One Bad Apple doesn't spoil the bunch

Well today I met with another recruiter.

He was so so nice!!! I felt like I was talking to one of my friends. We ended up talking for almost an hour about so many things I didn't even realize we talked that long.

I let him know exactly what I was looking for and he told me how he could help.

I let him know of my dream to work in a CPA firm. He told me that it may be slightly hard compared to someone who has worked their before but it's not unheard of and its not impossible. He said the fact that I passed the CPA puts me in a great position and that company's would be eager to learn more about me. He also threw some other areas that I could look into and I can say that I was quite interested in them also. It felt so good to have another perspective upon things. This just taught me that I will never let another person tell me what I'm capable of doing and I won't let other peoples premature knowledge of me determine what I can and will do.

Anyway, he also said to expect 1st Qtr 2012 to open up with opportunities. I am happy to hear that. Until then I will be plugging along and getting my post exam life up and running.
***Side Note***

Today I received some of the best tweets ever.
" Be so focused that no thing, no fling, and no bling distract you from living your dream" - The Daily Love "Worrying does not take away tomorrows troubles, it takes away todays peace" - Larger than Words "When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in his abilities, when GOD doesn't solve your problems he has faith in your abilities - Larger then Words

If this didn't brighten my day!

What's Next?????

Well now that I've got exams out the way, whats next?

My next big task is my job search.

I really need to make moves into the industry and fast. After telling my Manager about passing the exam she even suggested that its time I start looking. If that's not motivation to leave I don't know what is.

Today I spoke with a recruiter who was to put it mildly, very very rude. He basically made it seem like passing the CPA was no big deal and that there was no chance for me to get into a CPA firm since I have no background in auditing I personally think that he's totally wrong. For a second I was really upset. I couldn't believe that a person could just be so mean but I will not waste my time on somebody who knows nothing about me or my abilities.

My focus is to move into either a role as a Asst Controller/Controller or if the opportunity presents itself a position with a CPA firm. My goal is to really learn the ins and outs of the operations of an entity. Currently I'm in a similar role but I want to be on the client side/managing side of things.

I know that some people try to down play passing the CPA (as I have encountered) but I'm not downplaying it. If the CPA were so easy everyone would be a CPA.

I plan on blogging my job search and my movement into this new direction.

Here's to good news and growth!!!

I'm a CPA

I don't even know where to start.

I always dreamt about what my victory post would say. I just knew that I would have the right words to describe what I was feeling, however 3 days after getting my results I'm still speechless.

The reality is that I, ( me SAS) is a CPA ( well technically not until I submit paperwork ( but soon).

Let me just start off by saying that I must have checked for my results 20 times in a 18 hour period. On Thursday December 8th I learned my fate. And it was all good.
I passed Audit with a 86. All of my hard work was evident. The fact that I used my two week vacation to study rather than sit on a beach paid off. This gift of passing all 4 parts of the CPA in 18 months was finally coming true.

I remember while in undergrad I NEVER thought I would be able to be a CPA. I just felt like I was not strong enough in accounting to do it. I remember my professors encouraging us to go after the prestigious CPA however they made sure to mention that only the strong survive. And me, oh I just knew at that time I didn't have the dedication or ability to get it done. Now that may sound crazy, or possibly like I had little faith in myself but it was just that at that time in my life I just felt very average.

It wasn't until months after getting my MBA that I decided to pursue my CPA. While applying I realized that I was short 6 accounting credits. Taking more classes was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but I did.

I started my actual journey on April 9, 2010 with BEC which I subsequently failed. It took me 4 times to pass BEC and twice for REG.

In 2010 I had not passed a single part. I wasn't as dedicated as I was in 2011. In 2011 I made a promise to myself and to GOD that I would pass at least 3 parts. I told myself that my priorities were to be a CPA and that's it.

This journey made me believe in myself. Even when I was putting together my application I still was unsure that I could do this. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't pass and that I would become a professional test taker.

It wasn't until I passed my first part in Feb 2011(REG) that I felt like I had a shot at all.

The crazy thing that amazes me is that ever since I made the CPA my priority I didn't fail one part in 2011. I passed them all on the first shot. 2011 was like my new beginning.

This journey broke me down and built me up. I remember early mornings and late nights crying due to frustration. I remember asking myself why am I putting myself through this. I remember countless nights coming home to just me and my books and dinner. There were so many missed outings, parties, and vacations. There were times I would cry to my boyfriend about how I just wanted to give up. However I ALWAYS had that support from him and my family to keep going.

It is so important to have a good support system. If you have just one person that's enough. Even if it is your dog, you need something.

If there's one thing I learned, it was to fight. Fight like your life depended on it. Once you embark on this journey its no sink or swim, its swim or swim harder, there's no sinking.

Your going to have to give up something. That's a given. I definitely have fewer friends now. Some felt like I was brushing them off and they didn't understand, and some got tired of me saying that I had to decline. Now don't get me wrong I wasn't an absolute prude, but my outside activities were cut down by 85%.

Roger CPA review was a huge factor in me passing my last two parts. I felt prepared when going in for Audit. Besides normal test anxiety I felt at ease.

Passing the CPA is something that can never be taken away. The respect that is received is priceless. The feeling of accomplishment that I feel has no words. I can’t even tell you what it feels like, I think its just better for each person to experience the
feeling.

This journey took me 18 months, and I can say I wouldn’t change a thing. Some people pass in 6 months and for others it takes longer. In these 18 months I’ve learned how strong I am. I may have bad days but I still got it done. I may have had personal obstacles but I still hit the books. I may have failed 5 in a row (yes 5 in a row) but I still had that one ounce in me to say keep going.
I
have met so many great people during this journey. Some who I can say will be my life long friends. I’m so happy I stuck it through and didn’t give up. I’m just so happy and blessed to start this new chapter in my life as a Certified Public Accountant.

Roger Cyber Monday Sale

ROGERS HAVING A SALE!!!

Use promo code Thankful4CPA at checkout

$150 each off 1,2 or 3 parts

WWW.ROGERCPAREVIEW.COM

This is a really good deal! If you want to learn the concepts without just memorizing...you should go with Roger.

The sale is only good until 11/29/11 11:59pm, PST

Audit Recap...And Now The Wait Begins

So I'm just gonna jump right in it.

I got through the MCQ's in 1 hour and 20 mins. I had to seriously go back and double.check to make sure I wasn't forgetting something. There were some tricky ones in there but there weren't many. In total throughout 90 questions I marked less than 15 that I was unsure of. Out of those I would say I had about 6 that I just took my best guess.

Now onto the Sims.....

I know I got the research right and I know I got 2 sims 90-100% right.

Two other sims I would say I for between 75% -85% right.

Another simulation I'm guessing I got around. 70-75% right

The last Sim I would say probably 65-70% .

I can just flat out say that Rogers course prepared me. There were no surprises. Everything he emphasized to study was definitely on the test and his course book covered it.

Now its just time to wait. No matter the results I tried my hardest and studied like a mad woman.

I took no shortcuts and I made some big sacrifices. I feel blessed to have made it this far and I'm so proud to see my progress from when I first started.

My Mom asked me how I felt today and I just told her that I feel like it was life changing.

Heres to waiting...(and prayerfully passing)

Well Here it Goes....Tomorrow is Audit

One word, Exhausted.

Exhausted in a good way though, exhausted meaning that I have filled my brain with all things audit. There is not one ounce of me that feels that I didn't do all I could to study for audit. The fact that I pushed myself to my limit and didn't slack or take shortcuts is enough for me to sleep well tonight and still be proud of myself no matter what.

Today I woke up at 7:30 am and I've been studying for almost 12 straight hours. This is without any TV or phone calls (I was tweeting though...twudygroup gets me through my study sessions)

In total I've done around 2500 audit MCQ's. This morning I said I wasn't going to do hardly any but I changed my mind because I just wanted a quick refresher (glad I did that!!!)

I can't rave enough about my review course. Roger's text book has made my life so much easier. The book just breaks everything down into basic terms. The fact that everything just flows from chapter to chapter is just a breath of fresh air. I can't say how much easier or less painful it makes studying when you watch Roger and his hilarious videos and he comes up with these funny but very useful mnemonics. The confidence that I'm feeling compared to when I took other parts is just no comparison. Of course I'm remaining humble and realizing that this exam can be brutal I'm acknowledging that I'm scoring better and understanding concepts clearer than I did with other parts.

My exam isn't until 4pm tomorrow. I usually like to test around 12 or 1pm however this is the only time I could get that day. I'm going to use the time wisely. I'm going to get a GOOD nights sleep and just skim my notes tomorrow. I'm doing absolutely no MCQ's. I will also read through some more answers to simulations but I won't be working any from scratch. I don't want to exert myself in any way shape or form because I know when I get in there I'm going hard!!!!

My plan is to get thru the MCQ's in no more than 2 hours MAX that leaves me with two hours for Sims (which is alot of time). 2 hours for MCQ's and 2 hrs for Sims is the worst case scenario.

I'm just ready to go in there tomorrow and get er done!!!!

Tonight could possibly be my last weekend of studying for the CPA Exam. I'm saying a nice long prayer tonight just for this.

Good Luck to everyone these next three days in the window. Keep fighting and dont give up.

It's possible.

In 3 Days

I will be taking Audit.

I'm just ready to get it over with.

Basically I'm just focusing on reading sims and my notes, as well as key points.

Today I went through those crazy Wiley Sims. It wasn't as bad as it looked yesterday.

That is all for the night.

4 Days to Go

Since today is Thanksgiving I knew I had to get my Q's in early.

I did 90 questions. First testlet I scored 87%, 2nd testlet I scored 70%, third testlet I scored 80%.

I only looked at the sims and the explanations because by the time I got home I was exhausted. Those Sims were seriously hard, however tomorrow I will focus on them so I'm not going to worry.

All I can say is I'm putting and I have put 110% into this. I've given up a lot and no matter what I did all I could without taking the easy way out.

Back at it tomorrow.

5 Days to Go

Today I did 120 MCQ's. Scoring in mid 70's to Mid 80's.

Did a bunch of Sims.

I feel like I need to get my scores up...but I feel confident.

That's it for now enjoying some nice quality time.

Gonna get some questions in before I stuff my face tomorrow.

6 Days Until Audit

Real quick...
99 random questions from all sections ..82%.

Read my note cards and focus notes.

Tomorrow another set of 99 and sims.

Time for bed.

Oh and definitely a big Congrats to all those who passed a section this window. You guys deserve it!

7 Days Until Audit

Nothing much going on here.

Just read the audit technology section...took me forever. This stuff is just boring. Tomorrow answering questions and random Q's and Sims.

8 Days Until Audit

Ok so I skipped a day.

Yesterday my brain was off. Off like it was on vacation and it wasn't coming back until it felt like it. With that said I accepted it for what it was and took a break. At first I felt guilty but in hindsight it was the right move. I'm only human right?

I was hitting a roadblock with Audit Sampling. For some reason it just wasn't sticking AGAIN. However I vowed to get through it today and I did. I'm going to read over it again tonight in the cram book and possibly do a simulation.

Today was the first time I did a random quiz on all chapters (except technology). I'm happy to say I got a 95% on 20 questions.

I hope I'm not getting a false sense of security because I have never done this well on any section in the review stage. 

There is no way that I can't just not do all of the Wiley and Becker questions. I have to go in there knowing that I did all that I could. I.would be very upset at myself if i slacked off and had bad results because of it.

Thanks to Roger and his mnemonics and entertainment audit is actually enjoyable. I just can't believe how understandable he makes Audit. Oh and I have to say that Roger explains PPS sampling 50 times better in the cram then he does in the full review course.

I.can honestly.say I'm very happy that I decided to get the cram rather then go through the cpa review book again. It sums up all the key points nicely

Ok I've said enough for the night...back at it tomorrow

10 Days Until Audit

Really quick...as much as I don't feel like blogging I am, because I promised.

I did sooooo many MCQ's today. I lost count. It was defintiely under 200 but over 150.

Scored in low 90's and low 80's

Covered attestation engagements and review services. My goal was to complete audit sampling but then I forgot I had to do some MCQ'S on those topics. So tomorrow I will definitely get through sampling.

That's it for the night...time for some TV and relaxation.

11 Days Until Audit

Today was very productive...

160 MCQ'S
Scoring in the mid to low 80's
I definitely need to be scoring consistently in the mid 80's to 90's. That will be my focus next week.

I wrote out so many notecards, I may have to go to Target and get some more. I also did 3 sims today. I also read the chapter on SSARS and government accounting for key points. Tomorrow I will start out reviewing all my notecards and then finish up audit sampling and possibly technology.

I didn't watch any videos today because I felt thoroughly reading everything would be more effective, however for sampling I will definitely watch videos.

Moving right along...

12 days until Audit

Quick update...

Today was the first day that I actually had one day where I felt the true meaning of vacation.

I woke up early to watch videos on audit reporting and then I hit the streets.

After some much needed quality time I came home and wrote note cards, re-read the chapter for key points and I did questions. I scored a 76% on 99 questions. I also completed two simulations. Tomorrow I will do another big set of questions and a bunch of simulations. I plan on staying in all day and working some random questions also. I'm so determined to be a CPA in less than two weeks.  Almost there...

Slow and steady wins the race.

Countdown to Audit....13 Days to Go

Today was very productive.

I did 14 Evidence simulations and I'm happy to say that I did fairly well. I'm happy that I'm doing much better with audit procedures.

I also did 99 evidence questions and 15 questions from engagement planning and internal control (just to keep it fresh).

I also wrote out evidence note cards, and took notes from the questions that I got wrong while doing the Wiley test bank questions.

I may watch the video on audit reporting tonight just to get a jump start tomorrow, its not definite because my attention span right now is low. No point in trying to retain info when my mind is wandering (so we'll see).

Other than that I'm sooooo happy with my progress.

So far I've been averaging about 6-7 hours of straight studying a day.

Well that's my update for today....back at it tomorrow.

Meanwhile in Audit Land............

Audit is officially 14 days away, and I couldn't be happier.

Since I'm on vacation for the next two weeks I can study hard core and focus without coming home and trying to pry my eyes open while studying.

Today I woke up at 7:30am and I hit the books at 8. I can't believe how much I covered today. My goal was 250 questions but I made it to 210. My goal was also to do 5 sims but I did 7.

Right now I'm feeling much better about audit. I feel good knowing that I can really get down to the details and not feel rushed.

There are some areas that I HAVE to dig deeper on. One being matching the procedures to perform when their are certain types of fraud occurring (it relates to evidence). I did horribly on the simulation, tomorrow that is going to be the first thing that I start with. I have to do atleast 4-5 to feel somewhat confident.

A couple of days ago I was not feeling good about internal control, however I focused on it for 3 days and I'm happy to say that I'm scoring much better in internal control.

My plan is to get through all of the Becker questions (so far I've went through 439 out of 953) not bad considering 3 days ago I was only at 160. And I've went through all of the Wiley textbooks questions which totals 790 questions. Not to mention I've done some Wiley test bank questions and questions from other sources ( wow just typing this made me realize how much I've done).

I'm also going to go over the Wiley questions I've done wrong.

Now its time for me to rave about Roger, because seriously this guy knows his stuff.
To prove it (for example), I am scoring in the mid to low 80's on the questions in the Becker software without reading the Becker book. I will admit that I picked up the Becker textbook initially because I thought I would need it to answer some questions. I did not need the book, because everything was there. The Audit Course is honestly the best out there (trust me I know, I swear I've had my hands on everything).

In order to hold myself accountable for the next 14 days I will be daily blogging on my study progress until test day. I encourage everyone to start a blog (even its private), its amazing to look back and read your old posts and witness how far you have come.

I'm done for the night, and taking a much needed break. See you tomorrow....

Image Source

Audit Audit Everywhere

The title of this post sums it up. In order for me to pass Audit I have to put these next 3 weeks on hold and make sure that Audit OS everywhere in my life.

I admit that I'm pretty much exhausted. I really want to be done with the CPA exam like yesterday! But I'm in the home stretch and theres NO way I'm going slack off now.

The Roger Cram is just so good. The way he sums this stuff up is just genius! So far I've watched about 4 hours of video and I have 4 more to go. My test is 19 days away so I have ample amount of time to do questions and simulations. A part of me wishes I would have kept my original test date however considering that I want my confidence level to be boosted I am glad to have time.

Oh by the way Roger is having a free Audit Reports webcast. (Seriously you should consider) Roger got me thru the BEAST FAR on the first try. The Irony is that this is the first one I passed on the first try.

I surely have my work cut out for me but I'm in the home stretch. I feel blessed to have made it this far. At this time last year I had not passed one single part and I was waiting for BEC scores (which I failed). So just thinking of that keeps me going and motivated.

I PASSED FAR and I'm in A Daze

The Beast, the one that gives us nightmares, the one with so much info, I did it, I passed, and on the first try. Whew!!!

Scores came out earlier today and I was sick to my stomach when I got word that NASBA received the scores. I had thee worst anxiety today. I think it was bad because I have never studied this hard before for one part. I didn't want to imagine what going back to study would be like.

I checked my score at least 8-10 times in 3 hrs and finally at about 9:30pm my score was there...75 on the dot. I seriously wanted to cry.

FAR took so much out of me...I basically gave up my summer because of FAR and hurricane Irene caused me to miss the 2nd window. But can I tell you every disappointment is a blessing because some things I studied just days before FAR were things I didn't even look at during my second window studying.

I can't begin to express my many thanks to my twitter friends. They really inspire me and help me stay on track. I love you guys!!

One more to go and I'm done...with everything I have in me I'm going into Audit with a fight!!

Oh and the Roger Cram for FAR is just fantastic...I COULD NOT have reviewed that amount of material on my own..

Its A Sale!!!

Since I cannot say enough good things about what the Roger course is doing for me I had to share the great news that he's having another sale!!!

Get your course now!!

When Audit Throws You Lemons You Better Make Some Audit Lemonade

This week started off pretty frustrating. Audit Sampling caught me off guard. I was doing absolutely horrendous on MCQ's and everything was a blur. I decided that I was going to put the book down and go to bed early. I was so glad I did, because I understood it the next day 10 times better. Rogers coverage on Audit Sampling definitely does simplify the Wiley book HOWEVER Rogers coverage on PPS sampling was just way too fast paced and confusing. I used my Wiley Focus Notes to finally get the hang of it. Fortunately PPS sampling doesn't go into too much depth so I don't think it will be too much too worry about. But I feel good that I have the hang of it.( I think I may do a post on how to do it).

Right now I'm up to Audit Reporting and I'm not even exagerrating when I say that Roger explains it so well!! The pieces from all the chapters are coming along so well. Of course I have to do my normal review process but the fact that I can see how chapters relate to each other is comforting.

Currently the Chapters that I know I need more practice in is Internal Control and Evidence. These two chapters are huge. I'm not taking any chances with these chapters so I will be digging deep to get my scores up in MCQ'S and Sims. It is important to realize that getting a CPA review course is just a stepping stone its up to you to do the questions and Sims as many times as you can or until you feel comfortable

In other news I bought my Roger Cram!!! I already have my online access just waiting for my book to get here. I love how I instant access. Anywhoo...I'm going to be re-reading Audit reporting tonight before bed. I should be done with it by Friday and then more MCQ's and Sims this weekend. My schedule is working out wonderfully

P.S. My FAR grade will be released next week and I'm silently freaking out.

Cram Course

Just Ordered my Roger Cram.... did you get yours????

Audit Update Week 3

I'm still here moving along....

I'm up to Audit 3 which is Module 4 in Wiley (Audit Evidence).

There is definitely a lot to remember however I feel that if I just keep reviewing I will be able to pull it all together.  I'm scoring okay on the MCQ'S but I would be lying if I said that I couldn't do better. I'm going to have to go through all of the cpa questions atleast once more to get a handle. Of course Roger isn't letting me down. His humor and jokes make studying bearable and less dreadful.

I will admit that although Roger does a great job at breaking it down I find myself looking through the Wiley book for explanations to questions and some insight to certain topics. I would say these books should be used in conjunction and not separately. I noticed someone on twitter mentioned that some things in the Roger book are not covered by the questions, this is true, however you have to read the Wiley text for certain areas in my opinion.

So that's my update so far. I plan on moving on to Module 4 on Sunday. I think it will be less painful compared to Evidence and Internal Control mostly due to the amount of questions.

Oh and P.S. I still don't have a test date because NASBA has yet to send me my NTS :(

Me and Internal Control

I'm making good progress this week. Plugging right along through Audit 2. Audit 2 covers internal control, and operating cycles. I'm actually enjoying internal control. Operating cycles on the other hand is another story. I'm having difficulties separating the duties however I'm going to nail it before its test time. The best way to understand something is just to keep doing it and that's what I will do.

I really like the way Roger explains things. For example in the beginning of every chaper Roger briefly reviews what we learned previously. To me this is important because my memory has to constantly be refreshed. I also appreciate the fact that Roger goes over class questions.

Im really happy that I chose this cpa course. I'm feeling better everyday. As long as I keep up my same study habits I will be Ok. Slow and steady wins the race right?

Week1 Audit Update

Week 1 studying is going well. My Roger CPA review Audit course is working wonders. So far I got through half of Audit 1. My goal is to get through all of Audit 1 and 2 by this week. Since I really want to understand it the first time around I'm focusing on the concepts and rationalizations rather then just trying to get through it. I feel that if I do it this way it will make my second and third review less painful.

I will admit that Audit is pretty interesting to me however it is relatively foreign. I have absolutely no audit experience. But I'm confident that Roger will get me through. Rogers CPA review book that is seriously priceless (and I'm serious). There is no way I could read the Wiley book alone and interpret half that stuff.

I'm taking a break for the rest of the day and I will be back to report again mid week.

It's here! Roger CPA Review

Today I received my Roger CPA Review course for Audit. I'm super excited and ready to crack the books open. I made a schedule and I will be finished reviewing by November 3rd. That gives me over 2 weeks to review.
So now here is the fun part. Follow me while I give you my play by play on my Audit review.

The Roger course came with various CPA study material such as the Roger textbook written by Roger himself and the Wiley textbook for homework questions . There are 5 sections to review. I know that doesn't sound bad however there are as many questions as FAR to answer which means there is A LOT. Nothing like a good challenge right?

FAR Recap

I took FAR yesterday....

Where do I begin.

The first testlet wasnt bad at all. I got thru it in about 35 mins. Which was about 20 mins earlier then budgeted.

Second testlet was definitely harder.  I got through it in about 45 mins.

Last testlet was CRAZY hard! My brain was fried after it.

Next up were the sims. I know I got the research right and I know I got one sim 95-100% right. There was one sim that I just guessed some of the answers. Another one was really tricky. Not because I didn't know it but because the wording was ridiculous. Seriously why does the AICPA  go out of their way to word things so tricky.. just tell us what you want us to do...sheesh...anyway...

I finished the exam with 8 mins left. By that time I was so beat!

I will say that I was very careful to check my math. I'm glad I did because there were two questions that I calculated wrong at first and then when I re did it. I came back with the right answer.

Now the fun part begins....the wait. Whatever happens I know I put my ALL into it. I studied super hard. A day later and I'm still drained from the test. I'm taking a few days off until my Roger CPA review materials arrive for Audit.

FAR is almost here and looking forward to Audit

In 4 more days I will be taking FAR. I can honestly say that I’ve studied the hardest for this section. I’m excited to be taking my 3rd part of the exam while also nervous. At the end of the day I’m GOING to walk into Prometric confident. The only person who can kill my own confidence is myself and I’ve worked too hard to feel less then capable.

On another note. I will be starting Audit on Monday. I’ve decided to go with Roger CPA Review. I’ve heard great things about Roger ‘s audit review and I think this will be exactly what I need to pass. Roger helped me solidify my BEC understanding as well as helped me decipher some difficult REG topics. I really liked his coverage of business law in REG. My plan is to be done with Audit in 5-6 weeks. I’m going to really really dig deep for Audit because
1) I don’t want to take it again….
2) I want to be a CPA by Christmas

And for those of you who want to join in on the Roger fun he’s having a special now...

I'm headed back to the books...see u soon

FAR Studying Continued.......But with a TWIST!!!

So FAR is scheduled for October 1st.

No matter what I will be taking FAR that day.

Since I wasn't able to take it on 8/28 that gave me 4 extra weeks to study. I remember a lot from studying then, but I will admit I need to brush up on everything and tie it all together.

My study plan will be structured, meaning that I will be going through the chapters on a day by day basis. I'm glad that I blogged my day by day progress because I can go back and mimick that.

So anyway back to the twist.

I've noticed that sometime the problem with studying for the CPA exam is not retaining info. Your studying things in order. Basically when you study things in order you can't put the pieces together on your own. You can't see how the last chapter in the book relates to the first. Your studying chapter by chapter and your memorizing that chapter. Soooooo my solution is to randomize my studying everynight by randomly generating a section to do questions on. I've broken up the topics as such:

1)Conceptual Framework and IFRS

2)Cash Balance Sheet Presentation

3) Investments & Marketable Securities & Derivatives

4)Inventory

5)PP&E

6) Intangibles

7) Bonds and PV

8)Leases

9) Liabilities and Contingencies

10) Receivables

11)Pensions

12) Stockholders Equity

13) Partnerships

14)Accounting Error and Changes

15) Accounting for Income Taxes

16)Segment reporting

17)Development Stage Enterprise, Intermin f/s and f/s ratio analysis

18)Installment cost and recovery

19) Long Term Construction Contracts

20)Personal Financial Statements

21)Statement of Cash Flows

22)EPS

23) Foreign Currency

25)Business Combinations

26) Government

27) NFP

I will randomly generate a section. Each time I generate that section that I completed will not be included in the pool. I will then randomly generate another number. That will be the amount of questions I need to answer for that section.

I decided that I will do a max of 30 questions (after 30 I'm in a daze and staring into space).

I will randomly generate a section every night in addition to doing atleast 30 questions on the topic of my focus for that night.

So for example if the random generator chooses #15 and then it chooses the # 6 that means that I will have to do 6 questions on accounting for income taxes.

I have a ton to review so I'm going to get started tonight with some questions.

Random Generator for Sections

Random Generator for Questions

Feel free to use the generator for your own questions and feel free to join in!!

CPA Exam!!! Lets get it!

Plan A, B, and C

I could easily sit here and be depressed and have this woe is me attitude but I will not, I'm not going to have a pity party and complaining takes too much time. Instead I've decided on my action plan.

I will be calling Prometric first thing tomorrow. I'm hoping the testing window will get extended until the second week of September. If it does then I will be taking FAR during the second week. This week isn't a good time to take FAR because I have plans. May sound crazy but thinking about FAR wasn't in my plans. I'm going away mid week and I have a ton of things to do related to that, I'm not going to add more stress to my week, I'm trying to live a stress free as possible life. I feel like I have a good grasp on FAR. I took some quizzes today and I was scoring in the 80's and 90's. I definitely want to work on some more sims but other than that I feel good.

Now if NASBA doesn't extend the window I will have no choice but to take FAR until 10/1. Wasn't in my plan but hey I gotta deal with it. If I take FAR on 10/1 I will be taking Audit before 11/15. That means that I will be starting my Audit study in about 2 weeks.

So yeah at this point it time my situation is not the best but hey it could be worst....

???????? Days Until FAR

Well thanks to Hurricane Irene Prometric is closed on Sunday. I'm totally clueless on whats going to happen because the lines to NASBA and Prometric are either busy or closed.

My feelings are bitter sweet. Happy because that means more study time but sad because I just want to get this over with. I'm taking a break from it all tonight and tomorrow I will be calling Prometric and studying.

3 Days Until FAR.... I think??

Ok so Hurricane Irene is trying to mess up my flow, at least temporarily it is.

I called Prometric today and the testing center has a strong possiblity of being closed on Sunday ( I have to call back tomorrow).

At first I was a little upset but an extra day of studying would be great. There is no way I'm waiting until next window while all of this is fresh in my brain. My prayer is that I get to take the exam on Monday. I'm actually flying out of town on Wednesday so Monday would be perfect since it give me one day to prepare for my travels. So we shall see.....

Anyway on to the good stuff

So as of tonight I have done quizzes on every single chapter in Becker. I've also answered 1141 Becker questions alone. As far as Wiley questions I would estimate around 350 questions. The Becker questions do not count the quizzes I've taken so if I had to give my best estimate in all it would be around 1700 questions (OMG!!!!) I've also done a ton of sims.

Of course there are areas I want to read on but as far as doing a boat load of questions, I'm going to keep that to a minimum. I need to save my brain power for test day,

So of course I'll be back with another update tomorrow...and hopefully a confirmed test date.

FAR Notes- Indirect Method of Cash Flows- Hope it Helps

So today some light bulbs when off and I thought that I would share. While working some practice questions with cash flows I could not rationalize how to figure out the reconciliation to cash. I kept getting mixed up on what to add and subtract when trying to back out certain things from net income (you know the indirect method)

This is one of the problems I got stuck on

Sooooooo this is how I figured it out and then it all made sense. First let me tell you that journal entries are your friends. If you know what side to put a increase and decrease on you already know the answer.

So here it is

Accts Receivable increased by $6000 Dr. Accounts Receivable $6000

Allowance Uncoll Acct Increased $200 Cr. Allowance $200

(remember allowance is a contra rec so its a normal credit balance. Increases are Cr. decreases are Dr.

Prepaid Rent Decreases by $4200 Cr. Prepaid Expense $4200

(this is where I was getting confused. I couldnt understand the effect on cash and what direction it should go since its a prepaid)

Accounts Payable Increases $3000 Cr. Accounts Payable $3000

Now I know what your saying, the entry doesn't balance and yes your correct but setting up the j/e will show you what to add and what to subtract from net income. Net Income has a normal credit balance so you add all the credits to Net Income and Subtract the Debits. And your answer is

$150,000+$3000+4200+200-6000 = $151,400

Hope that helped!

4 Days Until FAR

Tonight started off pretty bad. Seems like I was getting everything wrong. I got so frustrated and felt like screaming. However by the end of the night I was scoring in the high 70's to low 80's. Some sections have high 60's but I'm going to review those again. Honestly as a CPA candidate you will never feel 100% ready, and you won't master everything but you just need to be familiar with alot of topics, so you might as well just do your best and put your all and then pray for the best. That's what I'm going to do.

Tonight I did practice quizzes on F2-5. My weakest area was F2, 1 hour later and some dumb mistakes I know look out for. I feel that if I get in at least another 2 days of full studying I'll be prepared enough to pass. Tonight I put in about 4.5 hours. Tomorrow I plan to put in atleast 8 hours, Friday 4-5 hours and Saturday I will only be re-reading sims and text and relaxing. No questions. I need to save all my brain power for Sunday.

And that's todays update....

p.s. I think tomorrow is going to be a great study day I have a feeling my update will be 10 times better

5 Days Until.FAR

Please forgive me...I'm drained...all I will say is that I did A LOT today...my memory is more and more refreshed and to top it off I will be working a half day on Thursday so I can come home and study. Never thought I would be this happy to study

Sincerely,

The Life of A CPA Candidate

Until Tomorrow

Oh and P.S. I hope todays earthquake is shaking some favor in my direction ;)

6 Days Until FAR

I'm beyond exhausted. My brain is fried and back is killing me. Ive been up since 5:30 am. I did 4 TBS's and I did bonds and other ransom questions at work.

I also reviewed my Wiley focus notes on the train.

Came home and did a ton of Govt questions...the results weren't too bad. I've actually learned a lot.

Now NFP that's another story. I blame that on just doing the questions and no reading. I'm going to get up at 5:30 tomorrow to turn that around.

6 days and I pray to be 75% CPA!

7 Days Until FAR

I'm baaaackk....with another FAR update of course.

I woke up today at 7:30am. I started the day off with business consolidations. Im glad I took my time with it. I feel better about this section but there is still a area that confuses the mess out of me (elimination of intercompany  profit). I have to look at this again.

I did two quizzes on Marketable Securities and Business Combos. I scored well on Marketable Securities and business Combos would have been equally as high if I didn't get confused with NCI's but I have that under control now.

I also did 2 sims on business Combos.

Next up I did about 80 questions on Govt. Tomorrow I want to be done with NFP and Govt. Then I will be doing Sims and random Q"s for the rest of the week. I think I will be OK. Just gotta stay on track.

Tomorrow I will be waking up at 6am to get in 2 sims before work. I haven't decided what section yet. I'm also going to be doing sims on the train and questions.

And thats todays update..

See you tomorrow

8 Days Until FAR

I started my day early. I woke up at 7:30 am and made my way to Whole Foods to study. I know Whole Foods may seem unconventional but they have a huge cafe that is much quieter and cleaner then other places Ive been. I also wanted to go there because I wanted a change of scenery.

I finished up my review of Inventory as well as I started my review of consolidations. I thought I would get more covered there but honestly those inventory questions took forever and it wore me out. I also managed to complete questions on acquisitions. In total I stayed there for 5 hours.

Later (after some much needed retail therapy) I came home and read my notes on consolidations. I did more questions on those. Next I finished the night with re reading some of my notes on Govt.

Tomorrow I MUST do some consolidation.sims and do Wiley questions on consolidations. I must also get through atleast half of the Becker MCQ'S on GOVT and NFP.

And that's todays update.

Side note... (in a way I'm glad that I have sufficient.time to review. Although I complain that I want this to be over, there is NO WAY IN HELL, I would remember this stuff if I.didn't go over it multiple times). So yes its good to CRAM but FAR is on another level.

My overall goal is to be in heavy random MCQ mode by Tuesday. YIKES!

UNTIL tomorrow

9 Days Until FAR

I must say that today was quite productive.

I finished the Wiley fixed asset questions.
I also finished the Wiley Monetary Liabilities questions. I also took notes on that section.
I listened to audio lectures on Government. I also did a ton of sims.

Oh just a disclaimer. I'm doing the Yaeger minimum questions in Wiley. Between this and doing ALL the Becker questions twice I feel I will be in good shape.

I've also circled the questions I got wrong so I can review those next week when I'm closer to test date.

Doing questions over and over is the key. Sometimes I will get to a section and I briefly forgot how to do the question but then I will replay the steps in my memory and BAM! I get a idea of atleast how to start the question.

Before I go to bed I may briefly run through the Govt and NFP Becker text. Tomorrow I plan on finishing up inventory and business consolidations and then finishing the day with Govt and NFP questions and Sims.

Well that's my update for today. Until tomorrow

10 Days Until FAR

This update is going to be so quick I would suggest you read it quick before you miss it.

Today I went over fixed assets and Non Monetary Exchanges. I went over a few questions.

I also did questions on ratios

Tomorrow I wil finish up the fixed assets on the train ride to work and I will do fixed asset during lunch. Tomorrow I plan on doing Becker quizzes and watching the Roger Cram on consolidations.

I'm feeling better every day.

See ya tomorrow

Study Tip #5... CHEATERS NEVER WIN

I know its been a while since I posted a study tip. I usually post them as they come to mind. So todays tip is.......

DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF!

Basically don't do a half ass job of studying. You have to be focused. No distractions. The amount of info that can be retained when you have absolute focus is unimaginable to when your not focused. Also, don't study when you feel like your going to pass out from lack sleep. Take a QUICK nap. Notice I said quick.  Study on a refreshed mind

Remember you have to put the time in to pass.

11 days until FAR

Before I pass out due to my extreme desire to go to bed...here is my progress:

I finished the deferred  taxes questions ...all 61... didn't do all that  great but I learned a lot from my mistakes... I think I will be ok. I need to do 2 sims from this section to be on the safe side.

I went over segment reporting and some accrued liability questions.

I listened to audio lectures today on random topics to keep my memory fresh.

I wrote out note cards on my train ride to work and answered MCQ'S during my lunch break. I plan on doing the same tomorrow.

Regarding videos tomorrow I will watch more of the Cram (don't have that much to do). I'm also going to re-read my notes on Govt and NFP. For some reason I have a strong feeling I will get a Sim from either of the two.

Well that is all for the night...until tomorrow

12 Days Until FAR

In keeping with my promise here is what I did today:

I went over error corrections and changes
I went over partnerships
I did 5 simulations
I wrote note cards
I answered more MCQ'S
I did 2 research questions
I reviewed components of the Income Statement and IFRS.
Finished up Cash Flows (which I did MUCH better on)
Did 3 stock holders equity sims..(which I did well on also, however I still need to do one over that I bombed on).

Overall I'm happy with my progress. Deferred Taxes is going to take me atleast another day to get through since there are so many questions. I don't want to rush through the questions I need to fully understand the reasoning behind the answers and the mistakes that I'm making. Since I've squeezed in some simulations today I can definitely finish up the cram this weekend since the other videos are shorter than the ones I've already covered.

See ya tomorrow with another update.

Bad Blogger I am

Yes I'm a bad blogger, but I have a good excuse. You know how it is when life gets in the way and then your trying to study. So yeah that's me...but enough about that, lets get down to business.

So FAR is in 13 days (shivers). In 13 days I hopefully be 75% CPA. I'm doing everything in my power to be, including taking days off from work, no extra curricular activities and virtually no TV time. But in 14 days I will be able to do all of that right???

Here is where I'm at:

1) I've went through all of the material twice and I have gone through most of the questions twice.
2) I've done some TBS's but that is going to be my focus starting Thursday throughout next weekend. Next Saturday and Sunday is TBS day. I will go through at least 3 TBS's from each section. I will take notes on all the key points.

The topics I need to drill down on are

1) Liabilities and Accruals (Go thru Becker's MCQ's and take more notes)
2) Non Monetary Exchanges (do more MCQ's)
3) CASH FLOWS!!!! (Go thru all the MCQ's)
4) Bonds (do more MCQ's)
5) Pensions (do more MCQ's)
6) Long Term Construction Contracts (do more MCQ's)
7) Goodwill
8) Partnerships (Bonus and Goodwill methods, just refresh my memory)
9) Non Controlling Interests (Partial and Full Goodwill Methods..do some extra MCQ's)
10) Leases (Do a quick run thru of random MCQ's)
11) Ratios (a quick run thru)

That seems like a lot but if I would have made a list last week it would be double in size.

To hold myself accountable I'm going to be updating daily until 8/27. Yes I know I said this before but I'm giving it a shot. Like my good ol friend Nano I think this is a great way to stay on track and hold yourself accountable. Since my last post I've been staying pretty much on track with no real slacking however these last couple of days are crunch time.

I have the Roger Cram for FAR and I'm definitely liking it. He has made the light bulb go off on cash flows, bonds and leases. I haven't watched all of his videos because some sections I'm comfortable with, HOWEVER my plan is to watch the sections that I haven't. How I'm going to fit that in is a mystery but I gotta make it work.

I will say that I definitely had to go through the questions a second time. If I didn't there is no way I would remember this stuff. It would be a miracle if I could get through the questions three times but at least twice is a must. Initially I was saying I would go through the Becker and Wiley questions more than once but I realized that there is significant overlap between the two so for right now I'm focusing on the Becker questions. I can see my performance right on my computer and I don't have to manually calculate how I'm doing, Since I'm in a time crunch every little second counts.

For everyone out there studying, GOOD LUCK!!! Just know that we are all going through the same thing and we are all on the same journey. The difference is the hours and commitment that we put into passing.

So with that said, I will continue studying for at least another 5-6 hours and I will be back at it again tomorrow.

Update

I've promised to be more consistent about blogging (since it is like therapy for me and it keeps me accountable) so here's a little update.

I reviewed F1 again and got through about 80 questions including taking and reviewing extensive notes. I plan to finish up F1 and F2 this weekend. I really want to go through Becker again and then put the finishing touches on with Roger. I'll be able to determine how far I get in Becker by August 1st. Wherever I am in Becker in that time will have to do. I have to start the CRAM by then. Other than that everything is going good. Besides the fact that its 900 million degrees outside I don't see anything getting in my way.

I'm going to get up in a few hours and hit the books again, so for now I'm just enjoying some leisure time before I jam my brain with all that fun financial stuff.

Seems Like Forever

Seems like forever since I posted. I'm going to make it my business to post here atleast once a week. This blog is like therapy to me.

**** So I'm winding down on my FAR studies*****

I will be starting my CRAM this weekend. I've got alot of work ahead of me but atleast I have 6 weeks to do it. Some may say thats too much time to review but hey that's what I'm doing.

I NEED to pass FAR on my first try.

I remember writing down my goals in January. I bought a picture frame and wrote down 5 goals for 2011.


I wake up every morning to this frame and I make sure I see it everyday. This has made a difference. Obviously I want to be done this year but passing three this year will make my day!!

The support I've received from my twitter friends has been so encouraging and there is no way I could stay as motivated as I have. I'm still plugging away and I will until August 28th.

Work has been pretty busy for me. I've taken on more responsibilities (which isn't a bad thing) but it can be a challenge when your studying. I'm also waking up earlier in the mornings to try and get some study hours in. I've also limited my lunch time gym workouts to 3 days a week. I'm confident that I will be able to pull it together. It's all about repetition!

On another note, I've decided to take Audit most likely 1st to 2nd week of November. I don't even want to put the idea of a FAR retake on the table because I'm going in there like I already passed.

So that's what has been up with me. What's been up with you??

REVAMPED.....

The only things will happen is with a plan right?

Yes that’s right. So without further ado here is what I’m going to do to ENSURE I get through FAR and understand it enough to pass.

I will be done with all lectures by July 9^th.

Between July 9^th and July 23rd go through the Becker questions AGAIN. Rewriting my notes and making key points stick until then. I will make a list of all the areas that stump me and the areas that I take too long to answer questions. As I feel comfortable with the material I will cross it off the list.

From July 24^st through August 10^th do the Roger CRAM. While doing the Roger CRAM I will be doing the corresponding Becker questions and Wiley questions.

From August 11^th through the 19^th go thru the Becker questions again and Wiley questions for the same chapters.

August 19^th to the 28^th (REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW). I will be throwing in atleast 5 TBS days in the mix. I will be going over all of my weak areas (the areas that I had on my list) every single night (atleast 5-6 questions from each) while also going over the important points for my strong areas.



I will be doing the Wiley online test bank as well.

So there it goes……

What’s your study plan?

I Passed BEC

I just checked my score and I passed!!! I'm super excited.

I first took BEC on 4/9/2010 and failed with a 69, then a 64, then a 70 and then finally on 4/9/2011 I passed with a 75!!! I'll take it. So thats four times!! Determination is key.

Now I can get some sleep.

I'm so happy.

Waiting Game...

Well its about that time. Score Releases have begun. And I'm ever so patiently waiting for my BEC result. Initially I was really nervous and literally shaking but now I just want my score. Usually by this time I would be zoning out or putting the books down but I'm wide awake. My adrenaline is fired up. Hopefully in 24 hours or less I will know if I'm a 50% CPA or not.

In other news tonight has been the most productive in a long time. Maybe because I'm in the home stretch to studying round 1 for FAR. If I want to pass I have to get through these questions atleast 3 times. I pushed FAR back until August 28th. I need all the time I can get because this one has so tricks up its leaves. Anyway I digress.......

So good luck to everyone!!! And to all my #twudygroup friends no matter what happens dont give up. We are going to get through it!

No Pain No Gain

This study tip is brought to you by determination.

In order to succeed in life you have to put your all into it. If you know your not going to be putting 100% into something why bother? You know the saying nothing in life comes easy? Well this is one of the things. Don’t expect everything to be a walk in the park. You have to work for it. If your having sleepless nights and misery I think your moving along just fine..LOL. But seriously nothing worth fighting for comes easy so be determined, and be focused.

I often come across people who want the designation but don’t want to do the work. Either their journey will be very long, or their journey will be very short. I know at the end of the day my journey will be successful and I know that all the hours of studying, venting, ranting/crying will be worth it.

I hope this post has helped someone out there who thought about giving up, because please don’t. If one person passed this test, so can you!!

Just think the passing score is 75, not 99. So you need to be familiar with the material not an expert. Think about being an expert when you pass but now just thinking about getting those 75 points.

I'm Back with Another FAR Update

Well, I’m back with another FAR update. Well lets see , first things first, I will be taking FAR on 7/17 and not 5/31. I just don’t feel ready. I want to pass on my first take and I don’t want to rush through studying. My brain and my sanity is thanking me. I’m continuing to study atleast 3-4 hours a day on weekdays and 5-6 hours on weekends.

I’m excited about new opportunities that have come my way. I can’t wait until the exam is over so that I can finally get started with my life (sounds crazy but that’s how I feel).

In other news, I’m flip flopping between Becker and Yaeger. I will just say that I’m glad I have both. Where Yaeger falls short Becker fills it in nicely.

Other than that I’m still on my CPA grind and I have not lost motivation. I will say that I’m happy that I’m not killing myself to cram all of FAR in so soon. I do believe that you shouldn’t prolong your studying for too long, however FAR in 6 weeks for me was unrealistic.

These Next Two Weeks

These next two weeks to say the least will be intense. I will studying until I can't take it anymore. I already told my co-worker I won't be enjoying lunch time gossip or shopping. It's strictly FAR. I won't be tweeting while I study. And I will be drilling FAR in hard. I will leave a day a half to get some much needed fun time in though on May 20-21 with a friend...you know who you are...lol (stay tuned for pics and details..) but I will still be studying that weekend also.

I WILL be done with FAR studying by May 18th. That gives me 13 days to review. Which in my opinion is enough time to cram it all in. I plan on blogging a bit more frequently just to hold myself accountable. Even if its really quick its something to track my progress.

As long as I continue to do cumulative reviews I feel confident. I did a cumulative review tonight and although I have areas to work on, I actually retained and understood more that what I thought I did (never underestimate yourself!!!!!!)

I also have to do two TBS days. I mean FULL TBS DAYS! These FAR sims are pretty nasty...LOL. But nothing I can't beat.

So that's my FAR plan. After this is Audit (which by the way I will be starting my review on June 6th ) and then hopefully I will be D-O-N-E.... I can feel it!

What's your study plan?

IFRS Certification Yay Or Nay??

I was online today printing up the CSO's for FAR today and I noticed this link here. The AICPA is offering a certification in IFRS. Initially when I read it I thought it would be interesting to look into (of course after I pass my last part) but then I saw the price $1,695 O_0. My eyes jumped out my head.

I will have to consider the benefits later, because right now based on price that's not even an option.

Do you think you will be getting IFRS certified? I may, but definitely not now.

FAR Update

FAR is coming along. I finally made it out of Module 9 (yayy...does back flips). Can I just say that once you get through that module you deserve a round of applause. That module is sooooooo long.....OMG!!

I'm currently half way through Module 11 and I will be finishing that tonight. I'm also going to answer the Yaeger minimum questions and break into Module 12.

Tomorrow I will finish Module 12 and then review modules 9-12.

I looked at my calendar today and I realized that if I keep up my pace I will be done by May 18th. This will give me 13 days to review. I think this will be a sufficient amount of time to review all of the Modules. As long as I continually review prior modules (on Sunday's) I will be fine.

I'm realizing that yes FAR is difficult, but its difficult because its so much information. The way Cindy Simpson breaks things down makes it so understandable. Some people say that their lectures are too long, however if I take killer notes and fully grasp the concept before I move on, I get through the MCQ's pretty well.

Another concern I had was that the minimum assigned questions were not enough. I see now that they are. You just have to really know all the ways that the AICPA could ask you questions. If you master that then you know the concept. There are but so many ways that they can ask you about a topic.

Well that's my update. Time to rest for these next few hours because I have to do round two tonight.

Study Tip 4- FInd Your Time

I haven't done a study tip in a while. Partly because I post study tips as I find out what is helping me. Recently I noticed that I study better at night. I get so much covered between the hours of 5pm and 2am. Yes I know, crazy hours. I believe the reason is because while I'm studying everyone is sleeping. My neighbors aren't annoying me with the day time shennanigans. My friends aren't texting me about random things and the significant other isn't up watching basketball and yelling at the TV.

During the day I can still have some sort of a life and watch some of the shows that I enjoy. While I'm studying I'm not tempted to turn on the TV because I've already removed the temptation.

Everyone is different and you have to find what works for you. I'm currently enjoying my free time but in about five hours I will be submitting myself to the dungeon for the next eight hours. Works for me.

FAR so far

Well the title to this post has two meanings.

It means my progress currently and it also means that the road to finishing up FAR by May 31st looks so far away. I've only watched 7 hours of Yaeger videos and I have 44 more to go. Now that definitely seems doable in 6 weeks right. Well considering the fact that it takes more than one hour to get through one hour of video lets turn 44 hours into somewhere near around 68 hours. I normally pause the video on areas that I need to think about and I take notes in between.

I also need to answer questions not to mention there is a slim chance that I would feel comfortable with taking the exam without CRAM videos.

FAR is the beast. I haven't even made it to the really tough areas and I'm feeling the pressure.

I feel like I need to get back to accounting basics so that will take up some more of my time while I look through my old accounting books.

So now that I've had my break I have to get back to my lectures and keep working hard until I'm a CPA.

BEC Recap and Moving Right Along

Well BEC was today.

It wasn't horrible but there were some tricky questions. It did seem that the questions were getting harder but I will say that I had a nice amount of theory questions.

I have no choice but to wait until June to hear my fate. Until then FAR bootcamp begins tomorrow.

I have Becker class in the morning. I have to really be on schedule for this one. No room to slack. After REG I was planning on having my Sunday's to study all day but since getting my REG grade back I decided to give the live classes a shot.

I'm already thinking about if I should get the Cram for FAR. Actually let me rephrase that, I know I'm getting the Cram I just have to determine which provider. I've already decided hands down that I will be getting the Roger Cram for audit but for FAR I'm not sure yet. Any ideas or preferences?

MY GET RIGHT PLAN FOR BEC

I have tomorrow off and I’m planning on using my three day weekend wisely.

This weekend will consist of no outside activities other than the CPA. T.V. will only be watched when I’m taking a break and phone calls will be limited to emergencies My plan or as I would like to call it “My Get Right Plan” is as follows

Friday April 1,

1) Complete the Risk Mgmt Questions in the Wiley textbook using the Yaeger minimum question list.

2) Watch 2hrs of the Yaeger Fin Mgmt Cram DVD

3) Re-Do all Financial Mgmt Questions in Becker

4) Do a progress test on B3

5) Re-Watch the Becker COSO videos (I noticed I need to brush up on this).

Saturday April 2

1) Watch Yaeger Performance Measures Cram Videos

2) Do minimum Performance Measures questions

3) Do all Becker Performance Measures questions

4) Watch Yaeger Cost Measurement Video’s

5) Do minimum Wiley questions

6) Do all Becker Cost Questions

7) Do atleast 6 WC’s.

Sunday April 3

1) Do 80 IT questions (no videos)

2) Re-Do all Econ Questions (no videos)

3) Do planning and control questions (minimum Wiley and 85% of Becker)

4) Do alteast 6 WC’s.

I know this plan seems aggressive but I have to do it. I know next week will be busy at work and I won’t be able to be at ease until I’ve completed all homework twice and I’m scoring in the 80’s for homework.

I went back to see my REG performance in the software and each and every category showed that I scored atleast a 80 overall. That’s my plan for BEC.

So time to GET IT RIGHT!

TBS Day for BEC

I've decided this coming Sunday I will be doing at a minimum two written communications from each module. This really helped me in REG. I will post an update on how it goes.

In other news BEC is moving right along. I feel confident but I definitely need to do a good final review. Tomorrow I will be reviewing COSO at lunch and watching  three hours of cram lectures at night while taking good notes. Thursday I will do questions from the cram lectures I watched. Friday is a repeat. I WILL BE GETTING THROUGH THE ENTIRE CRAM BEFORE SUNDAY!! Here's to studying!!

Whoa....I did It. I passed REG

I know I said that I wasn’t going to check my REG score….but Twitter was jumping.

I pondered, and contemplated and pondered some more.

I then decided I would check it. I text MissGina and told her I was so nervous and tempted to check.

She made me promise that no matter what the outcome I better be determined to beat BEC down on 4/9.

I kindly excused myself (I was at work) and went into the bathroom and had a heart to heart prayer. I told GOD that no matter what I see I have to deal with it and move on.

I walked back to my desk and looked up my section ID in my email.

I went to the NASBA site (hands are shaking and heart is beating fast).

I put in my info and this is what I saw

87!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in shock.

When I first took REG I got a 63. That’s a 24 point improvement.

Getting one under your belt just lets me know that I can do this. Hard work does pay off. I studied so many hours for this test. I did so many MCQ’s that I can’t keep count. I made sure that while looking at Beckers class notes I could fully elaborate on their summaries. I liked to look at it as if someone was asking me about taxes and business law I had to explain it to them.

The key I believe to me passing were the live Becker classes. Yes I know I said that they were a waste but obviously they weren’t. They were definitely pretty boring and my Sunday’s seemed consumed. However the fact that I had to force myself and stay on schedule made me stay on track. I definitely have more drive then I did last year. I also have more confidence. I will be the first to say that I didn’t use 100% Becker and I know that for future tests I won’t. But the software and the trackers really helped me focus on my weaknesses.

Its been 324 days since I sat for my first exam (which was BEC on 4/9/10. Ironically I will be sitting for BEC again on 4/9/11)

Now off to BEC!!! I’m going to put 150% into this.

Study Tip #3 ---Learn How To Say No…..

This week’s study tip is brought to you by our friends and relatives who get upset when we tell them we have to study. We all have them.

The friend who says “ Why can’t you go out?”

The relative who asks” Why didn’t you come to my house for my baby’s birthday party?”

Or the boyfriend/husband/significant other who says “ I feel neglected…put down those books!”

YOU BETTER SAY NO!

Yes we all feel bad and yes some people will feel neglected but aren’t we neglecting ourselves also? They aren’t the only ones suffering!

In order to pass there will be things that we have to give up. We will not be able to make it to every event, or make everyone happy. So saying No is perfectly fine.

So what did we learn today?

ITS OK TO SAY NO!

I Don't Mean to Complain But I Need to Vent......

I don’t want to sound like a complaining brat…. But I really DON’T LIKE BEC!!! Every time I start to feel confident something comes to totally knock me down. I try to convince myself that I’m overreacting but I can’t help to feel this way.

I guess this all stemming from today’s lunch time studying. Budgeting and forecasting totally took advantage of me. I don’t know what it is but I was getting all the calcs wrong. I specifically remember working through them last time and getting them correct. Its like I never learned this stuff.

I basically spent a hour and a half trying to figure out four problems. That seriously is not funny. That means I have some huge deficiencies in that area. The fact that the text book is so vague doesn’t make it easier. I need to get it together and I need to get it together quick. I only have 12 days left and I still need to do the IT module. I will only spend another day on this chapter and then IT for two days. After that its review, review, review. Hopefully I won’t get slammed on the exam with those budgeting questions. No matter what I’m going to keep at it.


Maybe my brain is just off today. I sure hope so!

Checking In and Decisions

Today was another BEC class.

It felt good to be ahead of the class and use class today as reinforcement. I must say that the reason I'm ahead is not because of Becker but its because of Yeager. Yes I swore before that I was done with them but let me tell you, the 2011 version is so much better! Cindy is the main instructor. Economics last yr in the 2010 course was beyond horrible...I would say to sum it up it was wretched! Phil must have had a lot of complaints becAuse they totally switched it up this year.

Anyway, I decided on a number of things this weekend. One being that Im putting 150% into passing by this summer. And when I say Summer I mean I will be done with all tests before the 4th of July. I just missed out on my bff's bday party which included a photo shoot just to study. I have to prioritize. I must say that my level of being this focused was not this high last year.

Secondly I decided that I will NOT be doing live classes for FAR and Audit. I've decided this because I NEED my Sundays to study. FAR is a time crunch no matter what so sitting in class for 8-9 hrs where the instructor is just reading from the book is not a good use of time. I believe I can do this on my own. I have the structure and determination and will inside of me to stay on course.  I've also decided that I will use Yaeger as primary and Becker for HW . I made this decision because Cindy's teaching style is exactly what I need. She breaks it down so that it makes complete sense. I will do the Yaeger minimum questions and all Becker HW. If I have time I will go back and do the Wiley questions not listed as minimum. I will also be using Kaplan audio for daily reinforcement.

So there it is. It's amazing the clarity you get in a week.

Study Tip #2- Chill Out

I've realized during studying sometimes you have to give your mind a rest. What's the point of studying if your mind is somewhere else? It's Ok if somedays are not as productive as others. As long as you don't totally deviate from plan you will be OK. It's better to study when your mind is 100% there than 50% there. We are not machines.

There have been plenty of times that I have been frustrated and continued to study all the while I would not be retaining information and everything seemed sooooo hard.

Now on the other hand there have been times when I would know when to put down the books when I felt the level of frustration building. It was during these times that I learned that its better to chill out, regroup, and come back to it. I can tell you that 98% of the time when I came back I understood it.

While we have goals to study we do need to take a little time to make ourselves happy. If we don't then we will totally resent the CPA and see it as punishment. For instance I can tell you that one of my fellow twitter friends (Lady La_La) made the funniest video ever here. You have to learn how to de-stress.

So this weeks study tip is to CHILL OUT don't get so worked up when things don't go according to plan. We are humans not machines. If we were machines well we wouldnt even be here talking about this. Tomorrow is a new day whatever happened regarding your study goals yesterday doesn't matter all that matters is that you put your focus into today and exam day.

Happy Studying. And remember don't lose focus...you got this!

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Study Tip #1- Set a Goal

I've been thinking about starting a feature on my blog. I wanted this feature to be something that I can speak upon and can relate to. So without further ado I'm introducing weekly study tips. These are study tips that I use or have learned from others.

When I first started studying I didn't have a plan. All I knew was that I had to study. I was jumping all over the book. I didn't have a focus and I had no direction. Looking back on it now, that was a BIG mistake.

Now I know the importance of setting daily/weekly goals. I prepare my weekly goal setting on Sunday's. I map out what I need to cover for the week. I also keep my goals REALISTIC. I don't set a goal that is unattainable (i.e. answer 2,500 questions today). Setting goals gives me a sense of accomplishment and I also don't feel overwhelmed.

The most important thing to remember when setting your goal is to STICK TO IT!. What is the point of a goal if your not going to stick to it. If your not sticking to your goal then its not a goal, its a possibility. Possibilities won't get you to pass on the CPA exam. I will admit that sometimes I may set a goal and I may fall short. For example I may say that I want to answer 50 questions and my brain is so fried that I only answer 30. In situations like this I still feel like I accomplished something. Yes I didn't meet my goal but I didn't totally ignore it and I did make an effort to get close. I will say that when that does happen I make it my business to make up for it.

So this week's study tip is to ****SET A GOAL AND STICK TO IT****

You will see how much you accomplished and how better prepared you are by doing it.