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.

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.

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.

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?