I listened to the A71 audio.
I did every MCQ in A71, threw in some WTB or any others I could get my hands on to ‘shake it up'.
Wrote the Ninja notes about a week out from the exam.

I don't remember if I passed them all immediately after doing this, but that is what I did, and I wound up passing them all.
So if you have a plan for excessive study, I say try it.

CPA (MA, Non-Reporting)

The difference in winning & losing is most often, not quitting - Walt Disney

B - 33, 71, 79!
A - 32, 61, 70, 83!
R - 33, 58, 73, 69, 81!
F - 47, 78! 🙂
After 3 long years, I'm finally DONE!
I could not have done it without NINJA MCQs.

Used: Roger for his Videos, WTB, and NINJA Audio, Notes and Test Bank.

[NeedsA75]

Hang in there. REG is hard and its the only exam I failed. You will conquer it next time!

[Wanna_B_TXCPA2014]

I am currently using Becker. I attended the live classes in Dallas in 2015-2016. My study strategy has been to complete all the Becker homework MCQs taking notes and re-working the items I missed. Then progress tests where I combine the topics in various ways and make fine tuning notes. In the last two weeks I work all SIMS at least 1x. I don't really want to admit it but I am starting to see where I maybe missing some of the finer points of this topic, namely basis. 2/3 of my weak areas Taxation on Property and Taxation on Entity have me convinced that I don't know enough about basis. So I created a post the other day where I summarized basis the best I could but received very little feedback.

For this attempt I plan to study in reverse. I worked a few of the Becker SIMS for entity taxation. Im thinking that by starting with the SIMS and getting in the habit of having to calculate and answer from scratch instead of choosing between alternatives maybe a better reflection of my knowledge. With two scores in the 60s for this section, 60 and 66, I believe that the MCQs have given me a false positive regarding my proficiency.

I am going to through Becker 1x from now until about the middle of April. Then I will have to decide between Ninja and Gleim. Having a hard time deciding because I've seen good results with both. I like Ninjas price tag but my inability to pass FAR using Ninja led me to Becker so I may just spend the $250.

Again thank you all for letting me get this off my chest and providing me with positive feedback to get back out there. Hope to see some you in the REG forum. Let's get over the hump in Q2 2017!!

[Author]

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