My CPA Journey

Hi everyone! As some of you close to me know, I’m an accountant doing taxes for both businesses and individuals!

4/20/20- On to FAR

After finishing busy season this past week, I am starting to study for FAR. My firm has a program with a local college that offers us an online course along with the regular online CPA review. I know FAR is a beast, so I’m a little intimidated going into it.

Currently with the COVID-19 pandemic, all Prometric testing centers are closed until further notice. I booked a spot for a test in July, but with the tax deadline pushed until July 15th I’m not sure taking it in the middle of the summer busy season would be the best idea. This is going to be an unpredictable summer, so we shall see how the studying goes amongst a pandemic!

2/25- I Passed REG!

Second try is the charm! I’m so so happy to say that I finally passed. REG was definitely a mental battle because I was so psyched out from the first time.

Throughout this whole process I realized:

Failure isn’t final. You’ll survive. Life won’t end. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get back up and keep trying until you finally get it.
Stop comparing yourself to others. No one else’s actions and accomplishments matter, only your own. Stop wasting energy looking at what other people are doing.

Now, I’ll be taking a break from studying until the end of busy season. Next up, FAR!

2/9/2020- REG round 2

This past Sunday I retook REG. I say this every time, but I have no idea how I did. The room was absolutely freezing so it was definitely hard to focus. However, I definitely feel as though I had a deeper understanding of the material on the test this time! Check back at the end of February to see how I did!

1/20/2020- Switching it up

At the beginning of the new year, I accepted a job offer in DGC’s private client tax group. DGC is a small firm in Woburn, MA and I absolutely love it. Switching from audit to tax was definitely tough, but I’m finding that I enjoy tax so much more!

11/22/2019- I PASSED BEC!

11/19/2019- The Battle for BEC

Last Wednesday, Nov. 13th I took BEC. Honestly, I’m not sure how it went. I felt super confident about the writing portion and multiple choice, but the TBS may have been my downfall. After taking the exam, I know what I need to work on if I don’t pass- Cost Accounting!

Studying for the full test just as I started work was super difficult. Adjusting to work and frankly having no time to do anything I’d like to do on my nights and weekends has been tough. I’d be lying if I told you my morale is anything other than low right now. I’m really hoping to get a passing score on this for some extra motivation to study REG throughout Thanksgiving! Stay tuned to see if I pass- scores come out on Friday!

10/13/2019- The Worst Score- A 74

I finally got around to writing about failing the REG portion of the CPA exam last month after talking to come of my classmates who also failed sections. If you have ever failed, I hope you can find comfort and inspiration from my most recent article, found here!

10/7/2019- The struggle of studying while working

I started work about 3 weeks ago and I also started studying for BEC. Let me tell you- studying and working is awful. After working 8:30-5:30 (not including the 2.5 hour total commute) the last thing you want to do is MORE accounting! I was studying every night after work, but I decided to break it up and study tuesdays, thursdays, and the weekends. Everyone needs a break once and a while and it’s unrealistic to expect myself to want to study every night after work. I understand that sacrifice is necessary to pass these tests, but not to the point where you mental and physical health suffers from being over worked!

9/19/2019- The worst score possible

My biggest fear throughout the entire CPA exam process was getting a 74 on an exam. For those of you who don’t know, you need a 75 to pass. Of course, I got a 74 on my REG exam. I’d be lying if I said tears weren’t shed, however it does make me confident going into the retake within the coming months!

8/27/2019-

After over a month, I have finished the REG book. It took a while because the lessons are pretty long, and some are very complicated. I’m now just reviewing for the next 2 weeks until September 10th when I take my exam. I’m definitely feeling less rushed for this one and I’m hoping that’s a good sign!

I used to hate tax, but I actually found that I like it way more than I thought I did. The way the info was presented to me made it easier for me to understand, and it definitely helped that I went over the material before in both of my tax classes!

8/2/2019- I PASSED AUDIT!

Scores for my audit exam were supposed to come out 8/6. However they were released early and I discovered that I PASSED with a 79%.

I was hoping for a little bit higher of a score, but hey I don’t even care as long as I passed! I actually cried when I saw the score if I’m being honest. Now, this is great motivation and reassurance for the next exam in September!

8/1/2019- Studying on the REG:

Studying for REG is in full swing, and I’m gearing up for my exam on September 10th! I despised tax in college, but if I’m being honest, I like studying for this a lot more than studying for audit.

I have always been interested in law, and the business law aspect of this exam is definitely intriguing.

6/24/2019- Give it Audit you got:

Click here to check out my first official update after studying for audit for the past 2 weeks. I officially have 2 weeks until my exam on July 8th!

6/7/2019- Push to Start:

So, I just registered for my exams and I decided to take AUD (audit) first. I take that exam July 5th, so I have just under a month to get started. I’m still really jet-lagged from Europe so I woke up at 6:30 and decided to start studying.

My study materials are from Wiley CPA and I got the platinum plan which includes online simulations and study guides, videos, online seminars, books, and flashcards.

I really like the way they split up the sections so far, and I’m not on a section for more than 20-30 minutes. I did about 4 hours today, so I’m hoping I have the same drive tomorrow when I get up!