| Author |
|
jlintag01
Contributor
Joined: 12 Nov 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 90
|
| Posted: 19 Nov 2009 at 15:22 | IP Logged
|
|
|
kj_nyc wrote:
I'm sure many people think I overstudied unnecessarily, and yes, given my scores, I could have gotten 75s with less study time. But as I mentioned before, I am a former IT person who had to quit because of the horrible job market and pervasive offshore outsourcing after the dot com crash. I did taxes on the side for 3 tax seasons before throwing in the towel to go full time with tax. I had also become an Enrolled Agent by that time, but all the CPA firms were displeased with me for not being a CPA. I finally found a firm that would hire me, but they also were unhappy with my lack of CPA license and put a lot of pressure on me and other non-CPA staff people to become CPAs. I had to spend over $40,000 and 2.5 years going back to school to fulfill education requirements. With that type of investment, in addition to the exorbitant exam fees, I decided right from the beginning that failure would not be an option and that I would fight tooth and nail to get the CPA license. |
|
|
With your drive and work ethic any company would be a fool not to hire you. It's just scary to think someone like you would have trouble getting a firm to hire you. Good luck with your new career as a CPA.
__________________
AUD - 11/16/09 - 81
BEC - 01/15/10 - 80
FAR - October/November
REG - Not yet determined
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
jpatel854
Newbie
Joined: 10 Nov 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10
|
| Posted: 19 Nov 2009 at 19:19 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks for the advice KJ! Now i see how much work went into those 99's. Maybe you did over-study but it is definitely worth it with the results you got. I want to try to gather a fraction of your focus and work ethic, hopefully i can get 80+. I gotta save this post and reread it every time i get discouraged while studying.
I will try Becker and supplement if necessary like you said. I'm actually a student of accounting(graduate in DEC), my main courses include Audit, Cost accounting, Financial accounting, i read a lot of economics on the side too so hopefully it makes it a little easier. I've got no tax experience so i hope REG is not too big of an issue but the rest should be OK. I hope you don't mind if i email you sometime for some questions or advice? Thanks again, really appreciate your input.
JP
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
kj_nyc
Major Contributor
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1145
|
| Posted: 19 Nov 2009 at 20:11 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks for your kind words, jlintag01 and jpatel854.
After the dot com crash, the IT market became even worse than the entry-level accounting market is now. And CPA firms don't like people who are not CPAs, especially people who are not eligible to take the exam. I guess my interviewing skills are not good, either. I hope I won't be getting laid off any time soon.
jpatel854, it sounds like you already have a great work ethic if you have already started studying for the exam and posting here while you're still in school!
Feel free to email me any time. I am happy to help.
__________________
KJ, CPA licensed in New York
AUD - May 2009 - 99
FAR - July 2009 - 99
REG - Aug 2009 - 99
BEC - Oct 2009 - 93
License applied for Nov 2009, received Jan 2010
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
minicre
Major Contributor
Joined: 15 Jul 2008
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 504
|
| Posted: 20 Nov 2009 at 13:08 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Great job... I agree with you on most of your points except combining material. But regardless, you studied hard and you put the time in, and you got the results. Thats the way this test works folks! Its all about commitment, time, and approach. If you have those 3 down, you WILL pass this test. Think of it as a game, moreso than a test, cause that is what it is.
Out of curiousity KJ, now that your done, looking back... would you have studied less knowing that you would have still passed (hypotetically speaking of course)? I studied probably half the time that you did in total, which is probably why my grades are the way they are in comaprison to you. Many people before me used to say, "Anything higher than a 75 means you studied too much!" HAHA. Anyhow, if you did it all over again, would you study less, if you knew you were going to pass regardless?
__________________
REG------FAR------BEC------AUD
-79-------78-------77------90->
ALL DONE on 1st TRY, w/Becker!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
kj_nyc
Major Contributor
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1145
|
| Posted: 20 Nov 2009 at 14:47 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, if I somehow knew exactly what to do to guarantee a 75 on each exam, I would have done exactly that much, but who can ever predict this for sure? Given how much I had to invest into this, I had to do whatever it would take to maximize my chances of passing.
__________________
KJ, CPA licensed in New York
AUD - May 2009 - 99
FAR - July 2009 - 99
REG - Aug 2009 - 99
BEC - Oct 2009 - 93
License applied for Nov 2009, received Jan 2010
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Active Topics 
Memberlist 
Search 
Help
Register 
Login
Topic: My study tips
Topic Closed)
