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    Accounting I finally did it

    August 28, 2020

    Accounting I finally did it

    I finally did it

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 05:55 AM PDT

    Who the hell did this? Oh...

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:26 AM PDT

    Finally someone gets it

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:50 AM PDT

    The story of me passing all the CPA exams within a month (July '2020)

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:13 PM PDT

    Hi all, and happy Friday. I hope this post finds you well. I promised a few people that I would throw together something about my schedule, study methods, tips, timelines etc on how I was able to take and pass all 4 exams in July. So here you go. Also, I'll try to answer questions in the comments.

    Background: I just started my Master of Accounting program. I took my exams during the summer transitioning from undergrad where I graduated back in May. I took a few private accounting then audit internships here and there, which did help me understand the materials better. However I took intermediate 2 years ago meaning by the time I started FAR, I had to start basically from scratch and taught myself some materials. Also I barely knew what a deduction was before studying for REG so I had to start from scratch there as well. LOL.

    Materials: Due to COVID my full time offer in Audit was held back meaning I didn't have access to Becker this summer. I resented myself a little bit for picking that firm instead of going B4 but what else can I do, like I can't go back and change my decision last summer. So I used the cheapest materials in the market from NINJA, which was 69$ a month. Yes I only used 200$ to pass all my exams. Thank GOD for NINJA.

    Scores and order: Here are my scores and the order I took them:

    FAR - 85

    REG - 88

    AUD - 83

    BEC - 90

    I do highly recommend this order above but it depends your personal situation, experience and your preference. But here is why you should take in this order: (1) FAR is the beast so if you take and pass this one first you can literally pass all the other sections. (2) You only have 18 months to pass so taking the hardest first will help you later in the long run. (3) There are overlapping between FAR and AUD which will help you as well. I took REG second because like I said I barely knew anything about tax so I didn't want to procrastinate.

    Application process: Even during COVID it took me only 4 weeks ish to get my NTS. I had to wait for my transcripts processed by my school which took some time. But I consistently stayed in touch with NASBA during the process, which helped them process my application faster. I knew people applied BEFORE me but didn't get their NTS 3 months later LOL, so watch out!

    Study strategies: Even though everyone studied differently and I was different too, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD if you want to save yourself some time, SKIP the lectures. NINJA didn't have lectures so I didn't watch any of them but I was able to get a good understanding of the materials (which is reflected in my scores). I did a TON of MCQs. Literally a TON.

    I DO NOT recommend reading the book before doing the MCQs. I would do the MCQs first when I jumped into a section and then from there I located the materials in the book. It saved SO MUCH time. And then because you got the questions wrong there, you'll likely remember it next time. Every day this past summer all i did was just a ton of MCQs, literally as many as possible. You definitely learn more from your mistakes as well! BUT, before I move on to something new, I would ask myself: If I see this question again next time, will I be able to answer it?

    I also want to add that I did NOT take a mock exam, which someone here might disagree, which is okay. Everyone is different. But for me i think mock exams are a waste of time because during that 4 hours, I can literally review the areas I am struggling with (which I clearly knew what I struggled with).

    Timeline:

    FAR: Took me about 3-4 weeks of studying. We all know it has a lot of materials and I had to teach myself lot of stuffs.

    REG: Took me about 3 weeks of studying. Like I said I barely knew what a deduction was and barely did my own taxes. So I started from scratch.

    AUD: Took me 1 week. I think it helps that I interned in audit so I might be biased here.

    BEC: Took me exactly 10 days, which was what I set out for myself anyway.

    If you see above, those are pretty reasonable timeline. As Becker suggested, FAR take 120 , REG take 110 , AUD take 90 and BEC take 50 hours. I studied less for AUD because I had experiences in it.

    Looking back: I definitely think that my strategies worked well for me and were the main reasons why I passed the exams so fast. I did have a few hiccups here and there but overall I am pretty pleased with my scores. I understood the materials well even without watching the lectures, which was reflected in my scores as well.

    Here a few reminders:

    - You will get really sick of the materials. Like really really sick. I hated FAR every single day I had to wake up to pound the MCQs.

    - You might hate yourself, dread waking up every morning and ask why you are doing this. I felt like crying (and I am a dude btw) every morning because I got so many questions wrong.

    - You might miss out on important events, declined your friends' offers to hang out with them, many "sorry man i'll have to study", etc.

    - Your mental health might suffer because of studying so much and feeling defeated. I felt like mine was absolute trash this summer which I am still recovering from.

    - HOWEVER, YOU WILL PASS. IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT. Through one hell of a summer I did pass them all, with good scores as well.

    Here is what I want you to do: Join r/Accounting and r/CPA. Join Facebook groups for CPA exams. Create study groups with your friends or even people from Facebook. Make study plans for yourself. Be GENTLE with yourself. Don't overstudy you will just exhaust yourself for no reasons. You only need a 75 to pass because 75 or 99 makes no difference. Life sucks and CPA exams are hard, but I promise things are going to get better.

    Last but not least, DON'T ever lose hope in yourself. Literally, DON'T and NEVER. You got this. There are literally people retaking this exam 5 or more times so HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF. Next time around, you might be the next guy that took and passed all the CPA exams in a month. Best of luck and I will see you on this side soon.

    submitted by /u/gacpathrowaway
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    For those of you wondering what public is like. Taken at 6pm on a Friday and still working this weekend...

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 06:03 PM PDT

    Someone should do this for B4 accounting starting 1st yr (also I’m not comparing the sacrifice our military makes).

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 06:32 PM PDT

    Some people don't know when to quit

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 06:11 AM PDT

    Teleconferencing with Co-Workers

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:31 AM PDT

    Accounting students during exam, I even make sure that 1+1 = 2.

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 09:18 AM PDT

    Is Linkedin becoming the new Facebook

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:39 PM PDT

    [CAN] less than weeks to cfe. How do you feel?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 06:30 PM PDT

    How've you been preparing? Anything I should know?

    Edit: less than 2 weeks. Sorry, ran out of time.

    submitted by /u/upchuk13
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    Is this what big4 is like?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 05:35 AM PDT

    FAR Mock exams: I know there's a "Becker bump", but is there also a bump for Ninja mock exams?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 05:59 PM PDT

    I have FAR in a week and got 77 on Becker. Just tried Ninja and got 76. Does anyone have any experience w/ the Ninja software's grading vs Becker? thanks

    submitted by /u/Pricedln
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    Is taking a bookkeeping position at Eide Bailly to get my foot in the door while i take my CPA exams a bad idea?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 05:42 PM PDT

    I graduated with a business degree this year but need a couple of accounting classes to sit for the CPA exam. I haven't been able to meet with any of the Big 4's or do any internships but i have been working as an accounting clerk for the past two years. If I took a job as a bookkeeping for Eide Bailly would I be able to work my way to Tax Associate?

    submitted by /u/Mercurymoonz
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    PwC Bonus Comp Thread 2020

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 12:44 PM PDT

    1. Service Line
    2. Position
    3. Market
    4. Tier
    5. Bonus amount
    submitted by /u/Desperate-Tourist779
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    Resume Critique - exiting B4 to a ideally a non accounting/taxation/financial role. Potentially purchasing, account management, or cannabis regulatory compliance. Thanks!

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 12:02 PM PDT

    Mike (enterprise)

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 09:07 PM PDT

    Men in Public, what shoes are in your rotation for work?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 08:57 PM PDT

    Need suggestions

    submitted by /u/ivelovedandivelost
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    Feeling confused about how to update my CV / Resume?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 08:45 PM PDT

    Hey everyone,

    For context, here's a bit about me:

    • 3 years experience in my industry (niche area of accounting);
    • CA Qualified

    I'm looking at a few new roles as a couple of recruiters have reached out to me. Main reason is pay. I chased experience from the start, but now I'm realising how underpaid I am at my firm (vs some of my friends with less experience in my industry).

    Given the fact that I work in a small niche, competitors know each other. So its all confidential. I am applying for a role through a recruiter at a competitor, and need to provide my CV.

    My main question is, given the competitor firm will likely ask me questions about my experiences etc in the interview anyway, how relevant is it to include in my CV things like my experience prior to accounting (i started as an intern at my current firm and transitioned to a graduate role when I finished university - I worked retail jobs, volunteering etc throughout university) or the 'skills and abilities' part?

    Part of me thinks having a 1-2 simple CV with an 'about me', 'education' and 'experience' section will be sufficient.

    Interested to get some insights into people's views on this if possible? Thank you.

    submitted by /u/throwawa21920ge
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    B4 Audit - Do you get put on some sort of list if you don’t meet your budgeted/chargeable hours for a week?

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 08:50 AM PDT

    Have met my hours for every week, but work has slowed lately.

    submitted by /u/acctonthecomeup
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    Lying to Firm about where I’m going after I quit.

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 04:39 PM PDT

    So I accepted an offer into a specialized CPA firm that starts in July. I have received another offer in one of the big 4 that starts in January and I accepted it too. I'm wondering what I am gonna tell my current job when I'm quitting. I've been thinking of all sorts of excuses and haven't came up with anything. The big 4 firm I'm switching to is across the street too. If I tell them I got an offer in industry and they found out later that I went to another cpa firm from LinkedIn, what can they do apart from burning bridges. I know I'm leaving so I haven't made connections with anyone at the firm.

    submitted by /u/Big_4_Slave
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    NYC Commute

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:56 PM PDT

    First off, I understand that this isn't relevant at the moment considering most of us are WFH. But I'm curious as to how things are pre/post pandemic.

    Personally this came to mind because in about 2 years I expect to be working at a big 4 located in midtown. I am currently residing in staten island, and my commute to the office will be 1 hour and 20 minutes while the commute back will be even longer. I am expecting to spend roughly 3 hours a day just commuting, which is crazy.

    I wanted to grab some perspectives and see what everyone else is working with.

    submitted by /u/xherondale
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    Freelancing

    Posted: 28 Aug 2020 07:12 PM PDT

    I'm currently enrolled in a grad program at a Big4 target school but since I became unexpectedly unemployed by the pandemic, I've been picking up a few clients trying to make ends meet. My main goal is to get into the Big4 but if I do, would I have to let go of the clients I have now? I'm hoping to keep it going on the side if I get in.

    submitted by /u/J2k_k2h-ckl
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