cpa

Strategic exam scheduling for the CPA

by gaap toothed on September 10, 2009 · 0 comments

in CPA FAQ,CPA Review Programs

I graduated in May 2009 with a BBA in Accounting and MIS, but I am not eligible to sit for the CPA until January 2010.  I do not have a job and am currently taking 6 hrs of accounting classes to fulfill the CPA requirements.

I ordered Yaeger FAR Homestudy and should be receiving it soon.  I plan on studying 4-8 hours everyday until I have completed all the MCQs.  After that, depending on my confidence, I might buy a Yaeger CRAM and Gleim software or try studying for REG/BEC.

After researching the cpanet board, I thought it would be a good idea to plan my CPA schedule by starting with the hardest section first, like this:
FAR – Jan/Feb 2010
REG – April/May 2010
AUD – July/Aug 2010
BEC – July/Aug 2010

But after researching even more, I realized that I could probably speed up the process since time is on my side.  Now I’m thinking about this schedule:
FAR Jan/Feb 2010
BEC Jan/Feb 2010
REG April/May 2010
AUD April/May 2010

I decided to move BEC up because I have taken two Cost Accounting classes, several MIS/AIS classes, and enjoy studying economics.

I used to be intimidated the most by FAR because of the amount of material it covers, but lately it has become less intimidating because I know that time is on my side and I’ve also been exposed to 90% of the material.  Also, I have been psyching myself out and even feel excited about starting to study (mainly because I don’t have a job and have nothing to do all day, LOL).

REG and AUD are now the ones I am dreading.  I’ve taken Indiv. Tax and one Audit class and was always confused in those classes.  I saved these exams for last because with FAR and BEC I feel confident and am kind of excited/psyched to start studying for them.

My concerns are studying too much (with the first schedule)/too little (with the second schedule) and whether or not I will retain 2 sections worth of material per window.  Throughout college, I always had a hard time during final exams because I could only study 1 test at a time.  Studying for more than 1 test would cause me to forget things.

I cannot wait for my FAR review materials get here so I can finally figure out how I’m going to study, how long FAR will take for me to study, and finally which schedule plan I should go with!

Tagged as: background, cpa, education, exam, exam order, experience, review, software, study, Wiley, Yaeger

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The beginning of my CPA journey

by gaap toothed on September 8, 2009 · 0 comments

in CPA Exam

Yesterday, I purchased Yaeger Homestudy FARs CPA review material. It comes with:

  • Yaeger FAR Video Lectures
  • 2009 Wiley CPA Review textbook for FAR
  • downloadable FAR Handout
  • Wiley 14.0 Practice Software
  • Access to Yaeger CPA Review Instructor Hotline

I decided to buy Yaeger over Rogers CPA Review because it was cheaper, Yaeger’s instructors have better credentials/more teaching experience (which means they will have better handouts/notes), and Rogers talks TOO fast. At first I was going to buy Rogers after watching and comparing the Yaeger and Rogers demo videos. Yaeger instructors tend to be slow talking and monotone, while Rogers is fast paced and energetic. I thought the fast paced Rogers lectures would keep my attention better than the slow paced Yaeger reviews. I finally came to the conclusion that I would probably learn better from Yaeger because their slow pace actually gives me time to listen to the instructor and also understand the material. After watching more demo videos of Rogers, I realized that the fast pace inhibits me because he talks so fast that by the time I comprehended one sentence, he has already spit out 3 more confusing sentences. I found myself constantly pausing and rewinding because I kept losing my train of thought.

I believe the Yaeger lecture videos are 30-40 hours total and the AICPA suggests that for every 1 hour of lecture video should be followed with 2-3 hours of self study and MCQs. So thats about 90 to 160 hours of studying recommended by the AICPA.

I will hopefully receive my review books sometime by the end of the week. I wish I had more details about the Yaeger package because I would really like to set up my calendar and budget my studying time. I roughly have 3.5-4 months to study for FAR and have no doubts about me passing it.

I may also purchase the Yaeger Audio Lectures, Yaeger CRAM, and Gleim Software/Book. I will hold off on these purchases for now because I want to see how my progress goes with Homestudy. I want the Yaeger Audio Lectures because I am taking a long trip in November and the lectures don’t require the use of a book, just plain and simple notetaking.

This is my tentative schedule for the CPA:

  1. FAR – Jan/Feb 2010
  2. REG – April/May 2010
  3. AUD – July/Aug 2010
  4. BEC – July/Aug 2010

I chose to study for FAR first because I found comments on many CPA forums saying that FAR was the longest and most difficult. I have not taken Advanced Accounting or Government/Non Profit Accounting and I hear that those topics can be difficult to comprehend without having taken the classes. If studying for FARs goes well for me, I may consider taking REG in the Jan/Feb 2010 window also!

My decision to take REG second was because of my lack of tax classes. I have taken only Individual Taxation and had a Business Law. I’m scared about this section because I hated my Individual Taxation class.

For now, I have AUD and BEC scheduled in the same window because from what I have researched, most people find AUD and BEC to the be easiest sections because they are the shortest. I have only taken one Audit class and found it audit to be very boring and tricky. I figure I should do fine in AUD if I give myself enough time to study.

I feel that BEC will be the easiest section for me because I have take Cost Accounting, Advanced Cost Accounting, Macro/Micro Economics, Accounting Information Systems, and several MIS classes dealing with databases.

My ideal CPA exam schedule looks like this:

  • FAR – Jan 1st 2010
  • REG – Feb 28th 2010
  • AUD – April 1st 2010
  • BEC – May 31st 2010

This ideal schedule has me finishing all four sections by May, but greatly reduces the time I have to study. I’m hoping that come December I will be feeling confident about FAR and be ready to purchase review materials for REG. I have not yet sent in my Application of Intent or Eligibility Application because I have to wait till December for my school transcripts to be finished. I will have to wait till December to see how I feel about my FARs studying and whether or not I can schedule 2 exams in the same testing window with enough studying time in between.

Tagged as: cpa, exam, exam order, material, review, Roger CPA Review, Yaeger CPA Review

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