[Kyle]

Hi All,

I am in my 4th year of school, & I will be graduating with my bachelors degree this coming December and I will have my 150/ MAcc in April. I live in Michigan so I can take the exam 30 days before i graduate. so I am planning to squeeze an exam in November!

I currently work for a regional CPA firm and have a full time job offer for next May. I work in audit, and with my school offers a CPA Prep Class for audit in september and october, so being that it will be IMO my easiest exam I want to get my feet wet and take that first, before taking FAR in April 2019. My firm offers a $5,000 bonus if I pass all 4 sections of the exam within a year of my full time hire date. So my goal is to pass all 4 sections by May 13th, 2020. If I take (and pass) my first exam in November of 2018 that gives me the full 18 months to pass all 4 sections and get my coveted bonus! I consider myself a good student, but I am curious the best way to tackle this monster! Any tips would be awesome!

By the way : My firm buys becker for us so that is going to be my main study material, although I do like the NINJA method and may use that as a supplement to ensure I pass!

[Anonymous]

Just jump into it and get it done! Sounds like you have all the tools you need. Becker is great but I supplemented with Ninja for all of the sections and passed all but one on the first try. The CPA prep rules your life and your schedule. You have to study every chance you get, 7 days a week until you pass. As long as you are prepared for it, you will be fine. Good luck!

[Nate]

Don't overthink it, just study. There's no secret way to study for the exams, just study a lot. All of the review courses will claim to be better than the others, but no matter what you use, you will pass if you study a lot. Just be prepared to sacrifice your free time too, even if it's an exam you think you know best. That's where people get caught up, especially recent graduates; they feel overconfident and therefore don't study as hard as they should and they end up with a failing score. No matter your experience or education, be prepared to study for each exam very hard and to sacrifice your free time in order to pass them all.

[Tim]

Are you working between December and May? If not, I would try to get at least 3/4 sections done before your full-time gig starts in May. Giving yourself from November to May to study for just FAR seems excessive even if you are working during that period. This is coming from a guy who advocates the slow and steady approach to the exam for people with family/work. But 3 months per section is as slow as I'd take it and if you have a window like that where you aren't working as much take advantage of it. Don't fall into the trap of wanting to reward yourself by taking time off after finishing school. School is easy and practically is a vacation so it's like taking a vacation from a vacation. Get a head start on life and your future self will thank you for it.

[Kyle]

I will be working (& wrestling in college) between December and May. I will see what I can do about trying to get 3 of the sections done. My main goal was 2 sections, just because that seemed more feasible and a good goal prior to graduating. But that is a good rule of thumb – max 3 months a section. I may be able to take FAR in Feb. Although wrestling finishes up in February so that makes Jan and Feb somewhat difficult for studying, but I would be able to get a few weeks of full time studying in December when everyone on our firm take 2 weeks off. But, I do not want to take time off after graduating so I want to pass as many as possible in the shortest amount of time.

AUD – Nov 2018
FAR – Feb 2019
BEC – Apr 2019
REG – July 2019

Does that seem like a fair schedule to go off from, from the jump?

[Kyle]

that seems to be a common tip, so I won't take it lightly! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Yes, just schedule the exam(s), and the rest will take care of itself. And don't even think about rescheduling lol.

A: 75
B: 72
F: 78
R: 75

[Kyle]

@calvinus Good deal! Thank you! Make a plan and stick with it! That's why it works out well that my 18 month window will end on my 1 year anniversary date. I'll be forced to pass all 4 sections so that I can get the bonus!

[Go.For.Broke]

@Kyle Sounds like you've got a good plan. Get a jump on it as soon as you're eligible. Smart to line up the end of that 18 month window to be synchronized with your 12 month mark at your employer (for that bonus).

Great that they'll supply you with Becker. It's worth going out of pocket for Ninja , however, to supplement. That's what I did. Becker & Ninja.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Good luck! And don't be alarmed if you fail, very few pass on the first try. Otoh retakes are much easier.

There was an older gentleman at church who had offered to pay for my exam in the beginning. Soo glad I didn't accept, after 7 fails and $2,000 later.

A: 75
B: 72
F: 78
R: 75

[Author]

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